William W. Bell Cemetery

Duane's take

Here's the story as the official marker tells it — I'm just the one drivin' you through it. Now, you want a family that traveled far and planted deep, William W. Bell is your man.

He was born in England in 1794, and in 1820 he made the crossing to the United States — left the old country behind and started building something new on this side of the Atlantic. But apparently the United States wasn't quite far enough, because by 1836 he had come all the way to Texas. And Texas, being Texas, put him to work.

In February of 1837 he enlisted in the army of the Republic of Texas. He later served in a company of Texas Rangers — which tells you something about the kind of man he was — and somewhere in between all of that, the Republic of Texas granted him a contract to carry mail from Independence to Nashville. This man was covering ground.

He also built a family. He married Elizabeth Weaver, and together they raised eight sons and one daughter. Nine children.

Think about that the next time you complain about a full house. But 1845 is where this particular story takes its turn. That was the year William W.

Bell died, and his family buried him right here on this land. That burial became the beginning of something — a cemetery that would hold his family for generations to come. Elizabeth Weaver Bell, born in 1804, outlived her husband by nearly half a century.

She died in 1894, and she rests here too. So do five of their nine children. Their daughter, Texana Bell Henry — born in 1837, died in 1859 — gone young.

Sons Stephen, born 1823 and died 1900; D. J., born 1825 and died 1899; Albert H., born 1830 and died 1880; and A. Jessie, born 1834 and died 1856.

Five of nine, brought back to the same ground where their father was the first to be laid. There are five other marked graves of family members in this cemetery, and several more that are unmarked. Family tradition holds that some of those unmarked graves may be those of slaves — and that possibility deserves to be spoken plainly and held with care.

Those lives mattered, whether the ground above them carries a name or not. In 1985, Bell descendants formed the William W. Bell Cemetery Association to maintain this historic graveyard.

An Englishman arrived in America in 1820, made his way to Texas by 1836, served the Republic, carried the mail, and raised nine children — and one hundred and forty years after they put him in the ground, his family was still coming back to tend the place. Some roots go that deep.

What the marker says

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.