Orelia Key Bell

Orelia Key Bell (April 8, 1864 – June 2, 1959) was an American poet and author whose work includes "Millennium Hymn" and "Poems" (1895). She lived for more than 50 years with her companion, Ida Jane Ash (1874–1948), first in Atlanta and then California, and they are buried alongside each other in the Atlanta's Historic Oakland Cemetery.

Early life Orelia Key Bell was born in Atlanta, Georgia, on April 8, 1864, to Colonel Marcus Aurelius Bell (1828–1885) and Mary Jane Hulsey (1837–1901), The house was demolished in 1925.

Career

Both sides of Bell's family were from the gentry, and she was very thoroughly educated. Even when her family lost their financial security she managed to support herself and reach the fame through her poetry.

In 1942 she collaborated with British poet Alfred Noyes to publish a "patriotic leaflet". Her poem, "The Tocsin Sounds" is "dedicated to President Franklin D. Roosevelt as Commander in Chief".

Personal life Orelia Key Bell never married and but lived with Ida Jane Ash. Newspapers tagged Ash as a lifelong friend and amanuensis. They moved to Pasadena prior to World War I and later lived at 2533 Greenbriar Lane, Costa Mesa, California. Bell died on June 2, 1959, and is buried at Oakland Cemetery in the Bell family plot alongside Ash.