
Frank Bell Jr.
(1893 - 1963)
Frank Bell, Jr. was born February 18,
1893 in La Marque, TX. He was the second son of Frank Bell, Sr. and Flavery Bell.
Frank, Jr. was united in holy matrimony
to Ollie V. Caldwell of Hitchcock, TX on June 5, 1918, in Galveston, TX. Frank had a son, Earl Bell, by a previous marriage.
Frank and Ollie had five (5) children: Frank, III, Eunice, Evelyn, Alonzo, and Vera Lee.
Frank, Jr. was a hard working family
man. He contributed much to the growth and development of La Marque, and to the black community. He was instrumental in getting
electricity into the black community from the Searchlight Inn on Highway 3. He was the forerunner for getting water and telephone
lines into the black community. He along with T.W. Patrick and T.D. Armstrong of Galveston, formed a real estate company and
named it B. A. & P. Realty Company.
They owned 30 acres of land and donated 5 acres of it to the county of Galveston for a park for colored children, now known as Carver Park (The First
Black County Park In The State Of Texas).
The B A & P Realty Company developed
the additions of Park, Anderson, and Woodrow Streets, surrounding the park. Frank Bell, Jr. was a successful businessman.
He owned personal property, such as, The Bell's Grocery Store, Bell's Hotel, Bell & Sons Service Station & Garage,
Cafe 348, a barber shop, B A & P Lumber Yard, a low income housing project in Texas City, and several Frank Bell subdivisions.
Frank was always concerned about the welfare of other people, and
strongly believed in an education for all. He died on February 3, 1963, at the age of 70. |
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