University of Virginia Library

THOMAS MARTIN BELL

Thomas Martin Bell was born in Henry County,
Virginia, April 24th, 1864, being the son of George
M. and Susan (Hodges) Bell, both of whom are
now dead. He moved
to Roanoke County in
infancy, his parents settling
at Bellview, near
Cave Spring. During
his boyhood he attended
the county schools,
and on the eighteenth
of December, 1885,
married Mrs. Drue E.
(Lavinder) Wertz. To
this union the following
children have been
born: Otho C., Annie
G., Howard T., Lottie
Sue, Bulah M., George
M., Luther D., Carson
G., Pearl T., and Paul
B. Bulah died at the
age of three years and
George at the age of nine.

Mr. Bell is one of the most progressive of Roanoke
County's apple growers, and is the owner of
two fine pippin orchards. He now has in bearing
one thousand trees, besides two thousand not bearing,
his orchard being divided about equally between
the pippin and winesap varieties. It has been his
usual custom to sell his fruit to packers in the orchards,
and for a number of years he has been deriving
a handsome income from the results of his
labors. He was Assessor of Land in 1910 for Cave
Spring and Big Lick districts. It was largely due
to his efforts that the assessments on apple orchards
were materially increased during the past year, thus
giving to the state and county a largely increased
revenue from the valuable orchard lands which in
the past were regarded as being assessed too low.
He is a member of the Electoral Board of Roanoke
County, and has served in that capacity for a period
of six years. He is a Democrat of the old school,
and has accomplished much good for the interests
of the party in Roanoke County.