Madison Bell (1836-1856) was born in Hall (later part of Banks) County, Georgia, the ninth of ten children born to Major John P. Bell (1792-1850) and Narcissa Lockand Bell (1801-1861). During Madison's childhood, his father owned the Glade gold mines, located twelve miles north of Gainesville, Georgia, as well as a farm in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. In 1850, when John P. died, Madison was left in the care of one of his sisters and her husband. He farmed and attended school until becoming a clerk in Gainesville, Georgia, at eighteen years old. He began to study law with Gray & Banks law firm in Gainsville two years later and then attended the State University at Athens (later called the University of Georgia), where he graduated with distinction. Upon receiving his degree, he began practicing law in Homer, Georgia. Madison Bell enlisted in the Confederate Army during the Civil War as a private, was soon appointed Captain, and was later promoted to a Major. After the war, he returned to Homer and married Mary C. Cox (1847-1927) in 1869. The couple had five children: Mary (1872-1928), Nellie (1875-1937), Cora (1877-1955), Madison (1879-1942), and Ulysses S. Bell (1884-1907). Madison Bell continued to practice law in the Georgia appellate courts until his death.