Inscription
James W. Bell Deputy Sheriff Born – 1853 – Died April 28, 1881 Murdered by William Bonney A.K.A. “Billy the Kid” during his escape from the Lincoln County Jail Lincoln N.M.
Gravesite Details Recent research (as of 2010) has cast doubt on whether this is actually Bell’s grave site. It may be appropriate to characterize this headstone as a cenotaph rather than an actual grave marker.
Frontier peace officer. J.W. Bell was a deputy sheriff of Lincoln County, NM under Sheriff Pat Garrett in 1881. Bell, along with fellow deputy Robert Olinger, was killed in the line of duty by Billy the Kid when he escaped from custody in Lincoln while awaiting hanging for the murder of the previous sheriff, William Brady. The murders of Bell and Olinger have been dramatized in the various Hollywood treatments of Billy the Kid. Deputy Bell is memorialized on the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, DC at Panel 13, W3.
Bell’s grave was unmarked for over 100 years, but was located and an impressive headstone erected in 2003.
Gravesite Details
Recent research (as of 2010) has cast doubt on whether this is actually Bell’s grave site. It may be appropriate to characterize this headstone as a cenotaph rather than an actual grave marker. Note: there are no authenticated photos of Bell.
Possible pictures found of BELL
James Bell
in the 1870 United States Federal Census
| Name: | James Bell | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age in 1870: | 17 | ||||||||||||||||
| Birth Date: | abt 1853 | ||||||||||||||||
| Birthplace: | Maryland | ||||||||||||||||
| Dwelling Number: | 263 | ||||||||||||||||
| Home in 1870: | Wilkes Barre, Luzerne, Pennsylvania | ||||||||||||||||
| Race: | White | ||||||||||||||||
| Gender: | Male | ||||||||||||||||
| Post Office: | Wilkes-Barre | ||||||||||||||||
| Occupation: | Laborer | ||||||||||||||||
| Father of Foreign Birth: | Yes | ||||||||||||||||
| Mother of Foreign Birth: | Yes | ||||||||||||||||
| Cannot Read: | Yes | ||||||||||||||||
| Cannot Write: | Yes | ||||||||||||||||
| Inferred Father: | James Bell | ||||||||||||||||
| Inferred Mother: | Isabella Bell | ||||||||||||||||
|
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James Bell
1880 United States Federal Census White Oaks
| Name: | James Bell | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age: | 27 | ||||||
| Birth Date: | Abt 1853 | ||||||
| Birthplace: | Georgia | ||||||
| Home in 1880: | White Oaks, Lincoln, New Mexico, USA | ||||||
| Dwelling Number: | 9 | ||||||
| Race: | White | ||||||
| Gender: | Male | ||||||
| Relation to Head of House: | Self (Head) | ||||||
| Marital Status: | Single | ||||||
| Father’s Birthplace: | Virginia | ||||||
| Mother’s Birthplace: | Virginia | ||||||
| Occupation: | Miner | ||||||
| Neighbors: | |||||||
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1880 CENSUS Pennsylvania
| Name: | James Bell (HIS FATHER) |
|---|---|
| Age: | 50 |
| Birth Date: | Abt 1830 |
| Birthplace: | Scotland |
| Home in 1880: | Wilkes Barre, Luzerne, Pennsylvania, USA |
| Dwelling Number: | 192 |
| Race: | White |
| Gender: | Male |
| Relation to Head of House: | Self (Head) |
| Marital Status: | Married |
| Spouse’s Name: | Isabella Bell |
| Father’s Birthplace: | Scotland |
| Mother’s Birthplace: | Scotland |
| Occupation: | Engineer |
| Household Members | Age | Relationship |
|---|---|---|
| James Bell | 50 | Self (Head) father |
| Isabella Bell | 45 | (Wife)mother |
| Abraham Bell | 23 | Son |
| Agnes Bell | 20 | Daughter |
| William Bell | 16 | Son |
| Isabella Bell | 12 | Daughter |
Newspaper Clippings
5 Newspaper Clippings for James Bell
Lincoln County Ownership
| Results for your Search by Grantee: BELL J W |
| For official copies of documents, please visit the County office. |
| Grantee | Rec | Bk | Grantor | Instrument | Description | Doc# | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BELL J W | 1 | B | AMERICAN
GIRL |
18800925 | NOGAL
MINING DISTRICT |
188010196 | ||||
| 1 | GRAY EAGLE | 188010196 | ||||||||
| 1 | HERCULES | 188010196 | ||||||||
| 1 | HOMESTAKE | 188010196 | ||||||||
| 1 | MOSCOW | 188010196 | ||||||||
| 1 | MOSCOW EXTENTION | 188010196 | ||||||||
| 1 | SUNSET | 188010196 | ||||||||
| 1 | TEXAS STAR | 188010196 | ||||||||
| 1 | TEXAS STAR EXTINTION | 188010196 | ||||||||
| 1 | VICTORIA | 188010196 | ||||||||
| 1 | WATTS JAMES | 188010196 | ||||||||
| 1 | ZEBRA | 188010196 |
| For official copies of documents, please visit the County office. |
(ADDED BY WEBSITE)
See Interactive Map Ownership (None listed)
Ancestry.com
When James Walter Bell was born in 1853, his father, James, was 21 and his mother, Isabella, was 21. He died on April 28, 1881, in White Oaks, New Mexico, at the age of 28, and was buried there. He lived in New Mexico on April 28, 1881.
Find a Grave
White Oaks Pioneer From 1880-1900?
No
Gold Miner?
No
New Information added 3-29-2024
This information came from Steven Sederwall, Author on:
The Dirty on Billy the Kid: Link Here
Below shows James Bell as Constable and Pat Garrett as Deputy?
Here are all the links provided in the search results:
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_the_Kid
- https://www.whiteoaksnmgoldrush.com/james-bell/
- https://www.odmp.org/officer/reflections/1713-deputy-sheriff-james-w-bell
- https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/8364624/james-w_-bell
- https://www.odmp.org/officer/1713-deputy-sheriff-james-w-bell
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_W._Bell