Bell family.

Samuel Henry Bell graduated from Davidson college in 1870. He graduated from Columbia Seminary in 1873 and was ordained to the Presbytery of Savannah. In 1893 Washington College awarded him the degree of Doctor of Divinity. He was commissioned a chaplain in the U.S. Army and served in various posts in the U.S. and abroad. Dr. Bell also pursued a passion for genealogical history.

Dr. Bell married Marcia Eberenz Smith. The couple had three children: Marcia, Merle, and Margaret. Mrs. Smith, Merle, and Margaret all predeceased Dr. Bell, who at the time of his death was one of Davidson's oldest and most distinguished alumni. Dr. Bell's estate was willed to his daughter, Mrs. Marcia Bell Mitchell. At her death in 1962, she left her estate of $835,000 to Davidson, the largest single bequest ever made to Davidson at that point.