Charlesa Bell Gary

Charlesa Bell Gary is a descendent of one of the first black families to occupy land designated for freedmen in West Texas City, Galveston County, TX. That 230-acre tract of land settled by Kneeland Britton, Calvin Bell, Dave Hobgood and Thomas Caldwell (Hitchcock) in 1867, is commonly referred to as “the Settlement,” and is registered with the state as the 1867 Settlement Historical District, the only Reconstruction-era black community there.

A Southwest Airlines retiree, businesswoman and self-published author, she also worked at The Galveston County Daily News and digital media company, i45NOW. She is married to husband Jerry. They have four children and six grandchildren.  

She is president of the African American Historic Preservation Committee, a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving, documenting, and promoting historical and cultural heritage in Galveston County. She leads the Britton, Bell, Hobgood and Caldwell reunion committee. Their family story is included in “Galveston County, Texas: A Narrative and Pictorial History,” a book compiled by the Galveston County Historical Commission. She remains active in her community with various annual events and projects.