Gertrude Bell and Lucy Mell Lankford

Gertrude Bell and Lucy Mell Lankford were twin sisters born prematurely on February 9, 1941, to William Mell Lankford and Dorothy “Agnes” Key in Eatonton, Putnam County, Georgia. Both infants lived only eight hours before passing away that same day. Their death certificates list the cause simply as “premature birth.” They were the only children born to William and Agnes. Gertrude and Lucy are my 3rd cousins 2× removed; our nearest common ancestors are Charles L. Lankford and his wife, Miss Moore, my 4th great‑grandparents.

Lucy’s death certificate was numbered 4773 and Gertrude’s 4774. Certificate numbers typically reflect the order in which the paperwork was filed, not the order of death, so the numbering does not necessarily indicate which twin died first. 

Photo used with permission, Patty Shreve,
Find A Grave member 47563794

Tragically, the family’s loss did not end there. Eighteen days after the death of her daughters, Agnes died at her home in Eatonton from puerperal septicemia, a severe postpartum infection that remained life threatening even in the early 1940s. She was only 19 years old.

All three—Gertrude, Lucy, and Agnes—were laid to rest together at Pine Grove Cemetery in Eatonton. William, a native of Greene County, Georgia, was just 32 years old when he lost his wife and both of their infant daughters.

The family published a notice in the Eatonton Messenger thanking friends and relatives for their kindness during Agnes’ illness and death, though no mention was made of the twins. The newspaper notice also reveals that Agnes was known by the nickname “Lennie,” a small detail preserved amid a heartbreaking chapter in this family’s history.

References

• Card of Thanks (p. 5) and Kinderhook (p. 7), Eatonton Messenger, Eatonton, Georgia, March 6, 1941.
• Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/77891156/gertrude_bell-lankford: accessed January 17, 2026), memorial page for Gertrude Bell Lankford (8 Feb 1941–9 Feb 1941), Find a Grave Memorial ID 77891156, citing Pine Grove Cemetery, Eatonton, Putnam County, Georgia, USA; maintained by Patty Shreve (contributor 47563794).
• Gertrude Bell Lankford, Certificate of Death no. 4774, Georgia Department of Public Health, Bureau of Vital Statistics, 1941.
• Lucy Bell Lankford, Certificate of Death no. 4773, Georgia Department of Public Health, Bureau of Vital Statistics, 1941.
• Mrs. Lennie Lankford, The Macon Telegraph, Macon, Georgia, March 2, 1941.
• Mrs. W. M. Lankford, Certificate of Death no. 9985, Georgia Department of Public Health, Bureau of Vital Statistics, 1941.