John Samuel Bell was born in Concord (Cabarrus County), North Carolina, on December 11, 1847. Bell was a longtime resident of Elkin (Surry County) where he worked as a retail merchant and later as a news reporter. During the July 1916 flood, his home on Front Street in Elkin was seriously damaged by floodwaters. Bell died in Elkin on July 8, 1928.