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The information below is from documentation of papers in possession of Pam Moore, granddaughter of Walter Wade and Audrey (Tompkins) Ezzell that she inherited from her grandparents.

This is about the old school bell at Belgreen and some of the former principals. I do not know who wrote it.

School Bell and Principals at Belgreen

I know very little about this. Part of what I know is what my father told me in his life time and the rest comes out of my personal recollections after the lapse of many, many years.

My father told me B. R. Fite (My recollection is his initials were B. R.) had been a Methodist preacher probably over in Georgia, that when the Franklin County Seat was removed from Frankfort to Belgreen in 1879 (You will remember that there was no Belgreen and that under the Act of the Alabama Legislature the people of Franklin County voted to remove the county Seat to a place near the center of Franklin County and it was established later that the center was what is now Belgreen) B. R. Fite came to Belgreen and was principal of the Belgreen School.

As you will remember, he lived southwest probably some 200 yards from Martin and Pearl (James) Barber. Your Aunt Pearl Barber can tell you where he lived. B. R.

Fite was the father of several noted lawyers and judges: Ernest B. Fite of Hamilton, Kelley Fite of Hamilton who became a Circuit Judge, Arthur Fite at Jasper. The noted Ranking Fite of Hamilton is a grandson of B. R. Fite and a son of Ernest B. Fite. Arthur Fite of Jasper had a noted son named Arthur Fite Jr., who became a noted Circuit Judge. Another one of B. R. Fite’s sons was named Fred Fite. Father said that B. R. Fite was finally admitted to the Bar and moved to Hamilton and became Register in Chancery. Father told me that Fite taught school at Belgreen some years. As you know, the court house at Belgreen burned down in 1890 and the County seat was removed to Russellville.

My father moved to Belgreen sometime in 1891. I went to school at Belgreen in 1891 and 1892. The principal of the school was Wade Hampton Smith. He was a graduate of the University of South Carolina. As I recall, he was a brother-in-law of the first and older Glasgow and was an uncle of Dr. Thomas Jefferson Glasgow who married Sally Smith. When Wade Hampton Smith was principal of the school they had the old school bell. I just guess that B. R. Fite was the first principal and bought the bell. Wade Hampton Smith went on the so-called biblical theory of “spare the rod and spoil the child”.

I went to school at Belgreen for a little part of the school year of 1893 beginning with January and probably ending with April. Wade Hampton Smith was there when I left. Then from September, 1893 to January 15, 1898, I lived for a few months in Texas with my mother and father some 12 or 15 miles from Mount Pleasant in Titus County and the rest of the time I lived down on Chisholm Creek with Grandmother Tompkins.

About January 15, 1898, I went to Belgreen and attended school under Professor Lee S. McRight from January 15 to April 8. The same bell was still used. Then in September 1898, I left Alabama and went to Texas and finally got back to Alabama on December 24, 1900. At that time when I returned, Professer Frank Chenault was principal of the Belgreen School at that time and they were still using the bell. Later on Professor Chenault became a medical doctor and as I recall practiced medicine over in Lawrence County and maybe later on in Decatur, Alabama. He had a brother, William L. Chenault, as I recall who practiced law in Russellville some years and built a fine brick residence on the Belgreen Road at what was called the old Walker place at which there was a great spring.

Originally this Walker place was the William Britton place who was the father of Grandmother Tompkins. Grandmother Tompkins was born there at that place in Russellville in November, 1832. In September, 1901, I went to school at Belgreen again and worked as janitor and milked a cow and did the cooking for my folks.

The Belgreen School started on the 2nd or 3rd of September, 1901, and the principal was Dr. Frank H. Gardener, he had been a medical doctor and missionary in old Mexico and was a Methodist preacher and at that time was pastor of the Methodist church at Russellville.

His first assistant was W. T. Vann, a graduate of the State Normal School at Florence, Alabama. Professor Vann was born and raised in Madison County. While Dr. Gardener and Mr. Vann taught the same school bell was used.

Dr. Gardener left Belgreen and Russellville in November or December 1901. Professor Vann left Belgreen in April or May 1902. In September 1902, John R. Guin came to Belgreen as principal of the school and the same school bell was still in use. You can pick up the story from there on out.

I realize that in trying to tell what I remember, I have wandered far a field and have told about a good many unrelated matters. But I had to remember these unrelated matters before my recollection came back as to the things you inquired about. On top of this it may be just as well that some of these unrelated matters be set down in writing while someone is still alive who remembers them.