Bessye Johnson (Banks) Bearden (abt. 1893 - 1943)

Born about 1893 in North Carolina, United States [uncertain]

Died 16 Sep 1943 at about age 50 in New York, United States

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Biography

Bessye (Banks) Bearden is Notable.

Bessye Johnson Banks Bearden was a journalist and civil rights activist, and mother of famous collage artist Romare Bearden.^[1]

She was born in about 1891 to Carrie O. (Olcott) Johnson Banks and likely Carrie's husband, last name Johnson, before Carrie married George T. Banks in about 1897. ^[2]

She passed away at the age of 52; below is her obituary, from “The News and Observer”, Raleigh, North Carolina: ^[3] GOLDSBORO NATIVE DIES IN NEW YORK HOSPITAL New York Sept 17 —AP—Mrs Bessye J Bearden 52, nationally prominent Negro leader and deputy collector of the Third New York internal revenue district died yesterday in Harlem Hospital after a month's illness.
Born in Goldsboro N C she was educated in Virginia and did postgraduate work at Columbia University Until 1935 when she was appointed deputy collector she had engaged in business.
Mrs. Bearden was a founder and first president of the Colored Women's Democratic League and was a former national treasurer of the Council of Negro Women. She also served on the executive boards of several New York Negro organizations.

Research Notes

There are discrepancies in her birth year and location on her Wikipedia page and on her FindAGrave profile.

More research needed to confirm her Last Name at Birth, which, it turns out, is not Banks but is likely Johnson. Anyone with excellent North Carolina research skills, please help! Weatherall-96 02:10, 2 September 2020 (UTC)

Her mother Carrie's profile is yet to be created because I am not sure of the precise LNAB at this moment. The one place it is stated is in her death certificate: Olcott. ^[2] However, I have not found the right Olcott family in North Carolina to match her to ... it could be that it is really Alcott or Allicott, or something similar. I would lean toward something beginning with an O, though, since she used that as her middle initial in more than one document. ^[2] One other note - unfortunately, the only place you can access the death certificate image is on Ancestry, not Family Search. I will transcribe it below. Weatherall-96 00:28, 2 September 2020 (UTC)

Commonwealth of Pennsylvania / Department of Health / Bureau of Vital Statistics Primary Dist. No.: 2 / File No.: 57381 / Registered No.: 4051
Certificate of death
1. Place of Death a. County: Allegheny
b. City or Borough: Pittsburgh
c. Length of Stay (in this place) -- blank --
d. Full name of hospital or institution (If not in hospital or institution, give street address or location): 6668 Frankston Ave
2. Usual Residence: a. State: Penn b. County: Allegheny
c. City or Borough: Pittsburgh
d. Street Address: 6668 Frankston Ave.
Name of Deceased
a. (first) Carrie b. (Middle) O.
c. (last) Banks
4. Date of Death: (month) 6 (day) 1 (year) 51
5. Sex: F
6. Color or Race: C
7. Married, Never Married, Widowed, Divorced : M
8. Date of Birth: 8-15-1870
9. Age: 80
10. a. Usual Occupation: Housewife b. Kind of business or industry: House
11. Place of Birth: Charlotte, N.C.
12. Citizen of what country: —blank—
13. Fathers name: —Olcott
14. Mothers name: Unknown
15. Was deceased ever in US Armed Forces? —blank—
16. Social security Number: —blank—
17. Informant’s own signature: Geo T Banks
Address: 6668 Frankston Av
18. Cause of Death: I. Disease or condition directly leading to death: a) Uremia
Antecedent causes due to b) Arteriosclerosis II. Other Significant conditions: 450.0 19-21 are blank. (Operation, accident, autopsy) 22.
23.
24.
25.

Sources

1. ↑ Wikipedia: Bessye J. Bearden
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2} Ancestry.com. Pennsylvania, Death Certificates, 1906-1967 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014. Original data:Pennsylvania (State). Death certificates, 1906–1963. Series 11.90 (1,905 cartons). Records of the Pennsylvania Department of Health, Record Group 11. Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/5164/images/42410_3421606187_0692-00334?pId=7329153
3. ↑ https://www.newspapers.com/clip/56739911/bessye-j-bearden-d1943-age-52/

• "United States Census, 1930," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X4LQ-5PR : accessed 1 February 2018), Bessie J Bearden in household of Howard R Bearden, Manhattan (Districts 0751-1000), New York, New York, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 926, sheet 2B, line 64, family 42, NARA microfilm publication T626 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2002), roll 1574; FHL microfilm 2,341,309.
• Find A Grave: Memorial #83625974
• "Pennsylvania, Philadelphia Marriage Indexes, 1885-1951", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:JJDP-948 : 28 April 2020), Richard H Bearden and Banks, 1911.

See also:

• Wikidata: Item Q4896523, en:Wikipedia