Bessie Jewell was the second of twelve children born to Robert and Clara Nichols Witherspoon in Hart County, Kentucky. Very little is actually known about her childhood other than her family lived in Hart County the entirety of it.
At age 19, she married her first husband, William Warner "Pete" Sexton. Pete was a troubled young man who had been married once before. His previous marriage ended due to mental health issues which were not really discussed in that manner as a reason. His first wife simply said she wanted to live further from Pete's folks and he would not move away. So she divorced him about 1930.
Bessie married Pete at age 19 on 21 September 1932 in Horse Cave, Kentucky. They lived close to his parents in Metcalfe County and he farmed along with is dad. Their marriage produced two boys, Raymond Anderson Sexton and James Damon Sexton. In the Fall of 1938, Pete started to exhibit more problems mentally and was committed to the Western State Kentucky Hospital in Hopkinsville. His commitment on 8 September 1938 forced Bessie and the young boys to move next door to her parents in Horse Cave, Kentucky. Pete did not survive the stay at the hospital dying on 15 February 1939.
By all accounts, Bessie was very dissatisfied living with her parents since she had to work at raising not only her two children but aid her parents with their own work at home. She was introduced by a sibling's boyfriend to Jennings Bryan Norvell, a railroad man from Tennessee. They married 8 June 1940 in Haywood, Tennessee.
Norvell was a widower who had three children from a previous marriage and as was the case so often in those days he married in part for help with his existing family. They lived in railroad housing since Norvell was a switch-man and was on call most of the time.
About two years into this marriage, Bessie disciplined one of his children and he had her arrested and divorced her over it. The divorce was short-lived and they remarried in June of 1943 in Shelby County, Tennessee.
Shortly thereafter they had their first of two children together, Helen. This was followed up by a son, Bryan Jennings, Jr in 1945.
Her sons from the first marriage both spent the majority of their childhood with the Sexton side of their family. They traveled back and forth by railway utilizing tickets their step-dad provided from his connections to the railroad.
In September of 1952, an incident at home between James Damon and Jennings led to his hospitalization. In the end, he passed away from what his DC says were unknown causes.
Bessie met her last husband thru some type of Lonely Hearts Club. His name was Oliver Leeman Suggs. He was a retired military man who came to Memphis to court her and I have yet to find their marriage license but as best I can tell they married around 1955. He moved her to his home area, Logan County, Arkansas.
In their latter years, she and Oliver both were moved by Bryan and Helen to Texas where they spent their final years.
Oliver died in 2000 and Bessie followed in 2003. Both passed in Forney, Texas. They are buried in Paris, Logan County, Arkansas.
At age 19, she married her first husband, William Warner "Pete" Sexton. Pete was a troubled young man who had been married once before. His previous marriage ended due to mental health issues which were not really discussed in that manner as a reason. His first wife simply said she wanted to live further from Pete's folks and he would not move away. So she divorced him about 1930.
Bessie married Pete at age 19 on 21 September 1932 in Horse Cave, Kentucky. They lived close to his parents in Metcalfe County and he farmed along with is dad. Their marriage produced two boys, Raymond Anderson Sexton and James Damon Sexton. In the Fall of 1938, Pete started to exhibit more problems mentally and was committed to the Western State Kentucky Hospital in Hopkinsville. His commitment on 8 September 1938 forced Bessie and the young boys to move next door to her parents in Horse Cave, Kentucky. Pete did not survive the stay at the hospital dying on 15 February 1939.
By all accounts, Bessie was very dissatisfied living with her parents since she had to work at raising not only her two children but aid her parents with their own work at home. She was introduced by a sibling's boyfriend to Jennings Bryan Norvell, a railroad man from Tennessee. They married 8 June 1940 in Haywood, Tennessee.
Norvell was a widower who had three children from a previous marriage and as was the case so often in those days he married in part for help with his existing family. They lived in railroad housing since Norvell was a switch-man and was on call most of the time.
About two years into this marriage, Bessie disciplined one of his children and he had her arrested and divorced her over it. The divorce was short-lived and they remarried in June of 1943 in Shelby County, Tennessee.
Shortly thereafter they had their first of two children together, Helen. This was followed up by a son, Bryan Jennings, Jr in 1945.
Her sons from the first marriage both spent the majority of their childhood with the Sexton side of their family. They traveled back and forth by railway utilizing tickets their step-dad provided from his connections to the railroad.
In September of 1952, an incident at home between James Damon and Jennings led to his hospitalization. In the end, he passed away from what his DC says were unknown causes.
Bessie met her last husband thru some type of Lonely Hearts Club. His name was Oliver Leeman Suggs. He was a retired military man who came to Memphis to court her and I have yet to find their marriage license but as best I can tell they married around 1955. He moved her to his home area, Logan County, Arkansas.
In their latter years, she and Oliver both were moved by Bryan and Helen to Texas where they spent their final years.
Oliver died in 2000 and Bessie followed in 2003. Both passed in Forney, Texas. They are buried in Paris, Logan County, Arkansas.
Bessie Jewell was the second of twelve children born to Robert and Clara Nichols Witherspoon in Hart County, Kentucky. Very little is actually known about her childhood other than her family lived in Hart County the entirety of it.
At age 19, she married her first husband, William Warner "Pete" Sexton. Pete was a troubled young man who had been married once before. His previous marriage ended due to mental health issues which were not really discussed in that manner as a reason. His first wife simply said she wanted to live further from Pete's folks and he would not move away. So she divorced him about 1930.
Bessie married Pete at age 19 on 21 September 1932 in Horse Cave, Kentucky. They lived close to his parents in Metcalfe County and he farmed along with is dad. Their marriage produced two boys, Raymond Anderson Sexton and James Damon Sexton. In the Fall of 1938, Pete started to exhibit more problems mentally and was committed to the Western State Kentucky Hospital in Hopkinsville. His commitment on 8 September 1938 forced Bessie and the young boys to move next door to her parents in Horse Cave, Kentucky. Pete did not survive the stay at the hospital dying on 15 February 1939.
By all accounts, Bessie was very dissatisfied living with her parents since she had to work at raising not only her two children but aid her parents with their own work at home. She was introduced by a sibling's boyfriend to Jennings Bryan Norvell, a railroad man from Tennessee. They married 8 June 1940 in Haywood, Tennessee.
Norvell was a widower who had three children from a previous marriage and as was the case so often in those days he married in part for help with his existing family. They lived in railroad housing since Norvell was a switch-man and was on call most of the time.
About two years into this marriage, Bessie disciplined one of his children and he had her arrested and divorced her over it. The divorce was short-lived and they remarried in June of 1943 in Shelby County, Tennessee.
Shortly thereafter they had their first of two children together, Helen. This was followed up by a son, Bryan Jennings, Jr in 1945.
Her sons from the first marriage both spent the majority of their childhood with the Sexton side of their family. They traveled back and forth by railway utilizing tickets their step-dad provided from his connections to the railroad.
In September of 1952, an incident at home between James Damon and Jennings led to his hospitalization. In the end, he passed away from what his DC says were unknown causes.
Bessie met her last husband thru some type of Lonely Hearts Club. His name was Oliver Leeman Suggs. He was a retired military man who came to Memphis to court her and I have yet to find their marriage license but as best I can tell they married around 1955. He moved her to his home area, Logan County, Arkansas.
In their latter years, she and Oliver both were moved by Bryan and Helen to Texas where they spent their final years.
Oliver died in 2000 and Bessie followed in 2003. Both passed in Forney, Texas. They are buried in Paris, Logan County, Arkansas.
At age 19, she married her first husband, William Warner "Pete" Sexton. Pete was a troubled young man who had been married once before. His previous marriage ended due to mental health issues which were not really discussed in that manner as a reason. His first wife simply said she wanted to live further from Pete's folks and he would not move away. So she divorced him about 1930.
Bessie married Pete at age 19 on 21 September 1932 in Horse Cave, Kentucky. They lived close to his parents in Metcalfe County and he farmed along with is dad. Their marriage produced two boys, Raymond Anderson Sexton and James Damon Sexton. In the Fall of 1938, Pete started to exhibit more problems mentally and was committed to the Western State Kentucky Hospital in Hopkinsville. His commitment on 8 September 1938 forced Bessie and the young boys to move next door to her parents in Horse Cave, Kentucky. Pete did not survive the stay at the hospital dying on 15 February 1939.
By all accounts, Bessie was very dissatisfied living with her parents since she had to work at raising not only her two children but aid her parents with their own work at home. She was introduced by a sibling's boyfriend to Jennings Bryan Norvell, a railroad man from Tennessee. They married 8 June 1940 in Haywood, Tennessee.
Norvell was a widower who had three children from a previous marriage and as was the case so often in those days he married in part for help with his existing family. They lived in railroad housing since Norvell was a switch-man and was on call most of the time.
About two years into this marriage, Bessie disciplined one of his children and he had her arrested and divorced her over it. The divorce was short-lived and they remarried in June of 1943 in Shelby County, Tennessee.
Shortly thereafter they had their first of two children together, Helen. This was followed up by a son, Bryan Jennings, Jr in 1945.
Her sons from the first marriage both spent the majority of their childhood with the Sexton side of their family. They traveled back and forth by railway utilizing tickets their step-dad provided from his connections to the railroad.
In September of 1952, an incident at home between James Damon and Jennings led to his hospitalization. In the end, he passed away from what his DC says were unknown causes.
Bessie met her last husband thru some type of Lonely Hearts Club. His name was Oliver Leeman Suggs. He was a retired military man who came to Memphis to court her and I have yet to find their marriage license but as best I can tell they married around 1955. He moved her to his home area, Logan County, Arkansas.
In their latter years, she and Oliver both were moved by Bryan and Helen to Texas where they spent their final years.
Oliver died in 2000 and Bessie followed in 2003. Both passed in Forney, Texas. They are buried in Paris, Logan County, Arkansas.
Family Members
Siblings
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Vera Mae Witherspoon Grant
1915–1995
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PVT Roy Kenneth Witherspoon
1918–1961
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Ada Pearl Witherspoon
1920–2011
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Robert "Ted" Witherspoon
1922–2020
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James W. Witherspoon
1925–2011
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Clarence J. Witherspoon
1927–2014
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Otis Thomas Witherspoon
1930–1980
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William C. Witherspoon Sr
1933–1997
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Clara Hall Witherspoon Folk
1935–2017
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See more Suggs or Witherspoon memorials in:
- Oakwood Cemetery Suggs or Witherspoon
- Paris Suggs or Witherspoon
- Logan County Suggs or Witherspoon
- Arkansas Suggs or Witherspoon
- USA Suggs or Witherspoon
- Find a Grave Suggs or Witherspoon
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