*Clara Wolfe Bell, Minnetrista Heritage Collection*

Clara “Caddie” Estelle Wolfe Bell (1851–1906) was the youngest daughter of Elizabeth Elliott (1812–1885) and Adam Wolfe (1807–1892). Shortly after Clara’s birth, the Wolfe family relocated from Westfield, Ohio, to Muncie. After several failed attempts in Ohio, Adam Wolfe eventually found success in the mercantile trade and developed a partnership in the banking business with his son-in-law, Jason Willson. He ultimately owned five stores and two banks in Delaware, Madison, Grant, Huntington, and Blackford Counties, all of which he operated until his death. At one point, he was considered one of the wealthiest men in the community. Adam Wolfe’s success and good standing made an impact on future generations of the Wolfe family by connecting them with impressive opportunities and people. His daughter Clara was no exception.

In 1868, Clara married Robert Clark Bell (1843–1901). The eldest of eleven children born to Mary Jane Clark (1823–1902) and Hiram C. Bell (1812–1879), Robert put himself through law school at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. After pausing his schooling to serve as a lieutenant in the 8th Indiana Volunteer Infantry Regiment and a major in the 124th Regiment, Indiana Infantry of the Union Army during the Civil War, he earned his law degree in 1868. After graduation, he relocated to Muncie, where he began practicing law with Hon. Alfred Kilgore, one of the leading attorneys in the state. When Kilgore was later appointed District Attorney for Indiana, Bell served as his assistant.

*Robert C. Bell, Ball extended family album, c. 1865*–*1910, Minnetrista Heritage Collection*

In 1871, Clara and Robert moved to Fort Wayne, where he continued to practice law and pursue politics. He was elected a state senator in 1874 and reelected in 1880. He served as a delegate-at-large at the 1884 Democratic National Convention and chairman of the 1896 Democratic State Convention. Robert also became an attorney for the Allen County Board of Commissioners and president of the Salamonie Mining and Gas Company.

Through a partner at his law firm, Robert met and became close friends with perennial Democratic presidential nominee William Jennings Bryan. Bryan visited the Bell home several times and even gave a speech from the front porch on the virtues of the silver standard. Designed in the Richardsonian style with Indiana limestone in 1893 by the Fort Wayne firm Wing & Mahurin, the beautiful Bell home at 420 W. Wayne Street remains a distinct gem in the architectural landscape of Fort Wayne today. The same architectural firm was also used for the original design of the Nebosham home and the stone cottage on Minnetrista Boulevard, as well as the remodel and refacing of the Minnetrista home.

*Bell home, 420 W. Wayne Street, Fort Wayne, IN, Newspapers.com*

Sadly, Clara and Robert had only one child, Bessie Bell (1869–1870), who died in infancy. Despite this loss, the Bells served as maternal and paternal figures for some of the other children in their lives. After Clara’s older sister Emeline Wolfe Brady (1843–1884) passed away, her three teenage children went to live with their grandparents, Adam and Elizabeth Wolfe. Though the Bells lived in Fort Wayne, they visited their Muncie family often and formed strong bonds with their nieces and nephew. Arthur Wolfe Brady (1865–1933) followed in his uncle’s footsteps, graduating from law school at the University of Michigan. He later served as mayor of Muncie from 1902 to 1905 and as president of the Indiana Union Traction Company until 1930.

*Arthur Wolfe Brady, Ball extended family album, c. 1865*–*1910, Minnetrista Heritage Collection*

Niece Elizabeth Wolfe Brady (1867–1944) married industrialist Frank Clayton Ball (1857–1943) in 1893. Their union was largely responsible for the Ball Brothers Company planting roots in Muncie. (The supply of natural gas didn’t hurt either.) Clara, lovingly referred to as “Aunt Caddie,” even made the bridal undergarments for her niece’s wedding day.

Elizabeth remained incredibly close with her aunt, ensuring her children would remember this beloved relative. Here are several pages from her eldest daughters’ baby books that feature Aunt Caddie.

Niece Winifred Elizabeth Brady (1871–1955) attended the Drexel Institute of Philadelphia and the Art Students League of New York. After returning to Muncie, she began taking art classes from Indiana Impressionist painter, John Ottis Adams (1851–1927), at his downtown studio. An art lover herself, Clara Bell utilized this connection to persuade Adams to travel weekly from Muncie to Fort Wayne to teach a painting and sketching class, thereby establishing the Fort Wayne Art School and what would later become the Fort Wayne Museum of Art. In 1889, Adams formed the Muncie Art School with his friend and fellow painter, William Forsyth (1854–1935). When Adams became too busy with his commitments at the Muncie Art School, he offered the Fort Wayne art class to Forsyth. Forsyth agreed and continued teaching there until 1893. Winifred became a student at the short-lived Muncie Art School and would later marry her former teacher twenty years her senior, J. Ottis Adams, in 1898.

*Winifred Brady Adams, Ball extended family album, c. 1865*–*1910, Minnetrista Heritage Collection*

Clara and Robert Bell were a well-connected and well-regarded couple who left a lasting impact on their loved ones as well as the state of Indiana. Their lives were celebrated and early deaths mourned by all who knew them, which can be observed from their respective death announcements in Fort Wayne and Muncie newspapers. Elizabeth Brady Ball even held her dear Aunt Caddie’s funeral at her Minnetrista home as a final show of honor.

Aunt Caddie continued to care and provide for her beloved nieces and nephew even after her passing. After fearing Clara’s will had been lost, it was found carefully wrapped in a towel inside an old trunk a couple of months after her funeral. Apart from a diamond pin left to her sister Sabrina Wolfe Willson, most of Clara’s estate was split amongst Arthur, Elizabeth, and Winifred. Special bequests included a diamond bracelet for Winifred and a diamond necklace then valued at $15,000 for Elizabeth.

Dear Aunt Caddie

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