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Mrs. Rutherford Died Wednesday.
Had Been a Resident of Murfreesboro For Ten Or Twelve Years
Buried At Antoine.
Mrs. Mary E. Rutherford died here Wednesday morning at 5:10 a.m. (February
22, 1928) from a stroke of paralysis suffered early Tuesday evening, at
the age of 69 years. She is survived by three sons, Charles H., Assistant
Cashier of the Pike County Bank, Will, and Stell B., traveling
representative of McCormick & Co., all of Murfreesboro, two daughters, Mrs.
N.C. Hare, of Murfreesboro, and Mrs. Tom East, of Peoria, Illinois, and the
following brothers, J.H. and R.W. Stell of Delight, S.B. Stell, of Hot
Springs, J.T. Stell, of Redland, California, D.A. Stell, of Murfreesboro,
and Charles E. Stell of Durant, Oklahoma, and six grandchildren. Mrs.
Rutherford was the young daughter of Capt. A.A. and Emily (Wingfield)
Stell, and was born at Stelltown, near Delight, on April 30, 1858. She was
married to Dr. R.H. L. Rutherford on April 7, 1875. Dr. Rutherford, who was
one of Southwest Arkansas' leading physicians, died at Antoine on Dec. 20,
1900, where Mrs. Rutherford continued to reside until about 1914 when she
moved to Murfreesboro. Funeral services were held here at the Methodist
church, by the pastor, the Rev. J.D. Montgomery, and interment was had in
the cemetery at Antoine, Thursday afternoon. She was one of the oldest and
most devoted members of the Methodist church of which she had been a member
for many years. Mrs. Rutherford's father, Capt. A.A. Stell, who was
prominently identified with the development of Pike county for more than
three-quarters of a century, was born on December 18, 1820 in Morgan
county, Georgia, the son of Joseph and Isabella Stell, both natives of
Georgia. His father, Joseph Stell, was a planter and teacher and served in
the Florida and Cherokee wars. Capt. Stell came to Arkansas with his
parents ... (about 1840) settling in Clark county, where he lived some few
years (three) before settling in Pike County. He was married on (December
30, 1847) to Emily Wingfield, a native of Pike county, who died September
1, 1859. On July 25, 1861, he was married to Martha E. Kelley, daughter of
Robert and Sarah Kelley, who died in 1911. Capt. Stell served in the
Confederate Army as a member of Co. G. Craven's Regiment, under Gen.
Thomas J. Churchill, returning to his home (in) May, 1865, where he lived a
useful life until his death on February 22, 1912, in his ninety-third year.
He served as Justice of the Peace in his Township for ten years, and as
Coroner of Pike county for a period of ten years. The passing of Mrs.
Rutherford marks the departure of another of Pike county's oldest
native-born and highly respected citizens, and of one whose pleasant
smiles, cheerful disposition and kind words will be sadly missed by her
relatives and host of friends.
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Pike County Courier, Delight, Arkansas, February 24, 1928: Volume 40,
Number 8, page 1, columns 4-5, edited with revision.
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Update 03.28.01 David Kelley 1997 DTH-0031.HTM