Harrell, Reuben G.

Born in Gallatin, Tennessee, in 1845, Reuben G. Harrell served as a scout and assistant adjutant in the Confederate Army under General T. H. Bell during the Civil War. Moving west to Fresno in 1875, he witnessed the region’s earliest development, initially working in stock-raising, farming, and general merchandising. He later served eight years as deputy county assessor and established a legal practice in the United States Land Courts, providing crucial assistance to pioneer homesteaders settling in the San Joaquin Valley.

In 1866, Harrell married Susie B. Bell, the daughter of his wartime commander, General T. H. Bell. The couple celebrated their golden wedding anniversary in 1916 and raised four surviving daughters: Margaret, Maud, Catherine, and Myrtle E. (a notable artist and chief deputy county school superintendent). A respected notary public and long-time trustee of the Southern Methodist Church, Harrell earned widespread regard as an esteemed early pioneer of Fresno County.