Bessie Lee Fulton

Today is the Fourth of July and an ancestral anniversary. 
I have a general sense of indifference to the American Independence Day as my ancestors were not free and still are not free and there is no true independence on stolen land. However, today is the 111th birthday of my great great grandmother Bessie Lee Fulton. 


Bessie was born on July 4, 1904 somewhere in Ohio, to James Van Fulton and Mamie E. Dantzler, the youngest of two daughters (her older sister being Ollie Bell Fulton). At some point, the Fultons moved to Spartanburg, South Carolina not far from Kings Mountain, North Carolina, where James was born and raised. 
Bessie (second row, first on the left) with her first grade class, Spartanburg SC, ca. 1910



Bessie spent her early childhood in South Carolina before moving to West Philadelphia as a teenager with her family in the late 1910s. It was in Philadelphia where she would meet her husband, Frederick Morris Young. They got married on September 8, 1925. From their union, they had 6 children: James, Elizabeth (my great grandmother), Octavia, Victoria Dorothy, and Betty. 
Bessie (seated, center) with her daughters Elizabeth, Dorothy, Octavia and Victoria.



Aside from being a housewife which was expected of her in that time, Bessie worked as a seamstress. Her occupation on her marriage license is listed as "Dressmaker" and my father told me she created a track suit for him in high school. She was also studying to become a teacher at one point but had to stop her schooling because Fred's tendency to quit jobs if he caught wind of any sort of antiblack workplace discrimination. 


Bessie moved around with her family several times before settling in the Point Breeze neighborhood of South Philadelphia in the 1950s where she remained for the rest of her life. My dad has memories of visiting her home over on Pierce Street. 
Bessie in front of her home on Pierce Street in South Philly with her dog, ca. 1950s




From the stories my father and relatives relayed to me, Bessie was known for her witty sense of humor and her stories. Her nickname for my dad was "Casanova" and she often boasted to him about still being able to be nimble and touch her toes in her 80s. 
My grandmother Victoria with Bessie on her wedding day, August 1965


Elizabeth and Bessie, ca. 1980s-1990s




Bessie passed away on November 26, 1993 at the age of 89, less than a decade before I was born. She's one of my ancestors that I wish I had the opportunity to meet, we were so close to each other's lifetimes. Either way, I hope she's resting well and knows she's loved even by those who came after her. Happy Birthday Bessie!







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