It would be hard to imagine Sweetgum Community without Belle Cooper. She has been a part of the community for so long that she has indeed become a landmark.

Belle was born Belle Weaver in 1905 in Union County, Georgia near Blairsville. Her~parents were Orian and Mary Smathers Weaver. When Belle was 18, she met and married Zebulon Vance "Zeb" Cooper from Graham County who was in Blairsville visiting the "Lum" Deiton family who had moved there from Graham County. At the time of their marriage Zeb was 45.

Belle then moved to Graham County and has lived somewhere in the Sweetgum community since 1924. She lived in a house that sat in a field above the Sweetgum Baptist Church for 13 years, lived in another house near the current residence of the Buck Ayers family, lived in another house in the intersection where the Sweetgum Baptist Church sign is now located, and has lived in her current home across the highway from Tammy's Country Store for more than thirty years.

Belle has five children, Ed and Frank Cooper, Essie May Andrews, Mary Sue Wilson, and Maxine Perkins, all of Robbinsville. Their youngest child Maxine was born when Zeb the father was 72 years old. Zeb died when the children were all still young, and Belle was left with the task of raising five young children on her own. Belle said she worked at whatever was available including washing and ironing for people, working crops in the field, such as hoeing corn, working in burley tobacco, etc. She recalled that she once worked an entire season and received a small calf as payment. She would also pick and sell blackberries. She later worked at Fontana Village in the housekeeping unit.

One of her granddaughters, Sue Stewart, stayed with her for several years. Some time ago, Sue did some extensive historical research on the Cooper family and was instrumental in supplying some of the information contained in this article.

Belle never fails to have something to eat in her home much to the delight of her grandchildren, great-grandchildren, neighborhood children, or whoever happens to drop by. In true mountain tradition Belle "feeds her company."

Belle has always liked to travel and visit. She makes a round visiting her friends and neighbors in the Sweetgum community including her good friend Helen Hardin. Belle always visited Burlean Tipton when they ran the Sweetgum Grocery, and the two became good friends. Two other good friends of Belle's have passed away; Minnie Phillips and Amanda Crisp. Now that Tammy Williams has reopened the store at Sweetgum, Belle will again add that to her rounds especially since Tammy stocks Belle's favorite brand of snuff!

Belle's travels often take her out of Sweetgum. She likes to attend the annual singing at the John Stratton Meadows and go pick huckleberries at Hooper Bald.

Several years ago, Dana Colvin, another granddaughter began taking Belle for a Sunday drive. Darla said she usually visited her grandmother on Sundays and thought it would be good to get her out some. Their travels have taken them over a lot of back roads in Graham County including a lot of Forest Service roads. They visit cemeteries where a lot of Belle's friends and relatives are laid to rest.