Bell Township, Jefferson County, Pennsylvania
township in Jefferson County, Pennsylvania
Bell Township is a township in Jefferson County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 2,010 at the 2020 census, down from 2,056 at the 2010 census. It was named for John H. Bell, a prominent citizen of the township.
Geography
The township is in southeastern Jefferson County and is bordered to the south by Indiana County. The borough of Punxsutawney borders the township to the west. Unincorporated communities in the township include Cloe, Fairview, Albion, Robertsville, Bells Mills, Riker and Spindletown.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 18.8 square miles (48.6 km2), of which 18.6 square miles (48.1 km2) are land and 0.2 square miles (0.5 km2), or 0.96%, are water. Mahoning Creek, a tributary of the Allegheny River, flows from east to west across the center of the township. U.S. Route 119 is the main highway across the township, following the Mahoning Creek valley, and leading west into Punxsutawney and northeast into Big Run.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 2,029 people, 811 households, and 614 families residing in the township.
“Bell Township, Jefferson County, Pennsylvania” enters the record as township in Jefferson County, Pennsylvania. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Bell, Township and Jefferson can confirm, complicate or overturn.
Why this record matters
“Bell Township, Jefferson County, Pennsylvania” is worth following because a concise public description often conceals a longer documentary argument. Here, Bell, Township and Jefferson provides the most credible route into that argument.
Place names and jurisdictional language are key evidence: both can reveal earlier catalogue descriptions and overlooked record series. The source revision retrieved here is dated Mar 30, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q4883290. VIAF identifies the subject as 131765771. The Library of Congress control number is no2010071055. Authority coordinates are 40.950, -78.916. 1 of 3 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 2020, 2010 and 2000.
A single description cannot reconcile every naming convention, rebuilding phase or administrative transfer associated with a place. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Bell Township, Jefferson County, Pennsylvania”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Bell Township, Jefferson County, Pennsylvania primary sources, Bell Township, Jefferson County, Pennsylvania archive and Bell research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
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Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Bell Township, Jefferson County, Pennsylvania” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.