FIRST Burial in William W. Bell Cemetery - Fannin County, TX
N 33° 39.365 W 096° 22.168
14S E 743932 N 3727128
A 1988 Texas Historical Marker in front of the William W. Bell Cemetery notes that Mr. Bell himself was the very first burial here, back in 1845.
Waymark Code: WMXP31
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 02/05/2018
Views: 0
Mr. Bell shares a headstone with his wife, Elizabeth, and their son, A.J. Bell. The marble headstone is from the Victorian era, probably placed when Mrs. Bell died in 1894. The cap has some interesting ivy detail that is in terrific shape, given the age of the headstone, and each of the three sides with an inscription has a crown with leaves. The inscriptions are:
W.W. Bell,
Born
Feb. 14, 1794
Died
Feb. 9, 1845.
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Elizabeth
Bell
Born
July 30, 1804.
Died
Feb. 20, 1894.
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A.J. Bell
Born
Jan. 8, 1894
Died
Feb. 1856
---
You are on private property here, and while the dogs will bark, they don't seem to mind if you're there and you're on your best behavior. The road off of Fannin County Rd 1200 which leads up to the cemetery can be accessed here.
If the cemetery association is still active, this cemetery could use some TLC, as there are briers and brambles throughout the family enclosure, and the same conditions exist around the headstones in the woods behind the enclosure.
The marker provides some background:
William W. Bell (1794-1845) immigrated to the United States from his native England in 1820. By 1836 he had come to Texas, where he enlisted in the Republic of Texas army in February 1837. He later served in a company of Texas Rangers and was granted a contract by the Republic of Texas to carry mail from Independence to Nashville.
Bell was married to the former Elizabeth Weaver, and they were the parents of eight sons and one daughter. This cemetery traces its beginnings to 1845, when William W. Bell died and was buried here by his family. Also interred in the graveyard are Elizabeth Weaver Bell (1804-1894) and five of the Bells' nine children: daughter Texana Bell Henry (1837-1859); sons Stephen (1823-1900), D.J. (1825-1899), Albert H. (1830-1880), and A. Jessie (1834-1856).
There are five other marked graves of family members, as well as several unmarked burials. Family tradition states some of the unmarked graves may be those of slaves.
The William W. Bell Cemetery Association, formed by Bell descendants in 1985, maintains the historic graveyard.