Remembering Daddy On His Birthday!

 March 21, 1908 - September 8, 1990

Remembering Daddy 

Some of the facts here are for our offspring. I hope that I include something that someone had not heard before. He would have been 113 years old today having been born March 21, 1908. He was the oldest son of parents Tom Bell Sr and Alma James Bell. He had one sister older than he, Zannie and 3 younger brothers; John Almer “Jelly”, Tommie Jr. “Luke” and Anthony Joshua “Ant”. His father later remarried and to that union 4 children were born; Willie T., Porter, Ethel and Ruthel. All are deceased.   

Daddy and John went to live with their grandfather as young boys after his parents were divorced. They worked in the fields and on their grandfather's large farm. Daddy eventually became his grandfather's chauffeur even though he could barely reach the pedal. He became an expert driver and was requested to drive many people to nearby towns and as far away as Shreveport. When he was a young adult, due to his skills, he was recruited to drive for the Mail man. In those days mail was driven along the Country roads in a car or truck. We called the mail carrier the MAIL RIDER.  African Americans could not do those jobs, but Mr. Gulley hired him to do the driving and Mr. Gulley would put the mail in the Rural mailboxes on the side of the road. I still remember that our Mail box address was Route 1 Box 27. Summerfield, La. (No zip codes then)  

Daddy was a very intelligent man and desired to get an education, but his Grandmother would not let him go to school as she was indoctrinated by the Slave Mentality. He would pretend to go and play with cousins and would sneak off and go to school. He said he wanted to study agriculture. He would sometimes test my vocabulary. When I was about 9 or 10, he asked me to spell ANTIDISESTABLISHMENTARIANISM.  I spelled it and then he said spell Checkoslavakia, Well I could not and he chuckled. (I still can't, seems like there is a Z in there somewhere.)   

He was very close to his Mother and siblings and always showed them respect. I can remember a few times when he went away to work in Eldorado and in Southern La., but mostly he farmed. We worked in the fields of white land owners. but we always lived on Bell or Meadors land. He always taught us to work hard, go to school and go to church. He also taught us to be wise in our choice of spouses. I attribute those rules to all of us having had rewarding lives with home ownership. (and finally, all are retired) He left us with a sense of pride in ourselves. We may have been the poorest kids in the community, but smart and proud as peacocks.  

RIP Daddy.  

Jean 

Tommie Bell, Sr  (Daddy's father)

Liza Pace James - mother of Alma James Bell (Daddy's maternal grandmother)

 

George Bell Sr and Mollie Levingston Bell 

(Daddy's paternal grandparents who raised him)