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After John L. Dekle, Sr. died in 1828 George Dekle was the
administrator of his father’s estate and on the 28th of June 1828
George had an appraisement made of the estate. Then there was a
public sale made on the 5th of July 1828 with George buying most
of the household items. During George’s lifetime he became quite
well off. It was noted that on the sale sheet of his father’s
goods, George signed the sheet with his mark - the sign of a hat.
His
__(____)__
mark
Now Thomas, William Grissom, John Leonard, Jr. and the girls were
well educated - it is quite possible that Charles and George had
to remain home to help their father, John Leonard, Sr., farm and
otherwise support the family, while the younger children went to
school to receive an education, as was the custom in those days.
While I have visited and talked with quite a number of you about
your home, your work, your children, your parents and grandparents
and others have written about their families, most of you spoke or
wrote of the older ones who had passed on. This was done in a
large part with much reverence; therefore, these older ones must
have left a considerable amount of themselves with you. The
question is, can we do as well for our younger ones?
Recently while in Gainesville, Florida, I was talking to George
Wallace Dekle, a taxonomist - entomologist, and during our conversation
he stated to me that he had never met a Dekle that
didn’t have a very strong desire to excel. In a large part this
is true and I am going to give you an example, now I don’t mean to
offend anyone by not using any number of you as the example and
there are many, but this example is already at my fingertips and
all I have to do is copy. As the poet, Squire, has told us:
“Up from the stains of sordid strife
Up to a loftier life
My spirit cries, ‘Aspire! Aspire!’
Climb we the heights from high to higher
Up, lest the fleeting daylight fade,
‘Up!’ is the law God hath laid.”
Myrtle Dekle was born near Thomasville, Georgia on the
11th of February 1895, the youngest daughter of William
Cabel Dekle and Sarah Matilda Lee. She married Robert
Munroe Bell on the 15th of June 1920. The following is
copied from “Blue and White” the voice of the Johnson
Bible College of Kimberlin Heights, Tennessee. The
appreciation program took place on Myrtle’s 76th birthday,
11 February 1971:
“An appreciation service for Mrs. R. M. Bell followed on
Thursday afternoon. Both humorous and serious memories
were brought to the attention of the audience by selected
speakers from among alumni and College personnel who had
worked closely with Mrs. Bell while she lived in the White
House. Among the presentations made to her by the trustees
and alumni were an original silver medallion struck with the
College seal, notebooks of letters of appreciation from
friends, and a color portrait to be displayed in Myrtle
Hall, which was named in her honor several years ago.
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