Baxter Bell
Baxter Bell
1823 - 1880
of
Tennessee and Collin County, Texas
Submitted by Brenda Kellow, CG, CGI
Extracted from Wylie Area Heritage, c1990
By the author, Beb Fulkerson
A cabinetmaker by trade in Tennessee, Baxter Manton Bell and his wife, nee Marjorie Horner, and three children came to the Wylie area via McKinney and Dallas. They were:
I. CLEMENTINE BELL was born circa 1843 and married Michael Boylan. She died within a year of their marriage, presumably in childbirth.
II. HENRY "NELSON" BELL was born October 1844 and married T.J. Kirkpatrick July 3, 1870. For many years Nelson worked at the Dallas Courthouse.
III. RUFUS A. BELL was born September 1853. A railroad engineer, stationed for many years at Marshall, Rufus invented the steam coupling which fastens the railroad cars together. For this invention he received $600. It is still in use.
One of sixteen children born to Samuel and Elizabeth Crider Bell, Baxter was born January 9, 1823 in Jefferson County Tennessee. A sister also came to the Texas area and affected the life of some Wylieites. Her name was Lavina and she became the wife of Thomas McDonald.
After arriving in Texas, Marjorie died in McKinney. Baxter, a handsome six foot six inch widower, came to this area and met the Samuel Spurgin family. On June 20, 1859 he married one of their daughters, Rachel. By her he had one son, Samuel Houston Bell (1860). He was called Houston. In March 1860 Rachel contacted the typhoid fever and died. Within two months (May 19, 1860), Baxter wed her sister, Louisa "Lou" Spurgin. By Lou he had four children who were:
I. LIZZIE BELL was born July 4, 1861 and married T. Lee Eldridge of Rockwall.
II. WILLIAM BAXTER BELL was born June 25, 1864 and died 1959. He is buried in Garland. About 1872 William saw his last buffalo in Garland. One was located near the present Shiloh and Miller and several were near the present Garland Memorial Hospital. A farmer by trade, William was 5'5 in comparison with his father's 6'6 inch frame. He married Mary Green Blankenship by whom he had ten children. They were Clayton, Oscar, Charlie, Raymond, Luther Kemp, Mary Lizzie, Georgia, Lillie, Frank and Leona Bell.
III. CHARLIE BELL was born October 1869 and married Mabel Butler. He is buried in Laredo.
IV. FRANK BELL was born in 1867 and died at age 17 years
When the Civil War erupted, all of Samuel Bell's sons signed up to serve — some for the North and others for the South. Although Baxter did not believe in slavery, he signed up for the Confederacy. He was told, "You hang or you fight." Baxter paid one man a mule to take his place and returned home. Here he gave Lou a $50 gold piece and lit off as fast as he could to Matamoras, Mexico where he stayed for a two-year period. When the war ended, he calmly returned to Wylie. It was at this time that Lou presented him with this same $50 gold piece. In raising all of his children, she had not spent one cent of it.
Baxter was a "go-getter." Once he took a load of freight which consisted of bois d'arc apples to Missouri and traded them for the real apples. He also built many cabinets and quite a number of homes here. He received religion following the Civil War and became instrumental in helping to establish the Methodist Church.
After leaving Wylie, Baxter moved to Garland where he died March 27, 1880. There he had the first mule-powered gin which was located on Duck Creek. He later would convert this to Garland's first steam-powered gin. In Garland he bought much land covering Miller to Forest Lane near Shiloh E-Systems, as well as numerous businesses, are now located on his former holdings. The price paid for this property was $1.50 per acre.
Permission to present this profile on the Baxter Bell family given by Mrs. Beb Fulkerson to Brenda Kellow on 5 March 1993. This excerpt taken from the book, Wylie Area Heritage, by Beb Fulkerson, (Wylie, TX: By the author, 1990), p. 54-55. Baxter Bell is the father of Michael Boylan's first wife, Clemetine Bell.
1823 - 1880
of
Tennessee and Collin County, Texas
Submitted by Brenda Kellow, CG, CGI
Extracted from Wylie Area Heritage, c1990
By the author, Beb Fulkerson
A cabinetmaker by trade in Tennessee, Baxter Manton Bell and his wife, nee Marjorie Horner, and three children came to the Wylie area via McKinney and Dallas. They were:
I. CLEMENTINE BELL was born circa 1843 and married Michael Boylan. She died within a year of their marriage, presumably in childbirth.
II. HENRY "NELSON" BELL was born October 1844 and married T.J. Kirkpatrick July 3, 1870. For many years Nelson worked at the Dallas Courthouse.
III. RUFUS A. BELL was born September 1853. A railroad engineer, stationed for many years at Marshall, Rufus invented the steam coupling which fastens the railroad cars together. For this invention he received $600. It is still in use.
One of sixteen children born to Samuel and Elizabeth Crider Bell, Baxter was born January 9, 1823 in Jefferson County Tennessee. A sister also came to the Texas area and affected the life of some Wylieites. Her name was Lavina and she became the wife of Thomas McDonald.
After arriving in Texas, Marjorie died in McKinney. Baxter, a handsome six foot six inch widower, came to this area and met the Samuel Spurgin family. On June 20, 1859 he married one of their daughters, Rachel. By her he had one son, Samuel Houston Bell (1860). He was called Houston. In March 1860 Rachel contacted the typhoid fever and died. Within two months (May 19, 1860), Baxter wed her sister, Louisa "Lou" Spurgin. By Lou he had four children who were:
I. LIZZIE BELL was born July 4, 1861 and married T. Lee Eldridge of Rockwall.
II. WILLIAM BAXTER BELL was born June 25, 1864 and died 1959. He is buried in Garland. About 1872 William saw his last buffalo in Garland. One was located near the present Shiloh and Miller and several were near the present Garland Memorial Hospital. A farmer by trade, William was 5'5 in comparison with his father's 6'6 inch frame. He married Mary Green Blankenship by whom he had ten children. They were Clayton, Oscar, Charlie, Raymond, Luther Kemp, Mary Lizzie, Georgia, Lillie, Frank and Leona Bell.
III. CHARLIE BELL was born October 1869 and married Mabel Butler. He is buried in Laredo.
IV. FRANK BELL was born in 1867 and died at age 17 years
When the Civil War erupted, all of Samuel Bell's sons signed up to serve — some for the North and others for the South. Although Baxter did not believe in slavery, he signed up for the Confederacy. He was told, "You hang or you fight." Baxter paid one man a mule to take his place and returned home. Here he gave Lou a $50 gold piece and lit off as fast as he could to Matamoras, Mexico where he stayed for a two-year period. When the war ended, he calmly returned to Wylie. It was at this time that Lou presented him with this same $50 gold piece. In raising all of his children, she had not spent one cent of it.
Baxter was a "go-getter." Once he took a load of freight which consisted of bois d'arc apples to Missouri and traded them for the real apples. He also built many cabinets and quite a number of homes here. He received religion following the Civil War and became instrumental in helping to establish the Methodist Church.
After leaving Wylie, Baxter moved to Garland where he died March 27, 1880. There he had the first mule-powered gin which was located on Duck Creek. He later would convert this to Garland's first steam-powered gin. In Garland he bought much land covering Miller to Forest Lane near Shiloh E-Systems, as well as numerous businesses, are now located on his former holdings. The price paid for this property was $1.50 per acre.
Permission to present this profile on the Baxter Bell family given by Mrs. Beb Fulkerson to Brenda Kellow on 5 March 1993. This excerpt taken from the book, Wylie Area Heritage, by Beb Fulkerson, (Wylie, TX: By the author, 1990), p. 54-55. Baxter Bell is the father of Michael Boylan's first wife, Clemetine Bell.
