HENRY JACKSON FELL Born: 2-9-1881, Arab, Cullman Cty, AL D: 4-8-1981, Iuka, Tishomingo Cty, MS

Grandpa Fell at his 100th BD party!

My grandfather, Henry J. Fell, was born in Cullman Cty, Alabama on February 9, 1881, the son of Marcus and Martha Fell. He was still living with his parents on the 1900 census, in Franklin Cty, Alabama. He and my grandmother, Annie Rebecca Jane Kidd, were married in Lawrence Cty, Alabama on December 7, 1900.My father, their oldest son Elgen, was born in Lawrence Cty in 1903. I could not find them anywhere on the census records in 1910. I knew my father had attended school in Hatton, Alabama in 1912, but I searched and searched and could not find them anywhere in Alabama or Mississippi. Finally I just put his name in to search the entire country and there they were, in Montgomery Cty, Arkansas. I would never have thought to look for them there since I had never heard anyone talk about any moves they had made. I often wondered why they had moved there and then moved back. My Dad had died in 1973, and my grandfather in 1981, both long before I had started my genealogy search.
My grandfather had spent his last years living with my aunt and uncle.  I asked my cousin if he had ever heard the story and he remembered Grandpa talking about the trip. Some of their relatives had moved to Arkansas and sent back glowing reports of how wonderful it was. They decided, along with my grandmother's parents and siblings, that they would move.  They rented three boxcars in Sheffield, Alabama and left for the trip to Ft. Smith, Arkansas. They loaded all their belongings and livestock and left to go west.  When they got to Memphis, Tennessee they had a three day layover before they could cross the Mississippi River. They had to unload all their livestock to feed them and then reload for their trip.  When they arrived in Ft. Smith they had to travel by wagon fifty miles southwest to Montgomery Cty where they were going to settle.  Grandpa said the land was so bad that they spent the first year picking up rocks from the land just to build a fence. Apparently it was not what they thought or maybe they were just homesick but sometime between the date of the census in April 1910 and when my aunt was born in Alabama in December 1910, they made the long trip back to Alabama.
My grandfather never drove a car and always either sharecropped or logged.  They moved to Tishomingo County, Mississippi in 1922 settling on the Hubbard Homeplace in the Pleasant Hill Community.   That is where my Dad met and married my Mother. 
My grandfather and grandmother were members of the Church of Christ. My grandfather was a charter member of the Hopewell Church of Christ in Colbert County, Alabama where my grandmother's parents were buried.  When my grandmother died in 1956 she wanted to be taken back there for burial.  This is the information I found in a piece about the Hopewell Church and Community***************************information from Hopewell Community and Church information---Henry Fell is the oldest person buried in the Hopewell Cemetery. He died April, 1981 at 100 years of age. He was one of the first settlers in the community and lived here for a number of years.He and his family moved away but when his wife, Janie Fell, died in 1956 she was buried in the Hopewell Cemetery. Mr. Fell requested to be buried beside her.
My grandfather lived 100 years and 2 months. When he was born the only transportation was trains and wagons. He lived to see cars, planes and even space ships.  He was never convinced that man actually walked on the moon. He would argue with everyone that it was filmed by TV and movie people in a desert. We could never convince him otherwise.
He must have had such an interesting life.  I only wish that I had cared enough at the time to listen and to ask questions. It is amazing to think how just the least little thing in his life or my parent's life could have influenced my life and my descendants life.
RIP   Grandpa Fell

Elgen Berry Fell, Sr. 7-3-1903 6-28-1973

Thirty seven years ago today I lost a part of my heart. After a two year illness my Dad passed away. Even though we knew he had been ill for those two years we were not prepared for him to die. The last memory I have of him is after they rushed him to Memphis and as I was walking into his room the response team stopped me and wouldn't let me enter. They couldn't save him and I have always had that memory of him trying to breathe.
He had been in the hospital in Iuka and we had traveled from Horn Lake to visit but he was so ill that he couldn't even talk. Among other problems he had emphysema and was under an oxygen tent. The medical field has advanced tremendously since those days.
When he took a turn for the worse, the doctor suggested that he be moved by ambulance to Baptist Hospital in Memphis. My mother finally agreed and regretted it for the rest of her life. She rode in the ambulance with him and my brother, Billy and his son, Billy Joe, was driving behind. A lady stopped and the ambulance was able to pass her but my nephew hit her car in the rear. My mother saw what happened and had to go on to the hospital not knowing if my brother and nephew were injured or not. Thankfully no one was injured but the lady saw an opportunity to defraud the insurance company and sued. It started a long battle of legal problems which ended with the people being seen for the crooks they really were! We never knew if my Dad knew of the accident. He died within an hour of reaching the hospital and my mother always said she wished she had let him die in peace.
I have such happy memories of my Daddy. I was the baby of their eight kids and by the time I arrived most of the older kids were grown and on their own. My Dad doted on me and I have those memories. During my high school years we would go on vacation to Florida and would always have such a great time. He lived Florida, especially fishing. I have loved the beach ever since.
My father's death was hard on the entire family as we had lost my oldest sister in 1968 and my youngest brother in 1970, both after long battles with cancer. In the five years before my Dad died my mother had lost him, a son, a daughter, and two brothers.
Everyday I think of my Dad and I think since living back in Iuka there is certainly more to remind me of him. He will always live in my heart.