ITTY BITTY BIOGRAPHY: Walter Altheria Stone Brantley Bell

Walter Altheria Stone Brantley Bell
My Great-Great Grandmother
June, 1862 - May, 1939

If you look closely at the photo of four individuals above, my

great-great-grandmother looks utterly haggard and it appears

almost as if her left eye is blackened. Closer inspection of the

photograph reveals that her eye is fine, that there are simply

irregularities in the photo that make it appear that way.
Her haggard look, however, is genuine, and one can certainly

understand why by taking a close look at what little is known

about her.

The photo, which was taken circa 1911, shows Walter Altheria

(also known as "Tee", "Alte" and "Althrea"), with her second

husband, George Washington Bell, and her two youngest
children, Rachel, born Dec. 1898, and George, born Oct. 1906.

George's date of birth tells us that Tee was 44 years old when

she bore her last child. She was 17 years old when she bore
Sallie Catherine Brantley, her first child. In between, Tee

gave birth to 9 additional children whose births are documented.

Four were from her first marriage to James B. Brantley, my
great-great-grandfather, seven were from her second marriage

to George Washington Bell.

The second photo above is a paragraph written by the late

Rachel Bell Loyd (1898 – 1973) the young woman in the photo

above, about her mother. "My mother was a Stone before her

Brantly (sic) marriage, and had four Brantly children. One,

named Betty, did not live long. Sallie, the oldest must have

probably been eight. Maud must have been around five, for

I know Maud and Eliza (my father's daughter) were about

the same age and very close and married brothers. My

mother had a little boy, named Jim, and he might have been

three when he died soon after her marriage to my father.

Mother was born in Louisville, Kentucky and came to Texas

when about 16, and was soon married to her Brantly husband.

They came by steamboat to Texas. I believe they landed close

to Texarkana. My mother, I believe, was a beautiful girl; she

was little when a girl and had black curly hair and blue eyes.

She wasn't very gray when she died at the age of 75. The

captain on the steamship they moved on had just lost his

wife, and fell deeply in love with my mother and begged her

to marry him. Told her she could live on water or land, but
she refused him. I don't know how long it took to make this

trip."

Tee's first marriage to James B. Brantley, my great-great-

grandfather, ended tragically in 1884. My great-aunt, Bessie

Winfield Sullivan, wrote what she knew about the death of

Tee's first husband in a handwritten journal she prepared for

her daughter:

"Mr. Brantley, was Walter Altheria's first husband. He was

killed by falling burning tree falling on a green young sapling

tree causing young tree to hit him, and kill him. He wasn't

burned tho. Was found, and this is the decision the pioneers

decided on. As Mr. Brantley was checking on the fire! Didn't

return to the house. Was found dead."

Tee's parents were Walter Cieborn Stone, born in Mercer

County, KY in 1810 (see above photo), and Elizabeth Cranfill

Stone, born in Rowan County, NC in 1827. As her father was
away fighting in the War Between The States at the tme of

her birth, Tee's mother named her Walter Altheria in his

honor. Tee's father was a highly regarded individual, a fact

noted in his obituary:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Text of obituary notice of Walter Cieborn Stone

that appeared in the Mena Star on October 2,

1902.

Capt. W.C. Stone Dead

Walter C. Stone, well known all over Polk County

where he has resided and been an important factor

in it's advancement for the past twenty years,

died at his home at Wickes last Saturday, aged 94

years. Capt. Stone, as he was generally called, was

a rather remarkable character. Up till within a few

weeks ago he appeared hale and hearty, and was

a magnificient specimen of the pioneer type, being

about six feet four inches in height and well propor-

tioned. He carried his years lightly and was erect

and stalwart, often walking long distances. He was

attacked with an illness resembling grip several

weeks ago which, with his advanced years

ultimately caused his death.

Capt. Stone was one of the few surviving

Mexican war veterans, he having served under

Gen. Winfield Scott during the entire war with

Mexico, much of the time in the capacity of a

scout. He also served under Morgan in the

Confederate army during the civil war, and

was very proud of his military record.

The funeral occurred at Wickes last Sunday

and was largely attended by neighbors and

friends.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tee was known to be an excellent seamstress and a kind

and loving mother. The family moved around a lot before

settling permanently in Wickes, Arkansas. They traveled

back and forth, in covered wagons, sometimes driving cattle

from the Garvin, Oklahoma (Indian Territory) to the Wickes

area (Bunch Settlement, Pleasant Hill, Baker, etc.) where
George Washington Bell was eventually buried.

The youngest Bell girls, Miriam, Mary & Martha (twins)

and Rachel, were great friends and made their own fun.

They once pulled a prank on a neighbor, telling her that

a dog had gotten into the house and had pulled the table-

cloth off of the table, breaking all of their dishes. They

said their mother had sent them to borrow some. The

neighbor didn’t bat an eye. She started stacking them up
for the journey to the Bell house! The girls confessed

shortly and the prank was much enjoyed by the neighbor.

Tee’s male children never lived longer than very early

childhood. Each birth was anxiously anticipated, hoping for

a boy. Rachel Bell Loyd wrote that a boy was finally born

who was old enough to be talking good before he died of an
illness. The family was devastated.

When George was born, the family again rejoiced. He

thrived and brought them great pleasure and was spoiled

by the entire family.

Tee outlived several of her children. She is buried near

her parents in Daniel Cemetery, Wickes, Arkansas. (Polk

County)