Thanks to Ardith (Goucher) Tackett for providing the lovely photo of her mother, Grace (Bell) Goucher, and painting done by her mother (Sept. 12, 2015).
Grace was talented at painting. Over the years she painted many canvases, which have survived & been passed down to her children. The one posted is a lovely wintry scene with snow-covered ground showing her father's blacksmith shop. Upon close inspection the words JJ Bell Blacksmith can be seen written above the door of his shop.
-----
Grace's parents were:
James Jeffrey Bell (1873 - 1954)
Hattie Emeline Morgan Bell (1881 - 1956)
She was the 5th of their 10 children.
Grace & her siblings were:
Gladys Marie Bell 1901 –
Ivory Leland Bell 1903 – 2003
Emery Ward Bell 1905 – 1986
Bessie Letha Bell 1908 – 1988
Grace Evalena Bell 1910 – 1984
Vergie Velma Bell 1912 – 1978
Laura Bell 1914 – 1914
Niada Yvonne Bell 1915 – 2008
Musettie Irene Bell 1918 – 1986
Jeffery James Bell Jr 1920 –
-----
On April 28, 1910,
Grace was four months old when the Federal Census was taken in War Eagle Township, Madison Co, AR in 1910. Her parents,
James J. & Hattie Bell, ages 36 & 34, owned a farm. They had been married 11 years; her mother had given birth to 5 children: Gladis M., age 8; Ivory M., 6; Emery W., 4; Bessie, 2; and lastly Grace, 4 months.
Around 1907 her parents bought 80 acres in Long Valley, about three miles northeast of Huntsville, AR. It was here that Grace & her siblings were raised. Her father and brothers worked farming; her father had a blacksmith shop in town and at home. For a period of time he had a blacksmith shop at War Eagle Mill, right next to the bridge.
He had the first electric company in Huntsville and rigged up a generator for his regular customers. It was daytime electricity only, and at night he would blink the lights a couple times so everyone knew the electricity was being shut off. He had a little book showing what was owed by each customer. Some were not good to pay so he finally got out of the electric business. He also built a schoolhouse near their Long Valley home.
-----
On January 17, 1920,
Grace E., age 10, lived with her parents, James J. & Hattie E., ages 48 & 40, on their farm in War Eagle, Her siblings included Ivory L., age 16; Emery W., age 14; Bessie L., 11; Vergia V., 7; Neoda V. 4 years & 5 months; & Irena R., 1. Her mother's parents, Morris H. & Charlotte Morgan, ages 79, lived with them.
-----
The following includes excerpts, from a book I wrote titled, "The Family of James and Caroline Bell." It is about the time Grace & her sister, Letha, visited their Bell grandparents in Brixey, AR.
"Memories of Grace (Bell) Goucher
Rita (Goucher) Sharp has shared some special memories of the time her mother, Grace, and her aunt, Letha, visited their Bell grandparents. They were the daughters of James and Hattie (Morgan) Bell.
One December, about 1923, Grace and Letha, ages 13 and 15, who lived in Huntsville, Arkansas, made a trip to Brixey, Arkansas. Their special errand was to help their grandmother, Martha, whose leg had been injured by a horse. They spent one month during the Christmas season, and Grace told Rita that their grandmother was in bed the entire time. Martha was 71 years old, and Malichi was 86, which must have seemed pretty old to two young girls.
Their Bell grandparents lived in the country in a log house near Gainesville. Grace remembers this as being near Taney County. Their only transportation was by horse and buggy. The buggy had one seat and a covered top. Malichi earned a living as a blacksmith, and also built rocking chairs to sell, called “porch chairs.” Grace recalled seeing two he had made that were kept in the living room.
A stairway inside the house led up to a platform in the loft where they kept old catalogs, which she enjoyed looking through. There was a family Bible with small print. Her grandmother was a member of the Christian Church, but her grandfather wasn’t very religious. Her grandmother’s brother, Will Hilsabeck, lived in Mountain Grove where he owned Weatherman and Hilsabeck, a 'fancy' dry goods and notion store.
Malichi and Martha didn’t have a radio or any modern day conveniences. Drinking water was drawn up from their well. One of Grace and Letha’s jobs was to do the laundry, which wasn’t an easy task. They had to carry the dirty laundry to a nearby branch of the river, where they filled a large kettle with water. A fire was built under the kettle, and the water was heated until it started boiling. The dirty clothes were placed in the boiling water, scrubbed on a wash board with soap, then rinsed, and hung out to dry. It was a lot of work for the two girls.
Malichi got up every morning before daylight, at 4:00 a.m., to milk their cow. He also used her to help transport hay from the field to the barn where it was stored. After putting on the halter, he led her to the field and cut just enough hay with a scythe to fit on her back. When this was done, he walked along beside her, holding it in place with a pitch fork. This was a slow and tedious method that took many trips for enough hay to last during the long winter months.
Grace and Letha’s uncle and aunt, Henry Bell and his sister, Permelia “Mealie” Altiser, lived nearby with their families. One evening they went with Mealie and her 13 year old daughter, Opal, to attend a Christmas tree celebration at the local school house. They walked, and on their way, had to cross a wooden bridge. It was made of boards about ten feet wide and was supported by wooden posts driven into the river bed. The water was about three feet deep, and she was worried about walking back across it in the dark.
The school house was a large one room building. They were impressed with a huge Christmas tree that was decorated with glass balls of different colors, pop corn strings, and twisted strips of red crepe paper. There was a Santa Clause dressed in a costume, but Grace and Letha knew there really wasn’t a Santa Clause because their mother had never led them to believe there was one. Everyone who attended the event received a little bag of candy.
Mealie made tams for them out of sheep wool. Grace’s was green with a white stripe around it, and Letha’s was orange with a white stripe around it. The visit with their grandparents was a special time for them, and the memories of that visit stayed with them the rest of their lives."
-----
Grace was 19 years old when she married John Robert Goucher, also age 19, in Madison Co, AR on August 10, 1929. John, known as Johnny, was the son of William Riley & Margaret Rebecca Arizona "Zona" (Carter) Goucher.
On April 11, 1930,
John & Grace E. Goucher, ages 20, lived in Alabam, Madison Co, AR. They were renting a home for $5.00 per month. John did general farm work to support them.
-----
On April 9, 1940,
John R. & Grace E., ages 30, were living in Alabam where they now owned a home valued at $300. They had two daughters, Virginia L. & Ardith B., ages 9 & 5. John was farming to support them.
-----
Grace also gave birth to a daughter, Rita Jean.
Articles mentioning "Mr. and Mrs. John Goucher.
Northwest Arkansas Times( Fayetteville)
Friday, June 9, 1961
MISS GOUCHER BRIDE IN CHURCH CEREMONY IN HUNTSVILLE
Huntsville (Special) - Miss Rita Jean Goucher became the bride of Jess Sharp in a ceremony at the Church of Christ Sunday, May 21.
The bride is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John Goucher, Route 4, Huntsville, and the bridegroom is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Carl Sharp, Route 5, Huntsville. The minister, Merritt Youngblood performed the double-ring ceremony.
The bride wore a white street-length dress of nylon with an overskirt of white net and carried a bridal bouquet of pink carnations tied with streamers of love knots atop a white Bible. Her only jewelry was white earrings.
Miss Mary Archer of Hindsville was maid of honor. She was attired in a blue street-length dress and wore a corsage of white carnations. The bridesmaid, Miss Sharon Lewis, wore a blue street-lenght dress and corsage of white carnations.
Butch Stroud of Huntsville served as best man. James Reed of Huntsville served as groomsman.
The bride will be a senior at Huntsville High School next yer. Mr. Sharp is a graduate of Huntsville High School with the class of 1961 and is employed at Warren's IGA Supermarket in Huntsville. The couple is at home in the Alabam community."
Northwest Arkansas Times
Thursday, January 17, 1963
"Mr. and Mrs. Barney Harvey and two sons, Mike and Randy, of Ft. Leonard Wood, Mo, were weekend visitors of his mother, Mrs. Minnie Harvey; his sister and husband, Mr. and Mrs. Merle Holt, and her parents, Mr. and Mrs. John Goucher of Alabam."
Northwest Arkansas Times
Thursday, April 30, 1964
"Mr. and Mrs. Ewell Morrison and daughter, Marie, of Columbus, Ohio have been visiting her mother, Mrs. Zona Goucher; a sister Mrs. Tom Hatfield and her brothers and sisters-in-law, Mr. and Mrs. Willie Goucher, and Mr. and Mrs. John Goucher and Mr. and Mrs. Loy Goucher."
Northwest Arkansas Times
Tuesday, July 7, 1964
HUNTSVILLE
"Zona Goucher observed her 86th birthday last week at the home of her daughter, Mrs. Tom Hatfield. Guests were: Mrs. C. Minor, Mr. and Mrs. Loy Goucher, Mr. and Mrs. John Goucher, Mr. and Mrs. Willie Goucher and son, Mrs. Jess Sharp and Ron, Mr. and Mrs. Bill Steelman, and Mr. and Mrs. Joy Bohannon."/i
Northwest Arkansas Times
Thursday, October 29, 1964
MADISON COUNTY LISTS ELECTION OFFICIALS
"Huntsville - Election officials for the General Election Nov. 3 were announced today by the Madison County Election Commission. They are:
Alabam: Harvey Joe McLoud, Sid Cooper and Hugh Worley, Judges; Harley Siies and John Goucher, clerks; Bert Baker, balliff. ..."
Northwest Arkansas Times
Wednesday, June 22, 1977
"TO OBSERVE ANNIVERSARY
Mr. and David Tackett will observe their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary from 2 until 4:30 o'clock Sunday afternoon, June 25, at their home on Old Wire Road North.
The couple was married in Huntsville at the Church of Christ. She is the former Miss Ardith Goucher. They are the parents of five children, Mrs. Ray (Karla) Keller of Welner, Mrs. Warren (Karen) Whisenhut of Bradley, and Calvin, John and Anita of the home. They have one grandchild. All friends and relatives are invited to attend the party."
Researched & compiled by Virginia Brown
September 2015
-----
The Madison County Record - Huntsville, Arkansas
Thursday, Sept. 6, 1984
"Grace Bell Goucher
Grace Bell Goucher, 74, of Route 4, Box 191, Huntsville, Arkansas died August 29, 1984, at the Huntsville Memorial Hospital. She was born January 13, 1910 at Huntsville, Arkansas the daughter of James Jeffery and Hattie Morgan Bell. She was a member of the Church of Christ.
Survivors include her husband, John R. Goucher of the home; three daughtters, Mrs. Virginia McElhaney and Mrs. Ardith Tackett, both of Fayetteville, Arkansas, and Mrs. Rita Sharp of Huntsville, AR; two brothers, Ivor Bell of Taft, California and Emery Bell of Portland, Oregon; three sisters, Mrs. Letha McBroom of Huntsville, Mrs. Niada Brown of Greenfield, CA, and Mrs. Irene Wallingford of Haines, Ore.; eleven grandchildren; three stepgrandchildren; eight great-grandchildren and four step-great-grandchildren.
One daughter, Johnnie Kay preceded her in death.
Funeral services were held at 10L00 a.m. Saturday, September 1, in the chapel of Brashears Funeral Home with Gus Munden and Steve Cawthon, ministers officiating.
Interment was in the Alabam Cemetery under the direction of Brashears Funeral Home.
Pallbearers were grandsons, Mike Harvey, Randy Harvey, Calvin Tackett, John Tackett, Ron Sharp and a stepgrandson, Gary McElhaney."
Grace was talented at painting. Over the years she painted many canvases, which have survived & been passed down to her children. The one posted is a lovely wintry scene with snow-covered ground showing her father's blacksmith shop. Upon close inspection the words JJ Bell Blacksmith can be seen written above the door of his shop.
-----
Grace's parents were:
James Jeffrey Bell (1873 - 1954)
Hattie Emeline Morgan Bell (1881 - 1956)
She was the 5th of their 10 children.
Grace & her siblings were:
Gladys Marie Bell 1901 –
Ivory Leland Bell 1903 – 2003
Emery Ward Bell 1905 – 1986
Bessie Letha Bell 1908 – 1988
Grace Evalena Bell 1910 – 1984
Vergie Velma Bell 1912 – 1978
Laura Bell 1914 – 1914
Niada Yvonne Bell 1915 – 2008
Musettie Irene Bell 1918 – 1986
Jeffery James Bell Jr 1920 –
-----
On April 28, 1910,
Grace was four months old when the Federal Census was taken in War Eagle Township, Madison Co, AR in 1910. Her parents,
James J. & Hattie Bell, ages 36 & 34, owned a farm. They had been married 11 years; her mother had given birth to 5 children: Gladis M., age 8; Ivory M., 6; Emery W., 4; Bessie, 2; and lastly Grace, 4 months.
Around 1907 her parents bought 80 acres in Long Valley, about three miles northeast of Huntsville, AR. It was here that Grace & her siblings were raised. Her father and brothers worked farming; her father had a blacksmith shop in town and at home. For a period of time he had a blacksmith shop at War Eagle Mill, right next to the bridge.
He had the first electric company in Huntsville and rigged up a generator for his regular customers. It was daytime electricity only, and at night he would blink the lights a couple times so everyone knew the electricity was being shut off. He had a little book showing what was owed by each customer. Some were not good to pay so he finally got out of the electric business. He also built a schoolhouse near their Long Valley home.
-----
On January 17, 1920,
Grace E., age 10, lived with her parents, James J. & Hattie E., ages 48 & 40, on their farm in War Eagle, Her siblings included Ivory L., age 16; Emery W., age 14; Bessie L., 11; Vergia V., 7; Neoda V. 4 years & 5 months; & Irena R., 1. Her mother's parents, Morris H. & Charlotte Morgan, ages 79, lived with them.
-----
The following includes excerpts, from a book I wrote titled, "The Family of James and Caroline Bell." It is about the time Grace & her sister, Letha, visited their Bell grandparents in Brixey, AR.
"Memories of Grace (Bell) Goucher
Rita (Goucher) Sharp has shared some special memories of the time her mother, Grace, and her aunt, Letha, visited their Bell grandparents. They were the daughters of James and Hattie (Morgan) Bell.
One December, about 1923, Grace and Letha, ages 13 and 15, who lived in Huntsville, Arkansas, made a trip to Brixey, Arkansas. Their special errand was to help their grandmother, Martha, whose leg had been injured by a horse. They spent one month during the Christmas season, and Grace told Rita that their grandmother was in bed the entire time. Martha was 71 years old, and Malichi was 86, which must have seemed pretty old to two young girls.
Their Bell grandparents lived in the country in a log house near Gainesville. Grace remembers this as being near Taney County. Their only transportation was by horse and buggy. The buggy had one seat and a covered top. Malichi earned a living as a blacksmith, and also built rocking chairs to sell, called “porch chairs.” Grace recalled seeing two he had made that were kept in the living room.
A stairway inside the house led up to a platform in the loft where they kept old catalogs, which she enjoyed looking through. There was a family Bible with small print. Her grandmother was a member of the Christian Church, but her grandfather wasn’t very religious. Her grandmother’s brother, Will Hilsabeck, lived in Mountain Grove where he owned Weatherman and Hilsabeck, a 'fancy' dry goods and notion store.
Malichi and Martha didn’t have a radio or any modern day conveniences. Drinking water was drawn up from their well. One of Grace and Letha’s jobs was to do the laundry, which wasn’t an easy task. They had to carry the dirty laundry to a nearby branch of the river, where they filled a large kettle with water. A fire was built under the kettle, and the water was heated until it started boiling. The dirty clothes were placed in the boiling water, scrubbed on a wash board with soap, then rinsed, and hung out to dry. It was a lot of work for the two girls.
Malichi got up every morning before daylight, at 4:00 a.m., to milk their cow. He also used her to help transport hay from the field to the barn where it was stored. After putting on the halter, he led her to the field and cut just enough hay with a scythe to fit on her back. When this was done, he walked along beside her, holding it in place with a pitch fork. This was a slow and tedious method that took many trips for enough hay to last during the long winter months.
Grace and Letha’s uncle and aunt, Henry Bell and his sister, Permelia “Mealie” Altiser, lived nearby with their families. One evening they went with Mealie and her 13 year old daughter, Opal, to attend a Christmas tree celebration at the local school house. They walked, and on their way, had to cross a wooden bridge. It was made of boards about ten feet wide and was supported by wooden posts driven into the river bed. The water was about three feet deep, and she was worried about walking back across it in the dark.
The school house was a large one room building. They were impressed with a huge Christmas tree that was decorated with glass balls of different colors, pop corn strings, and twisted strips of red crepe paper. There was a Santa Clause dressed in a costume, but Grace and Letha knew there really wasn’t a Santa Clause because their mother had never led them to believe there was one. Everyone who attended the event received a little bag of candy.
Mealie made tams for them out of sheep wool. Grace’s was green with a white stripe around it, and Letha’s was orange with a white stripe around it. The visit with their grandparents was a special time for them, and the memories of that visit stayed with them the rest of their lives."
-----
Grace was 19 years old when she married John Robert Goucher, also age 19, in Madison Co, AR on August 10, 1929. John, known as Johnny, was the son of William Riley & Margaret Rebecca Arizona "Zona" (Carter) Goucher.
On April 11, 1930,
John & Grace E. Goucher, ages 20, lived in Alabam, Madison Co, AR. They were renting a home for $5.00 per month. John did general farm work to support them.
-----
On April 9, 1940,
John R. & Grace E., ages 30, were living in Alabam where they now owned a home valued at $300. They had two daughters, Virginia L. & Ardith B., ages 9 & 5. John was farming to support them.
-----
Grace also gave birth to a daughter, Rita Jean.
Articles mentioning "Mr. and Mrs. John Goucher.
Northwest Arkansas Times( Fayetteville)
Friday, June 9, 1961
MISS GOUCHER BRIDE IN CHURCH CEREMONY IN HUNTSVILLE
Huntsville (Special) - Miss Rita Jean Goucher became the bride of Jess Sharp in a ceremony at the Church of Christ Sunday, May 21.
The bride is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John Goucher, Route 4, Huntsville, and the bridegroom is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Carl Sharp, Route 5, Huntsville. The minister, Merritt Youngblood performed the double-ring ceremony.
The bride wore a white street-length dress of nylon with an overskirt of white net and carried a bridal bouquet of pink carnations tied with streamers of love knots atop a white Bible. Her only jewelry was white earrings.
Miss Mary Archer of Hindsville was maid of honor. She was attired in a blue street-length dress and wore a corsage of white carnations. The bridesmaid, Miss Sharon Lewis, wore a blue street-lenght dress and corsage of white carnations.
Butch Stroud of Huntsville served as best man. James Reed of Huntsville served as groomsman.
The bride will be a senior at Huntsville High School next yer. Mr. Sharp is a graduate of Huntsville High School with the class of 1961 and is employed at Warren's IGA Supermarket in Huntsville. The couple is at home in the Alabam community."
Northwest Arkansas Times
Thursday, January 17, 1963
"Mr. and Mrs. Barney Harvey and two sons, Mike and Randy, of Ft. Leonard Wood, Mo, were weekend visitors of his mother, Mrs. Minnie Harvey; his sister and husband, Mr. and Mrs. Merle Holt, and her parents, Mr. and Mrs. John Goucher of Alabam."
Northwest Arkansas Times
Thursday, April 30, 1964
"Mr. and Mrs. Ewell Morrison and daughter, Marie, of Columbus, Ohio have been visiting her mother, Mrs. Zona Goucher; a sister Mrs. Tom Hatfield and her brothers and sisters-in-law, Mr. and Mrs. Willie Goucher, and Mr. and Mrs. John Goucher and Mr. and Mrs. Loy Goucher."
Northwest Arkansas Times
Tuesday, July 7, 1964
HUNTSVILLE
"Zona Goucher observed her 86th birthday last week at the home of her daughter, Mrs. Tom Hatfield. Guests were: Mrs. C. Minor, Mr. and Mrs. Loy Goucher, Mr. and Mrs. John Goucher, Mr. and Mrs. Willie Goucher and son, Mrs. Jess Sharp and Ron, Mr. and Mrs. Bill Steelman, and Mr. and Mrs. Joy Bohannon."/i
Northwest Arkansas Times
Thursday, October 29, 1964
MADISON COUNTY LISTS ELECTION OFFICIALS
"Huntsville - Election officials for the General Election Nov. 3 were announced today by the Madison County Election Commission. They are:
Alabam: Harvey Joe McLoud, Sid Cooper and Hugh Worley, Judges; Harley Siies and John Goucher, clerks; Bert Baker, balliff. ..."
Northwest Arkansas Times
Wednesday, June 22, 1977
"TO OBSERVE ANNIVERSARY
Mr. and David Tackett will observe their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary from 2 until 4:30 o'clock Sunday afternoon, June 25, at their home on Old Wire Road North.
The couple was married in Huntsville at the Church of Christ. She is the former Miss Ardith Goucher. They are the parents of five children, Mrs. Ray (Karla) Keller of Welner, Mrs. Warren (Karen) Whisenhut of Bradley, and Calvin, John and Anita of the home. They have one grandchild. All friends and relatives are invited to attend the party."
Researched & compiled by Virginia Brown
September 2015
-----
The Madison County Record - Huntsville, Arkansas
Thursday, Sept. 6, 1984
"Grace Bell Goucher
Grace Bell Goucher, 74, of Route 4, Box 191, Huntsville, Arkansas died August 29, 1984, at the Huntsville Memorial Hospital. She was born January 13, 1910 at Huntsville, Arkansas the daughter of James Jeffery and Hattie Morgan Bell. She was a member of the Church of Christ.
Survivors include her husband, John R. Goucher of the home; three daughtters, Mrs. Virginia McElhaney and Mrs. Ardith Tackett, both of Fayetteville, Arkansas, and Mrs. Rita Sharp of Huntsville, AR; two brothers, Ivor Bell of Taft, California and Emery Bell of Portland, Oregon; three sisters, Mrs. Letha McBroom of Huntsville, Mrs. Niada Brown of Greenfield, CA, and Mrs. Irene Wallingford of Haines, Ore.; eleven grandchildren; three stepgrandchildren; eight great-grandchildren and four step-great-grandchildren.
One daughter, Johnnie Kay preceded her in death.
Funeral services were held at 10L00 a.m. Saturday, September 1, in the chapel of Brashears Funeral Home with Gus Munden and Steve Cawthon, ministers officiating.
Interment was in the Alabam Cemetery under the direction of Brashears Funeral Home.
Pallbearers were grandsons, Mike Harvey, Randy Harvey, Calvin Tackett, John Tackett, Ron Sharp and a stepgrandson, Gary McElhaney."
Thanks to Ardith (Goucher) Tackett for providing the lovely photo of her mother, Grace (Bell) Goucher, and painting done by her mother (Sept. 12, 2015).
Grace was talented at painting. Over the years she painted many canvases, which have survived & been passed down to her children. The one posted is a lovely wintry scene with snow-covered ground showing her father's blacksmith shop. Upon close inspection the words JJ Bell Blacksmith can be seen written above the door of his shop.
-----
Grace's parents were:
James Jeffrey Bell (1873 - 1954)
Hattie Emeline Morgan Bell (1881 - 1956)
She was the 5th of their 10 children.
Grace & her siblings were:
Gladys Marie Bell 1901 –
Ivory Leland Bell 1903 – 2003
Emery Ward Bell 1905 – 1986
Bessie Letha Bell 1908 – 1988
Grace Evalena Bell 1910 – 1984
Vergie Velma Bell 1912 – 1978
Laura Bell 1914 – 1914
Niada Yvonne Bell 1915 – 2008
Musettie Irene Bell 1918 – 1986
Jeffery James Bell Jr 1920 –
-----
On April 28, 1910,
Grace was four months old when the Federal Census was taken in War Eagle Township, Madison Co, AR in 1910. Her parents,
James J. & Hattie Bell, ages 36 & 34, owned a farm. They had been married 11 years; her mother had given birth to 5 children: Gladis M., age 8; Ivory M., 6; Emery W., 4; Bessie, 2; and lastly Grace, 4 months.
Around 1907 her parents bought 80 acres in Long Valley, about three miles northeast of Huntsville, AR. It was here that Grace & her siblings were raised. Her father and brothers worked farming; her father had a blacksmith shop in town and at home. For a period of time he had a blacksmith shop at War Eagle Mill, right next to the bridge.
He had the first electric company in Huntsville and rigged up a generator for his regular customers. It was daytime electricity only, and at night he would blink the lights a couple times so everyone knew the electricity was being shut off. He had a little book showing what was owed by each customer. Some were not good to pay so he finally got out of the electric business. He also built a schoolhouse near their Long Valley home.
-----
On January 17, 1920,
Grace E., age 10, lived with her parents, James J. & Hattie E., ages 48 & 40, on their farm in War Eagle, Her siblings included Ivory L., age 16; Emery W., age 14; Bessie L., 11; Vergia V., 7; Neoda V. 4 years & 5 months; & Irena R., 1. Her mother's parents, Morris H. & Charlotte Morgan, ages 79, lived with them.
-----
The following includes excerpts, from a book I wrote titled, "The Family of James and Caroline Bell." It is about the time Grace & her sister, Letha, visited their Bell grandparents in Brixey, AR.
"Memories of Grace (Bell) Goucher
Rita (Goucher) Sharp has shared some special memories of the time her mother, Grace, and her aunt, Letha, visited their Bell grandparents. They were the daughters of James and Hattie (Morgan) Bell.
One December, about 1923, Grace and Letha, ages 13 and 15, who lived in Huntsville, Arkansas, made a trip to Brixey, Arkansas. Their special errand was to help their grandmother, Martha, whose leg had been injured by a horse. They spent one month during the Christmas season, and Grace told Rita that their grandmother was in bed the entire time. Martha was 71 years old, and Malichi was 86, which must have seemed pretty old to two young girls.
Their Bell grandparents lived in the country in a log house near Gainesville. Grace remembers this as being near Taney County. Their only transportation was by horse and buggy. The buggy had one seat and a covered top. Malichi earned a living as a blacksmith, and also built rocking chairs to sell, called “porch chairs.” Grace recalled seeing two he had made that were kept in the living room.
A stairway inside the house led up to a platform in the loft where they kept old catalogs, which she enjoyed looking through. There was a family Bible with small print. Her grandmother was a member of the Christian Church, but her grandfather wasn’t very religious. Her grandmother’s brother, Will Hilsabeck, lived in Mountain Grove where he owned Weatherman and Hilsabeck, a 'fancy' dry goods and notion store.
Malichi and Martha didn’t have a radio or any modern day conveniences. Drinking water was drawn up from their well. One of Grace and Letha’s jobs was to do the laundry, which wasn’t an easy task. They had to carry the dirty laundry to a nearby branch of the river, where they filled a large kettle with water. A fire was built under the kettle, and the water was heated until it started boiling. The dirty clothes were placed in the boiling water, scrubbed on a wash board with soap, then rinsed, and hung out to dry. It was a lot of work for the two girls.
Malichi got up every morning before daylight, at 4:00 a.m., to milk their cow. He also used her to help transport hay from the field to the barn where it was stored. After putting on the halter, he led her to the field and cut just enough hay with a scythe to fit on her back. When this was done, he walked along beside her, holding it in place with a pitch fork. This was a slow and tedious method that took many trips for enough hay to last during the long winter months.
Grace and Letha’s uncle and aunt, Henry Bell and his sister, Permelia “Mealie” Altiser, lived nearby with their families. One evening they went with Mealie and her 13 year old daughter, Opal, to attend a Christmas tree celebration at the local school house. They walked, and on their way, had to cross a wooden bridge. It was made of boards about ten feet wide and was supported by wooden posts driven into the river bed. The water was about three feet deep, and she was worried about walking back across it in the dark.
The school house was a large one room building. They were impressed with a huge Christmas tree that was decorated with glass balls of different colors, pop corn strings, and twisted strips of red crepe paper. There was a Santa Clause dressed in a costume, but Grace and Letha knew there really wasn’t a Santa Clause because their mother had never led them to believe there was one. Everyone who attended the event received a little bag of candy.
Mealie made tams for them out of sheep wool. Grace’s was green with a white stripe around it, and Letha’s was orange with a white stripe around it. The visit with their grandparents was a special time for them, and the memories of that visit stayed with them the rest of their lives."
-----
Grace was 19 years old when she married John Robert Goucher, also age 19, in Madison Co, AR on August 10, 1929. John, known as Johnny, was the son of William Riley & Margaret Rebecca Arizona "Zona" (Carter) Goucher.
On April 11, 1930,
John & Grace E. Goucher, ages 20, lived in Alabam, Madison Co, AR. They were renting a home for $5.00 per month. John did general farm work to support them.
-----
On April 9, 1940,
John R. & Grace E., ages 30, were living in Alabam where they now owned a home valued at $300. They had two daughters, Virginia L. & Ardith B., ages 9 & 5. John was farming to support them.
-----
Grace also gave birth to a daughter, Rita Jean.
Articles mentioning "Mr. and Mrs. John Goucher.
Northwest Arkansas Times( Fayetteville)
Friday, June 9, 1961
MISS GOUCHER BRIDE IN CHURCH CEREMONY IN HUNTSVILLE
Huntsville (Special) - Miss Rita Jean Goucher became the bride of Jess Sharp in a ceremony at the Church of Christ Sunday, May 21.
The bride is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John Goucher, Route 4, Huntsville, and the bridegroom is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Carl Sharp, Route 5, Huntsville. The minister, Merritt Youngblood performed the double-ring ceremony.
The bride wore a white street-length dress of nylon with an overskirt of white net and carried a bridal bouquet of pink carnations tied with streamers of love knots atop a white Bible. Her only jewelry was white earrings.
Miss Mary Archer of Hindsville was maid of honor. She was attired in a blue street-length dress and wore a corsage of white carnations. The bridesmaid, Miss Sharon Lewis, wore a blue street-lenght dress and corsage of white carnations.
Butch Stroud of Huntsville served as best man. James Reed of Huntsville served as groomsman.
The bride will be a senior at Huntsville High School next yer. Mr. Sharp is a graduate of Huntsville High School with the class of 1961 and is employed at Warren's IGA Supermarket in Huntsville. The couple is at home in the Alabam community."
Northwest Arkansas Times
Thursday, January 17, 1963
"Mr. and Mrs. Barney Harvey and two sons, Mike and Randy, of Ft. Leonard Wood, Mo, were weekend visitors of his mother, Mrs. Minnie Harvey; his sister and husband, Mr. and Mrs. Merle Holt, and her parents, Mr. and Mrs. John Goucher of Alabam."
Northwest Arkansas Times
Thursday, April 30, 1964
"Mr. and Mrs. Ewell Morrison and daughter, Marie, of Columbus, Ohio have been visiting her mother, Mrs. Zona Goucher; a sister Mrs. Tom Hatfield and her brothers and sisters-in-law, Mr. and Mrs. Willie Goucher, and Mr. and Mrs. John Goucher and Mr. and Mrs. Loy Goucher."
Northwest Arkansas Times
Tuesday, July 7, 1964
HUNTSVILLE
"Zona Goucher observed her 86th birthday last week at the home of her daughter, Mrs. Tom Hatfield. Guests were: Mrs. C. Minor, Mr. and Mrs. Loy Goucher, Mr. and Mrs. John Goucher, Mr. and Mrs. Willie Goucher and son, Mrs. Jess Sharp and Ron, Mr. and Mrs. Bill Steelman, and Mr. and Mrs. Joy Bohannon."/i
Northwest Arkansas Times
Thursday, October 29, 1964
MADISON COUNTY LISTS ELECTION OFFICIALS
"Huntsville - Election officials for the General Election Nov. 3 were announced today by the Madison County Election Commission. They are:
Alabam: Harvey Joe McLoud, Sid Cooper and Hugh Worley, Judges; Harley Siies and John Goucher, clerks; Bert Baker, balliff. ..."
Northwest Arkansas Times
Wednesday, June 22, 1977
"TO OBSERVE ANNIVERSARY
Mr. and David Tackett will observe their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary from 2 until 4:30 o'clock Sunday afternoon, June 25, at their home on Old Wire Road North.
The couple was married in Huntsville at the Church of Christ. She is the former Miss Ardith Goucher. They are the parents of five children, Mrs. Ray (Karla) Keller of Welner, Mrs. Warren (Karen) Whisenhut of Bradley, and Calvin, John and Anita of the home. They have one grandchild. All friends and relatives are invited to attend the party."
Researched & compiled by Virginia Brown
September 2015
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The Madison County Record - Huntsville, Arkansas
Thursday, Sept. 6, 1984
"Grace Bell Goucher
Grace Bell Goucher, 74, of Route 4, Box 191, Huntsville, Arkansas died August 29, 1984, at the Huntsville Memorial Hospital. She was born January 13, 1910 at Huntsville, Arkansas the daughter of James Jeffery and Hattie Morgan Bell. She was a member of the Church of Christ.
Survivors include her husband, John R. Goucher of the home; three daughtters, Mrs. Virginia McElhaney and Mrs. Ardith Tackett, both of Fayetteville, Arkansas, and Mrs. Rita Sharp of Huntsville, AR; two brothers, Ivor Bell of Taft, California and Emery Bell of Portland, Oregon; three sisters, Mrs. Letha McBroom of Huntsville, Mrs. Niada Brown of Greenfield, CA, and Mrs. Irene Wallingford of Haines, Ore.; eleven grandchildren; three stepgrandchildren; eight great-grandchildren and four step-great-grandchildren.
One daughter, Johnnie Kay preceded her in death.
Funeral services were held at 10L00 a.m. Saturday, September 1, in the chapel of Brashears Funeral Home with Gus Munden and Steve Cawthon, ministers officiating.
Interment was in the Alabam Cemetery under the direction of Brashears Funeral Home.
Pallbearers were grandsons, Mike Harvey, Randy Harvey, Calvin Tackett, John Tackett, Ron Sharp and a stepgrandson, Gary McElhaney."
Grace was talented at painting. Over the years she painted many canvases, which have survived & been passed down to her children. The one posted is a lovely wintry scene with snow-covered ground showing her father's blacksmith shop. Upon close inspection the words JJ Bell Blacksmith can be seen written above the door of his shop.
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Grace's parents were:
James Jeffrey Bell (1873 - 1954)
Hattie Emeline Morgan Bell (1881 - 1956)
She was the 5th of their 10 children.
Grace & her siblings were:
Gladys Marie Bell 1901 –
Ivory Leland Bell 1903 – 2003
Emery Ward Bell 1905 – 1986
Bessie Letha Bell 1908 – 1988
Grace Evalena Bell 1910 – 1984
Vergie Velma Bell 1912 – 1978
Laura Bell 1914 – 1914
Niada Yvonne Bell 1915 – 2008
Musettie Irene Bell 1918 – 1986
Jeffery James Bell Jr 1920 –
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On April 28, 1910,
Grace was four months old when the Federal Census was taken in War Eagle Township, Madison Co, AR in 1910. Her parents,
James J. & Hattie Bell, ages 36 & 34, owned a farm. They had been married 11 years; her mother had given birth to 5 children: Gladis M., age 8; Ivory M., 6; Emery W., 4; Bessie, 2; and lastly Grace, 4 months.
Around 1907 her parents bought 80 acres in Long Valley, about three miles northeast of Huntsville, AR. It was here that Grace & her siblings were raised. Her father and brothers worked farming; her father had a blacksmith shop in town and at home. For a period of time he had a blacksmith shop at War Eagle Mill, right next to the bridge.
He had the first electric company in Huntsville and rigged up a generator for his regular customers. It was daytime electricity only, and at night he would blink the lights a couple times so everyone knew the electricity was being shut off. He had a little book showing what was owed by each customer. Some were not good to pay so he finally got out of the electric business. He also built a schoolhouse near their Long Valley home.
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On January 17, 1920,
Grace E., age 10, lived with her parents, James J. & Hattie E., ages 48 & 40, on their farm in War Eagle, Her siblings included Ivory L., age 16; Emery W., age 14; Bessie L., 11; Vergia V., 7; Neoda V. 4 years & 5 months; & Irena R., 1. Her mother's parents, Morris H. & Charlotte Morgan, ages 79, lived with them.
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The following includes excerpts, from a book I wrote titled, "The Family of James and Caroline Bell." It is about the time Grace & her sister, Letha, visited their Bell grandparents in Brixey, AR.
"Memories of Grace (Bell) Goucher
Rita (Goucher) Sharp has shared some special memories of the time her mother, Grace, and her aunt, Letha, visited their Bell grandparents. They were the daughters of James and Hattie (Morgan) Bell.
One December, about 1923, Grace and Letha, ages 13 and 15, who lived in Huntsville, Arkansas, made a trip to Brixey, Arkansas. Their special errand was to help their grandmother, Martha, whose leg had been injured by a horse. They spent one month during the Christmas season, and Grace told Rita that their grandmother was in bed the entire time. Martha was 71 years old, and Malichi was 86, which must have seemed pretty old to two young girls.
Their Bell grandparents lived in the country in a log house near Gainesville. Grace remembers this as being near Taney County. Their only transportation was by horse and buggy. The buggy had one seat and a covered top. Malichi earned a living as a blacksmith, and also built rocking chairs to sell, called “porch chairs.” Grace recalled seeing two he had made that were kept in the living room.
A stairway inside the house led up to a platform in the loft where they kept old catalogs, which she enjoyed looking through. There was a family Bible with small print. Her grandmother was a member of the Christian Church, but her grandfather wasn’t very religious. Her grandmother’s brother, Will Hilsabeck, lived in Mountain Grove where he owned Weatherman and Hilsabeck, a 'fancy' dry goods and notion store.
Malichi and Martha didn’t have a radio or any modern day conveniences. Drinking water was drawn up from their well. One of Grace and Letha’s jobs was to do the laundry, which wasn’t an easy task. They had to carry the dirty laundry to a nearby branch of the river, where they filled a large kettle with water. A fire was built under the kettle, and the water was heated until it started boiling. The dirty clothes were placed in the boiling water, scrubbed on a wash board with soap, then rinsed, and hung out to dry. It was a lot of work for the two girls.
Malichi got up every morning before daylight, at 4:00 a.m., to milk their cow. He also used her to help transport hay from the field to the barn where it was stored. After putting on the halter, he led her to the field and cut just enough hay with a scythe to fit on her back. When this was done, he walked along beside her, holding it in place with a pitch fork. This was a slow and tedious method that took many trips for enough hay to last during the long winter months.
Grace and Letha’s uncle and aunt, Henry Bell and his sister, Permelia “Mealie” Altiser, lived nearby with their families. One evening they went with Mealie and her 13 year old daughter, Opal, to attend a Christmas tree celebration at the local school house. They walked, and on their way, had to cross a wooden bridge. It was made of boards about ten feet wide and was supported by wooden posts driven into the river bed. The water was about three feet deep, and she was worried about walking back across it in the dark.
The school house was a large one room building. They were impressed with a huge Christmas tree that was decorated with glass balls of different colors, pop corn strings, and twisted strips of red crepe paper. There was a Santa Clause dressed in a costume, but Grace and Letha knew there really wasn’t a Santa Clause because their mother had never led them to believe there was one. Everyone who attended the event received a little bag of candy.
Mealie made tams for them out of sheep wool. Grace’s was green with a white stripe around it, and Letha’s was orange with a white stripe around it. The visit with their grandparents was a special time for them, and the memories of that visit stayed with them the rest of their lives."
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Grace was 19 years old when she married John Robert Goucher, also age 19, in Madison Co, AR on August 10, 1929. John, known as Johnny, was the son of William Riley & Margaret Rebecca Arizona "Zona" (Carter) Goucher.
On April 11, 1930,
John & Grace E. Goucher, ages 20, lived in Alabam, Madison Co, AR. They were renting a home for $5.00 per month. John did general farm work to support them.
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On April 9, 1940,
John R. & Grace E., ages 30, were living in Alabam where they now owned a home valued at $300. They had two daughters, Virginia L. & Ardith B., ages 9 & 5. John was farming to support them.
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Grace also gave birth to a daughter, Rita Jean.
Articles mentioning "Mr. and Mrs. John Goucher.
Northwest Arkansas Times( Fayetteville)
Friday, June 9, 1961
MISS GOUCHER BRIDE IN CHURCH CEREMONY IN HUNTSVILLE
Huntsville (Special) - Miss Rita Jean Goucher became the bride of Jess Sharp in a ceremony at the Church of Christ Sunday, May 21.
The bride is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John Goucher, Route 4, Huntsville, and the bridegroom is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Carl Sharp, Route 5, Huntsville. The minister, Merritt Youngblood performed the double-ring ceremony.
The bride wore a white street-length dress of nylon with an overskirt of white net and carried a bridal bouquet of pink carnations tied with streamers of love knots atop a white Bible. Her only jewelry was white earrings.
Miss Mary Archer of Hindsville was maid of honor. She was attired in a blue street-length dress and wore a corsage of white carnations. The bridesmaid, Miss Sharon Lewis, wore a blue street-lenght dress and corsage of white carnations.
Butch Stroud of Huntsville served as best man. James Reed of Huntsville served as groomsman.
The bride will be a senior at Huntsville High School next yer. Mr. Sharp is a graduate of Huntsville High School with the class of 1961 and is employed at Warren's IGA Supermarket in Huntsville. The couple is at home in the Alabam community."
Northwest Arkansas Times
Thursday, January 17, 1963
"Mr. and Mrs. Barney Harvey and two sons, Mike and Randy, of Ft. Leonard Wood, Mo, were weekend visitors of his mother, Mrs. Minnie Harvey; his sister and husband, Mr. and Mrs. Merle Holt, and her parents, Mr. and Mrs. John Goucher of Alabam."
Northwest Arkansas Times
Thursday, April 30, 1964
"Mr. and Mrs. Ewell Morrison and daughter, Marie, of Columbus, Ohio have been visiting her mother, Mrs. Zona Goucher; a sister Mrs. Tom Hatfield and her brothers and sisters-in-law, Mr. and Mrs. Willie Goucher, and Mr. and Mrs. John Goucher and Mr. and Mrs. Loy Goucher."
Northwest Arkansas Times
Tuesday, July 7, 1964
HUNTSVILLE
"Zona Goucher observed her 86th birthday last week at the home of her daughter, Mrs. Tom Hatfield. Guests were: Mrs. C. Minor, Mr. and Mrs. Loy Goucher, Mr. and Mrs. John Goucher, Mr. and Mrs. Willie Goucher and son, Mrs. Jess Sharp and Ron, Mr. and Mrs. Bill Steelman, and Mr. and Mrs. Joy Bohannon."/i
Northwest Arkansas Times
Thursday, October 29, 1964
MADISON COUNTY LISTS ELECTION OFFICIALS
"Huntsville - Election officials for the General Election Nov. 3 were announced today by the Madison County Election Commission. They are:
Alabam: Harvey Joe McLoud, Sid Cooper and Hugh Worley, Judges; Harley Siies and John Goucher, clerks; Bert Baker, balliff. ..."
Northwest Arkansas Times
Wednesday, June 22, 1977
"TO OBSERVE ANNIVERSARY
Mr. and David Tackett will observe their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary from 2 until 4:30 o'clock Sunday afternoon, June 25, at their home on Old Wire Road North.
The couple was married in Huntsville at the Church of Christ. She is the former Miss Ardith Goucher. They are the parents of five children, Mrs. Ray (Karla) Keller of Welner, Mrs. Warren (Karen) Whisenhut of Bradley, and Calvin, John and Anita of the home. They have one grandchild. All friends and relatives are invited to attend the party."
Researched & compiled by Virginia Brown
September 2015
-----
The Madison County Record - Huntsville, Arkansas
Thursday, Sept. 6, 1984
"Grace Bell Goucher
Grace Bell Goucher, 74, of Route 4, Box 191, Huntsville, Arkansas died August 29, 1984, at the Huntsville Memorial Hospital. She was born January 13, 1910 at Huntsville, Arkansas the daughter of James Jeffery and Hattie Morgan Bell. She was a member of the Church of Christ.
Survivors include her husband, John R. Goucher of the home; three daughtters, Mrs. Virginia McElhaney and Mrs. Ardith Tackett, both of Fayetteville, Arkansas, and Mrs. Rita Sharp of Huntsville, AR; two brothers, Ivor Bell of Taft, California and Emery Bell of Portland, Oregon; three sisters, Mrs. Letha McBroom of Huntsville, Mrs. Niada Brown of Greenfield, CA, and Mrs. Irene Wallingford of Haines, Ore.; eleven grandchildren; three stepgrandchildren; eight great-grandchildren and four step-great-grandchildren.
One daughter, Johnnie Kay preceded her in death.
Funeral services were held at 10L00 a.m. Saturday, September 1, in the chapel of Brashears Funeral Home with Gus Munden and Steve Cawthon, ministers officiating.
Interment was in the Alabam Cemetery under the direction of Brashears Funeral Home.
Pallbearers were grandsons, Mike Harvey, Randy Harvey, Calvin Tackett, John Tackett, Ron Sharp and a stepgrandson, Gary McElhaney."
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