Sanders Bell Biography Part 1

Chapter 1: Early Family History to 1957.

Ancient Bell Families

Belus was the son of Namrut and appears in the Bible as Accad or Akad, son of Nimrod (Genesis 10:8-10).

The Bell family also descends through the Hyksos Kings and the Ramessedian Dynasty of Egypt and Danaus King or Argos, all of whose family names were Bel.

Beltani, the Arch Patriarch or Great Dan (Dan) of Belfort in Gaul, was Chief of the Belovici, the ruling tribe of the Belgae Confederation, whom Caesar mentions as being good fighters.

Beltani's son, Belcaramas, was born in 127 B.C.; he married Hiltara, daughter of the Lord of Tara, in 107 B.C.; came into Ireland in 87 B.C. and founded Belfast. Salenz, of the Belg or Belovici tribe, came into England in 423 A.D. under Zephan or Belcevanus, from Ireland. He had a son, Thomas. Years later, an ancestor of Thomas, the first Bell in Great Britain to bear the family name, was Archer or Arthur Bell of Waybridge in Surrey, England, A.D. 1026. He was chief of the Archers in the levies of King Harold and was killed at the Battle of Hastings.

Reference: Ancient Bell Families . Access Genealogy webpage.

For several centuries, the chief habitation of Bell families was on the Scotch border, in both England and Scotland. From there they migrated to all parts of the British Isles and, later, to all parts of the British Empire and America.

See also: The Origin and Brief History of the Clan Bell. www.clanbell.org/history.html . Clan Bell North America webpage.

Scottish Migration

What were the impelling motives that begged William Bell and thousands of others, to leave their homeland and build new lives in the wilderness? A common reason is for a “better life?” But what is a “better” life? Was their life so wretched that they would cast it and their fortunes into an unknown future? Was what they left worth the fight with Indians for the opportunity to wrestle a small parcel of earth from an owner who would die before giving up This better life would be a commitment to just surviving, hoping to get a toe hold in the wilderness. Just how wretched was their existence?

It would appear from scant information that the Bell clans of Scotland were concentrated in the lowland area of Southern Scotland close to the border with England. Additionally, it appears that they may have fallen onto hard times, and became prime candidates for the plantation movement of Ulster which started in the early 16th century. It was seen as a way to eradicate Scotland of the hordes of lowland Scots who in poverty had turned to a life of marauding and horse thievery, which had become an occupation in itself in the Scottish countryside. Hence in the early years of the Plantation, the majority of the settlers were mainly Lowlanders. Indeed, receiving landlords in Ireland encouraged the arriving Scots to bring as many horses and cattle as possible to the new colony, obtained by whatever means. Scotland found this a small price to pay to eliminate the larger problem. William Bell, or his ancestors could have been one of the “lowland Scots” relocated to Ireland. This could give incentive for a ‘better life’.

Source: A Bell Family: History and Descendants of William Bell (c 1685) and Mary McGrowin (1681) by Curtis Sharp and Elizabeth Ann Hammaker.

Early England and America

The Clifford Sanders Bell branch of the Bell family tree in America has been traced back about 500 years to the early 1500s. The 1600s were the years when our country was being settled. In 1607 a group of London promoters established at Jamestown in the Virginia territory what became the first permanent English settlement in the area of what is now the United States. In 1620 a group of Plymouth promoters organized and secured a royal charter which established the Council for New England. The significance of this group lies in the fact that it possessed the title to all of the New England area and that directly or indirectly it created the initial land grants of five colonies--Plymouth, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine, and Connecticut. The regal domain of Carolina was created on March 24, 1663 by a charter from King Charles II to a group of eight English promoters. This group founded in 1670 a settlement at Old Charles Town which was relocated at Charleston in 1680. This town became the nucleus of the colony of South Carolina.

With this brief insight into events of history that were taking place at the time, we begin the study of the Clifford Sanders Bell branch of the Bell family in England and America. As we can see, the time was a time of settlement in the New World, America. At some time during these years of colonization, our ancestors came to America from England, or possibly Scotland. Records indicate that Bells settled in the American colonies as early as 1600.

Bell Clan in Scotland

The Bell Clan in Scotland has been traced to the parish of Middlebie and town of Middlebie in southwest Scotland.

Middlebie is a hamlet and parish in the historic county of Dumfriesshire in Dumfries and Galloway, south-west Scotland. It is

Xpoffer Bell (1605-1700) (Christopher Bell)

About this name: The first name might have been CHRISTOPHER or something similar. At that time, X was used occasionally to abbreviate the 'Christ' part of the name. Source: Ancestry.com. The 'pher' part of the name Christopher was spelled 'offer' or 'poffer'..

Some sources insert CHRISTOPHER in parentheses after the name. Xpoffer is a shortened form of Christopher.

British History: In the Letters and Papers of King Henry VIII, an entry for Oct 29 1544 (listing ships in the area) included this information: Foreign ships: The great Xpoffer of Breme. Merchant ships: Xpoffer 100 tons of Hamborow.

Xpoffer Bell (1605-1700) was born Jun 9 1605 in Northampton, Virginia Colony, America. Northampton was a part of the Eastern Shore of Virginia and was actually an island just off the coast of mainland Virginia. His siblings were John Bell (1607-1721?) and Amy Bell (1609-).

He returned to England to the area from which his parents had migrated. He met his future wife there and married Sarah Chester (1590-1656) on Jun 24 1628 in Newcastle, Northumberland, England. At this time, Newcastle (located on the River Tyne and 8.5 miles from the Black Sea) was an important port with vast shipyards, and was one of the world's ship-building and ship-repairing centers.

Xpoffer worked and remained in England for a while. He was in England when his son, George James Bell, was born in 1629. Xpoffer returned to Virginia in America. Other children of Xpoffer and Sarah were: Sarah Bell (1630-1700) born in Virginia Colony, America; Richard Bell (1631-1634), and Thomas Bell (1633- ).

It was good that Xpoffer and Sarah left England about 1630 to return to America. In 1638, the town of Northampton was severely affected by Plague between March and September when 533 people--a seventh of the population--died.

Eventually Sarah Chester passed away (cause unknown). Xpoffer then married Lady Joyce Hester Webster in 1650 in Virginia.

Children by this marriage were:

Arthur Bell (1655-1755) born in Virginia;

Margaret May Bell (1655-1690) born in Virginia;

John Bell (1656-1720) born in Blaydon, Rhyton, Durham, England;

Thomas Bell (166401733) born in Isle of Wight County, Virginia;

William Bell (1668-1721), Isle of Wight, Virginia;

George Cogdell Bell (1675-1751) in Isle of Wight, Virginia;

Robert Bell (1683-1738) in Isle of Wight, Virginia;

Elizabeth Mayfield (1684-1734) in Rappahannock County, Virginia;

George Bell, (1700-1755) in Isle of Wight County, Virginia.

Xpoffer died in Mar 1700 in Isle of Wight, Virginia Colony, America.

Note: Some sources give this ancestor's name as George Richard Bell.

Happening at the Time: In 1620, the Mayflower lands with the pilgrims at Plymouth. The Massachusetts Bay Colony is founded in 1629.

George James Bell (1629-1702)

George James Bell was born on 1629 in Rockham, Surrey, England (1629-1702) married Lady Joyce Hester Webster (1629-1701) in 1650. George James Bell died on Nov 9 1702 in Isle of Wight, Isle of Wight County, Virginia.

George Cogdell Bell (1675-1751)

George Cogdell Bell (1675-1751) was born in 1675 in Isle of Wight County, Virginia. He married Sarah Elizabeth Webster (1675-1751) in 1695 (one source says 1692).

Note: Some sources date the birth for George to 1672.

Children were:

Elizabeth Bell (1696-1784) in Lumenberg, Virginia.

Margaret Bell (1697-1764) in England.

George and Sarah may have had a second marriage ceremony on Nov 14 1699 in Bilton Ainsty, York, England. Some sources give this second marriage date. They may have had a marriage in England for the benefit of the relatives there.

William Bell (1700-1754) in Isle of Wight County, Virginia.

Sarah Sowerby (1702-1762) in Surry County, Virginia

Arthur Bell (1705-1744) in Isle of Wight County, Virginia

John Bell (1705-1748) in Isle of Wight County, Virginia

Margaret Bell (1706-1784) in Beaufort, Carteret, Virginia.

George Bell (1710-1755) in Isle of Wight County, Virginia.

William Bell (1710- ) in Wickham Precinct, Bath, North Carolina.

Thomas Brittain Bell (1716-1761) in Isle of Wight County, Virginia

Mary Elizabeth Bell (1720-1761) in Isle of Wight County, Virginia

George Bell (1730-1791) in Edgecombe County, North Carolina.

William Bell (1730-1755) in Edgecombe County, North Carolina.

George Cogdell Bell died on Dec 21 1751 in Edgecombe County, North Carolina.

William Webster Bell (1700-1752)

William Bell was born on Jan 1 1700 in Isle of Wight County, Virginia. His parents were George Cogdell Bell and Sarah Elizabeth Webster Bell. His siblings were: Sarah Sowerby (1702-1762), Arthur Bell (1705-1744), John Bell (1705-1748), Margaret Bell (1706-1784), George Bell (1710-1755), William Bell (1710- ), Thomas Brittain Bell (1716-1761), Mary Elizabeth Bell (1720-1761), George Bell (1730-1791), and William Bell (1730-1755).

Records indicate that William remained in Isle of Wight County in Virginia. He married Ann Carroll Jones , age 16, in 1721. William and Ann were married for 31 years until his death in 1752. It appears that William and Ann had a son, Arthur Bell, who was born in 1718, prior to their marriage in 1721. In 1721, a daughter, Mary Bell (1721-1757) was born. In 1725, a son, Joshua Joseph Bell (1725-1793) was born. Further children were: Ann Rebecca Bell (1730-1774) and John Bell (1750-1820).

Reference:

Comment: This source (will) lists Ann Jones as the daughter of Richard Jones, and Ann Jones' husband, William Bell. This record was filed in regard to the "land on which [Ann Jones Bell] and her husband William Bell live". The date is May 22 1721. It appears that Richard Jones was giving land to his daughter and son-in-law in his will. The will also listed his wife, Elizabeth Jones, and children, Samuel, Richard Jr., Elizabeth, Christian, Sarah, Mary, and Martha Davis.

Reference: North Carolina Will Abstracts 1660-1790. Ancestry.com.

Arthur Bell (1718-1775)

Arthur, it is thought, was born on Jan 1 1718 prior to his parents' marriage in 1721. Arthur died in 1775. During his life, he married (his wife's name was Sarah) and fathered at least five children and possibly others. The children were named Benjamin, Elisha, Joshua, Shadrick, and Lucy. Arthur died when he was about 57 years old; the cause of his death is not known.

At some time during his life, Arthur moved his family a county or two away over the state line to Halifax County in North Carolina. Here

he settled on the Roanoke River near the town of Halifax.

It is thought that Arthur may have been a farmer, hunter, and possibly cut timber. Tobacco was the main economic crop in the area at the time. It was an important export to England. Naval stores and timber were also important economically.

Reference: North Carolina. U.S., Land Grant Files 1693-1960. Ancestry.com.

Reference: North Carolina, U.S., Will Abstracts 1760-1800. Ancestry.com

Comment: This record verifies the death year of 1775. The list of names appear to be children and includes names not given above. The name, Sarah, may have been his wife [Sarah].

Happening at the Time: Apr 19 1775 -- War of American Independence officially starts with the battles of Lexington and Concord. The War for Independence lasts until 1789.

Note: A Bell family moves from North Carolina to Tennessee: "William Bell, born in Virginia in the early 1700’s, moved into North Carolina where his son John was born. John left in 1804 with his family to cross the mountains into east Tennessee and into an area then known as “the barren plains.” In 1817 he contracted a mysterious affliction which led to his death three years later. Source: Select Surnames Website. Bell Surname Meaning, History & Origin.

The point here is this: This Bell family was known by and possibly related to Shadrick Bell (below) who did the same thing about 1810--he moved from North Carolina to Tennessee.

Shadrick Bell (1771-1843)

William Shadrick continued to live in Halifax County, North Carolina for some years. His name and that of his brothers and their residence in North Carolina is recorded in the U.S. Census Records of 1790. Early in his life, possibly at the age of 25 to 28 years old, Shadrick moved westward -- 540 miles westward -- to a site near Charlotte, Tennessee, the county seat of Dickson County. During his life, Shadrick was very successful financially. He owned land on the bank of the Cumberland River and also owned a sawmill and grist mill on Pond Branch. He had slaves who helped with the work at the farm and mills.

Shadrick was about 30 years old when he married Charlotte Caroline Monroe (1772-1846) in 1800 or 1801. A son, William Shadrick, Jr. was born in 1802. Shadrick fathered six, possibly seven, children. The children were Mary (who later became Mary F. Ross), Nancy (who later became Nancy Williams),Elizabeth (who later became Elizabeth Caldwell), Shadrick, Jr., Elisha, and Thomas. The reason it is thought there might have been a seventh child is that in his will, Shadrick mentioned a grandson, Joseph A. Dickson, yet none of the above daughters married a Dickson.

Note: Shadrick Bell is listed in the 1820 Federal Census of Tennessee as living in Dickson County, Tennessee.

In his will, William Shadrick left a portion of his land and three servants, Dency, Wiley, and Viney to William Shadrick, Jr. Shadrick, Jr. sold his land to his brother, Elisha, who paid him $800 for it.

Shadrick died in 1846 at about 76 years old.

Reference: North Carolina and Tennessee, U.S., Early Land Records 1753-1931. Ancestry.com.

Reference: Tennessee, U.S., Early Tax List Records 1783-1895. Ancestry.com.

Reference: Tennessee, U.S., Early Land Registers 1778-1927. Ancestry.com

Reference: U.S., Find a Grave Index 1600s-Current. Ancestry.com.

NAME: Dr Shadrach Bell Jr

BIRTH DATE: 14 Aug 1807

BIRTH PLACE: Dickson County, Tennessee, United States of America

DEATH DATE: 8 Mar 1883

DEATH PLACE: Yalobusha County, Mississippi, United States of America

CEMETERY: Coffeeville City Cemetery

BURIAL OR CREMATION PLACE: Coffeeville, Yalobusha County, Mississippi, United States of America

SPOUSE: Mary Ann Bell

CHILDREN: James Donnell Bell; Thomas T Bell; Jennie Willis

Reference: 1850 United States Federal Census. Ancestry.com.

Reference: 1870 United States Federal Census. Ancestry.com.

See also: The Battle of Coffeeville. Dec 5 1862.

See also: The Battle of Coffeeville. Dec 5 1962. The American Civil War webpage.

Comment: David Carr was a Civil War soldier and owned property in the Coffeeville area. Robert T. Thomas was a minister (preacher). The Sophia Timm was an African-American woman who worked as a housekeeper and cook..

Comment: Mary Bell who passed away in 1859, may have died in childbirth, giving birth to Thomas T, Bell.

Comment: Nannie [Nancy] Williams was born in 1848 in Tennessee and by 1850 was living with Shadrick and Mary Bell in Coffeeville. She was still living with the family as per the 1870 Census.

See also: Water Valley, Mississippi in 1858 by Phillip Knecht. Photographs and history of Water Valley.

Happening at the time: The Great Potato Famine in Ireland 1845-1849.

James Donnell Bell (1853-1923)

Dr. Shadrick's son, James Donnell Bell, was born in Coffeeville, Mississippi in 1853 and was, we assume, delivered by his father. James (some called him Jimmy) grew into manhood and at the age of 26 married Lillie Alma Willis of Coffeeville and Graysport. He had met Lillie at Colonel Golladay's home in Coffeeville. The Colonel's wife, Matt Willis Golladay, was Lillie's cousin. The marriage took place on Jun 10 1879 in Coffeeville, Yalobusha County, Mississippi.

During his early years, James farmed land near Coffeeville which his father had given to him. Later, he moved 4 or 5 miles south of Coffeeville to Bryant and worked as plantation manager for Mr. W. C. Bryant, the man for whom the community had been named. In later years, he worked as manager and storekeeper in Mr. Bryant's store in Bryant. By coincidence, both James and Mr. Bryant were sons of doctors who were living and practicing medicine in Coffeeville at the time.

James and Lillie had nine children. The first six-- Amanda Birdie (May 25 1880), Seldon Leren (Sep 1883), Lillie Alma (Mar 25 1885), Mary Victoria (1888), Harriet Elizabeth (1891), and Leren Rowland (Oct 6 1893) --were born while the family lived in Coffeeville. The other three-- Sadie M. (1899), Thelma L. (1901), and James Donnell, Jr. (1905) were born in an old log house on the Bryant plantation. After some time, James and his family moved into another house on the Bryant plantation-- the same house in which Clifford Sanders was born years later. In still later years, James and Lillie moved into a house in Bryant where they lived while James was working as storekeeper in Mr. Bryant's store in Bryant.

After James began working as manager on the Bryant plantation, tragedy struck the family. One of their daughters, Alma, died at the age of 11 (Oct 27 1896) as a result of blood poisoning from picket fence splinters in her leg. The other children, however, grew, married, and established homes of their own. Birdie married George Andrew Griffin (1871) of Andalusia, Illinois. George had come south with a Mr. Mosher to farm. Mr. Mosher had a son who became a part of the family later. They were married in 1898.

Seldon married Cinda Snell. The Snells had also come from Illinois and were living and working on the large Bryant plantation at the time.

Mary married Leslie Snell, also from Illinois and a cousin of Cinda Snell. Mary and Leslie met while Leslie was living and working on the Bryant plantation.

Harriet married Charlie Walter King from Paris, Mississippi. Charlie was a manager on the Bryant plantation and later, manager for Mr. R. Daily and Mr. J. C. Daily.

Leren Rowland married Myrtie Mae Koonce. The Koonce family lived across the Skuna River from the Bryant plantation, which bordered the river on the west bank.

Sadie married S. O. Smith of Covington, Tennessee, a widower with two sons. Sadie liked to write letters and receive them, so she placed a letter in the Memphis Commercial Appeal newspaper requesting pen pals. In her letter she stated that she was a good cook and told of other interests. Mr. Smith saw the letter and asked Sadie, by correspondence, if he could call on her. She did give him permission to come to see her. He came, and at a later date, they were married in Bryant.

Thelma married Mr. Mosher's son, Ray Mosher. Mr. Mosher, as has been mentioned, had come south to farm. The marriage took place in Coffeeville.

James Donnell, Jr. married Allene McCully. At the time, Donnell was working for the railroad and Allene was working for the Telephone Company as a telephone operator in Water Valley.

James Donnell, Sr. lived to be 70 years old. At Bryant in December 1923, he suffered a stroke. A day or two later, he died. His wife, Lillie Alma, also lived to be 70 years old and died in 1929 at Bryant, Mississippi.

Reference: 1900 United States Federal Census. Ancestry.com.

Reference: 1930 United States Federal Census. Ancestry.com.

Reference: 1940 United States Federal Census. Ancestry.com.

Reference: U.S., Find a Grave Index. 1600s-Current. Ancestry.com.

Clifford Sanders Bell (1913-2002)

Leren Rowland Bell's second child, a son, Clifford Sanders, was born on Friday, November 21, 1913 in the Bell's home across Turkey Creek from Mr. Bryant's store on the Bryant plantation at Bryant, Mississippi. The son's name was derived from the name of the doctor from Coffeeville who had delivered him, Dr. J. S. Sanders, and the name of a dentist in Coffeeville at the time, Dr. Clifford Bailey.

At age five, Sanders moved with his family to Water Valley and his father began working for the railroad. Sanders attended the local school in Water Valley and graduated from high school in May 1931.

In the fall of 1931, Sanders attended West Tennessee State Teachers College (Memphis State College) in Memphis, Tennessee. After a year of studies there, Sanders transferred to the University of Tennessee Dental School in Memphis. He attended the University for four years. He graduated with his 21-member class in commencement exercises on Tuesday, June 9, 1936 with the degree, Doctor of Dental Surgery.

The Program of Graduation Events was as follows:

Saturday, May 9: Snearly-Bonner Dinner, 7:00 p.m. University Center, 2 S. Dunlap.

Saturday, May 23: Gwinner-Mercere Dinner Dance, 7:00 p.m. Colonial Country Club.

Wednesday, June 9: Annual Senior Stag Banquet, 7:00 p.m. Peabody Hotel.

Sunday, June 7: Baccalaureate Address, 11:00 a.m. Dr. R. J. Bateman. First Baptist Church.

Tuesday, June 9: Commencement Exercises, 8:00 p.m. University Center, 2 S. Dunlap.

Tuesday, June 9: Reception for Faculty and Graduates, 9:00 p.m. University Center, 2 S. Dunlap.

Tuesday, June 9: All-Student Dance Honoring Graduates, 10:00 p.m. University Center, 2 S. Dunlap.

On Thursday, June 18, 1936, his Mississippi Dental License was issued. Soon after, Sanders moved to Inverness, Mississippi where an uncle and aunt (Charlie Walter and Harriet King) on his father's side of the family lived, and began his dental practice.

The four children of Charlie Walter King and Harriet Bell King were:

Alice Mildred King, born October 12, 1910.

Rubye Bell King, born August 19, 1915.

Charlie Walter King, Jr., born November 24, 1920.

Beverly Willis King, Sr., born August 24, 1929.

Rubye, the second child, was born in Paris, Mississippi on Thursday, August 19, 1915. When she was only four months old, in December 1915, the family moved to a farm in the Mississippi Delta located just west of Inverness. The Inverness area became the family's permanent home.

The King family moved into a house located nine miles west of Inverness on the Sunflower River on the Dailey Farm. Later, they moved into a house located two miles west of town, the house that is now known as the Thelma Catlette house. Years later, Charlie King purchased the 17th section land and moved the family into a house on that land.

Rubye was 11 years old when disaster, the great flood of 1927, struck her father's farm and the entire delta area. When the flood came, Charlie sent his family to stay with relatives at Bryant, Mississippi, while he remained behind with the house and what mules the family had. By a miracle, the house happened to be on ground that was high enough to remain out of the water. The town of Inverness, too, remained out of the water.

Rubye attended Delta State Teachers College at Cleveland, Mississippi from 1932 to 1936.

In the fall of 1936, Rubye began teaching school in Byhalia, Mississippi near Memphis, Tennessee. She taught school for one year and received a salary of $58 per month. The following year she accepted a teaching position in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi on the Gulf Coast, and her salary increased to $85.00 per month. While working in Bay St. Louis, Rubye had the opportunity to visit Havana, Cuba with some friends, all guests of a Cuban student, Hose Fernandez, who was living in Bay St. Louis at the time.

See also: History of Byhalia, Mississippi.

See also: Mississippi Schools in the Early 1900s.

Sanders had known Rubye all of his life through family visits. While in Dental School, he had given Rubye an engagement ring. Their engagement was the reason Sanders moved to Inverness after his college graduation. In the spring of 1938, Sanders and Rubye planned their elopement and marriage.

Rubye was teaching in an elementary school at Bay St. Louis at the time. Early on Wednesday morning, April 13, Sanders boarded a bus and went to Jackson. Rubye, too, boarded a bus and met Sanders in Jackson. The two of them boarded a train and rode all night to Memphis, Tennessee. In Memphis, they rented a car, drove to the Crittenden County Courthouse in Marion, Arkansas and bought their marriage license. They then went to the Baptist Church in Marion to find the minister, Reverend Paul Kirkland. The minister married the couple in the minister's study in the basement of the church. Reverend Kirkland's wife was present and witnessed the vows on April 14, 1938.

The Bells returned to Memphis and spent their honeymoon at the Peabody Hotel, which, at the time, was the finest hotel in the city. On Sunday, April 17, Sanders and Rubye rode the train back to Jackson, Mississippi, where they each boarded buses and return to their separate homes. Rubye returned to Bay St. Louis to finish her school year of teaching--about another four weeks.

Of Interest: Sanders and Rubye Bell: A Wedding Journey Diary 1938.

Of Interest: How to Be a Good Spouse in the 1930s.

Reference: Arkansas, U.S., County Marriages Index 1837-1957. Ancestry.com.

Before their marriage, Sanders had managed to save $100 over a period of several months. The trip, marriage, and honeymoon had taken most of Sander's savings, and when he returned to Inverness, he had very little money left.

When the school year ended in May 1938, Rubye resigned as school teacher and moved to Inverness to live with her husband. Sanders first home in Inverness was a room he rented in the home of a Mrs. Bridges. After his marriage, he rented one of the Lavner apartments, where the Bells lived for more than two years, from 1938 to 1940.

During those two years, two children were born. Jimmy Lee Bell was born on Friday, March 3, 1939 at the Leflore County Hospital in Greenwood, Mississippi. June Sandra Bell was born a little more than a year later on March 23, 1940 at the same hospital.

Reference: 1940 United States Federal Census. Ancestry.com.

In 1940, a lot was purchased just west of the Robert Vanlandingham home and a house was built that year. The Bells moved into their new home in December, about Christmas time.

The U.S. Post Office was located near the west end of the town. Above the Post Office were Dr. Newell's medical office and Dr. Sanders Bell's dental office. Sanders used this dental office from 1936 until he built his own office on East Grand Avenue in 1947. Furnishings and equipment for the new dental clinic were ordered in Oct 1947 and Nov 1947. It is thought the new clinic was in use by Dec 1947.

When the family moved into their new house in December 1940, Rubye was carrying their third child, a son, Charlie King Bell, who was born on Thursday, May 1, 1941 at the Sunflower County Hospital in Indianola, Mississippi.

Following two miscarriages during the mid-1940s, a fourth child, a son, Don Carol Bell, was born on Wednesday morning, March 19, 1947 at 12:50 a.m. at the Leflore County Hospital in Greenwood, Mississippi. A little more than two years later, a fifth child, a son, William Timothy Bell, weighing 6 pounds, 1/2 ounce was born on Tuesday, October 18, 1949 at the same hospital. Ten months later, a sixth child, a daughter, Beverly Rosemary Bell, was born on Wednesday, August 30, 1950 at the same hospital.

During the latter part of 1950, Sanders purchased a lot for a new home in the new Montgomery Drive sub-division located across the bayou from Memorial Park in Inverness. In early 1951, plans were made, and construction began in July 1951. Inverness Lumber Company supplied building materials and Wood Construction Company, with Mr. Dick Wood in charge, did the construction work. The house was finished by Christmas of that year, and the family moved in shortly after Christmas.

The lot of the new home was devoid of trees except for cypress trees in the bayou which bordered the gently sloping lot. Sanders admired pine trees which grew in the hills of the state and hoped they might also grow in the yard. However, almost no pine trees were in the delta, and people generally thought that pine trees would not grow there. During the spring of 1952, Sanders made several trips to the Bryant, Mississippi area to dig and bring back Loblolly pine trees. The trees were planted carefully and thoroughly watered, but each time the trees failed to survive. In the spring of 1953, he decided to plant 700 ten-inch-tall Slash pine seedlings on the large lot. Surprisingly, nearly all of the trees survived and thrived. Within 3 or 4 years, the trees were eight feet or more tall and formed a beautiful evergreen forest around the Bell home. A dream had come true.

In 1953, Rubye's mother and father decided to purchase a house lot next to the Bells and build a new house. The King's house was built in 1954 and Charlie and Harriett (or Hattie, as she was called) moved in that year.

During 1954 and 1955, Jimmy and King began working during the summers on their grandfather's farm driving tractors. By the middle of 1955, both boys had their driver licenses and spent some of their time driving Grandfather Charlie to the cow sales in Grenada and Winona (often two or more sales a week). Mr. King had been interested for many years in the breeding and raising of cows and, at the time, had some of the best herds in the area.

May 1957 was a special time for Sanders and Rubye--the graduation of their first child, Jimmy Bell, from Inverness High School. The two following years brought other graduations--June Bell in May 1958 and King Bell in May 1959.

September 1957 was a memorable time because of the weather. It started raining late on a Saturday afternoon about 4:00 p.m. and rained 19 inches of rain within a 24-hour period. By Tuesday, the rainfall totaled 22 inches.

In December 1957, sorrow came to the Bell family. Charlie Walter King, Sr., age 75, Rubye's father, died of a stroke on Thursday night, December 12 at the King's Daughters Hospital in Greenville, Mississippi. He was buried in Hickory Grove Cemetery just west of Inverness.

Reference: 1940 United States Federal Census. Ancestry.com.