Charles Tillman Belt, son of George William Belt and Nancy Sultanas Holman, was born November 22, 1856 in Missouri. He was a farmer and a carpenter. Josephine Edward Sales Fairbairne was born January 26, 1958 in Liberty, Texas; she was the daughter of James N. M Fairbairne, a dentist, and Sarah Ann Walker Hall. She became a school teacher. Charles and Josephine were married December 9, 1880 in Bremond, Texas.

They farmed near Taylor in Williamson County where they had twelve children, three girls and nine boys. Two girls and two boys died in childhood. Their children surviving to adulthood were William Oliver, George Edwin, Sr., Morris Arthur, Nancy Mary (Nannie Mae), Lawrence Wilson, John Robert, David Edward, and Joseph Fairbairne. The family moved to Silsbee, Texas, in 1901 in a covered wagon. Morris, fourteen years old at the time, was responsible for driving the family's two cows, and, of course, walked.

In Silsbee, Charles Tillman farmed and built houses. He loved to hunt for the abundant game in the Big Thicket. The older boys in the family got jobs at the Santa Fe Railroad or the Kirby Lumber Company. Morris started out wiping the engines in the roundhouse. Morris, George, and Lawrence (called "Bear") had a total of almost 150 years working for the railroad until they retired. They saw many changes in the job over the years. I think it was Uncle Bear who told me that he also worked for Kirby. The sawmill was hot and dusty in the Texas summers. One time the workers threatened to quit. They ask for better wages but settled for supplies cool of water on the job. This was possibly hearsay, but it may have been true.

Charles was elected the first mayor of Silsbee in 1906 Nannie Mae, the only surviving daughter of the family, ran a boarding house. Her brothers grew up calling her "Hon." When nephews and nieces misunderstood "Hon," she became the beloved "Aunt Bun.".

During World War II, five of the Belt men, went into the armed services. There is a picture of Josephine standing outside a window in which a banner with five stars can be seen in the window. For those too young to know, each star meant a son from that house was in service. Morris flew open-cockpit plans guarding the Panama Cannel. Four of the Belts men returned. John Robert was lost in a submarine accident in San Francisco Bay.

Mother (Cloye Taylor) told me that she had a small number of AT&T stock given to her by her father, E. N. Taylor. When her first child (Morris Edward) was born, she and my father (Morris Arthur) were living in the boarding house run by the Parrishes, Nannie Mae (Aunt Bun) and R. B. Mother cashed the stock and they purchased lumber and supplies. Charles, Morris and his brothers built the two room starter home, located now on Roosevelt Avenue. It has been in continuous occupation since 1921. Dad used to exaggerate a little when he said he added a room with every new baby.

The house was on the corner of a five acre plot Dad bought. The conviences consisted for a wood stove to cook on, an ice box which was cooled by blocks of ice delivered from the local ice house, and an outhouse. We got gas for heating and cooking just before we moved to Beaumont. We got indoor plumbing after Morris Edward pulled over the outdoor facilities with his trolley rig.

Uncle Bear had a farm across town from the Morris Belts and Aunt Emile, his wife, work in a store in town. Other aunts and uncles lived in Silsbee from time to time.