My father and mother, Anathur and Allsina Bell, taught us as a family to manage the farm. My parents had nine children who helped on the farm. We raised hogs and chickens, we grew cotton and corn and soybeans. We had a mule, cow, and hogs. We planted cotton, soybeans, and we sold that cotton and cow.

My mother taught us how to cook, and she made clothes for the children to wear. My father taught the boys how to work the farm and the importance of working together. The sense of family was essential to everything we did. The church and school were a partnership to a better community. The church had a building, maybe one room.