The year was circa 1912.  Bessie was reared in a wealthy well-to-do family in Mississippi.  She was raised to be a lady and expected to marry a gentleman.  Jim was a boy from the other side of the tracks, a simple cotton farmer with dirt under his nails. He was raised to work hard and have a family to take care of.

The moment they met, they knew they were destined for each other.  They also knew that their families would oppose their courtship.  As time went by, their infatuation grew into love.  Her relationship with Jim was eventually forbidden by her family.  They met in secret for months planning their future, it was decided that the only way to be together was to elope.  Unlucky for them, word traveled fast through the town.  Learning of their daughter's impending nuptial to a man they deemed “an unacceptable match” sent the family into an uproar!  She was forbidden to marry the man she loved so much and was told that if she went behind their backs, she’d be cut-off, disinherited and shunned by the entire family.

Following her heart, Bessie ran off with Jim. They married in a tiny church with no attendees but the preacher’s wife.  No friends, no family, not even someone to stand up for them.  Their happy “I Do’s” would be short lived for unrenowned to Bessie, her father had formed a posse and was on his way to remove her physically from this situation.  Jim barely got out the door with his new bride, when he was taken from behind by Bessie’s brothers!  The posse was too late. She was already married.  Her father didn’t take that into consideration and frankly he didn’t care because she was married without his permission.  All Jim could do was watch as his beloved bride was stolen from him.  She was to be hidden from him for as long as it took her to come to her senses.  It would end up that she was hidden away for an entire year.

Jim searched for his bride for many many months.  He was heartbroken that she’d been taken away from him.  Then one day he got the news he’d been waiting for. She had been spotted at a farm in another part of the state.  Immediately and in secret, he went to find her.  He waited for days for her to be in the field and alone.  She was elated when she saw his sweet face. Her love had come to rescue her.  He told her of his fight to find her and she told him what she’d been through especially thinking she’d never see him again.

So their romance began again, in the night, in secret.  The marriage was consummated as soon as time allowed.  They waited to say anything until she was sure that she had definitely conceived a child before they told her family.  That day came with a fury! With the knowledge that his bride was expecting, Jim went to the sheriff’s office and formed his own posse to get his bride back.  The law was now on his side, and there was nothing her family could do about it.

Her father was infuriated, her mother was in tears and her brothers were ready to tear Jim apart.  “Bessie!  If you leave here, you leave with the clothes on your back!  You leave here broke, disinherited and disowned!  You will have no family, no money and you will be one of them!  You can never return”! Jim squeezed her hand gently as she turned to face him, “I will take care of you, I love you”.  She never looked back in her father’s direction. They got in their carriage and rode off together in to their uncertain but love filled future. 

They had no money, no worldly possessions to speak of but decided to settle down in Alabama.  Once they arrived they stayed in a little hotel with the little money they had. It’s unclear how they came to know this man but the two of them met a newspaper reporter whom they told their plight to.  The reporter was so taken in by what the two of them were willing to sacrifice that he ran a story in an Alabama newspaper.  The hearts of Alabamians everywhere were opened and shortly after the article went out, Bessie and Jim began receiving gifts from all over Alabama!  They received money, clothing, pots, pans, furniture, quilts and even an offer of a home to stay in until they could get on their feet.  A true love story come to life, the people of Alabama were truly touched by their plight.

Wait... the story doesn’t end there!  About a year later, Jim and Bessie were attending a church function celebrating the remembrances of their loved ones who’d passed on.  The celebration is called “Decoration” (which is now held on Mother’s Day each year).  The adorable fruit of their love, Florea, was growing so fast. Everyone was just thrilled to see her.  Life was simple but good and the love they shared went so much deeper than they’d ever hoped.

Those joyous moments would come to an earth shattering end in an instant.  To their shock and surprise, coming down the road was her family.  Her father, mother and her five brothers all closing in fast on the young couple.  Bessie’s mother picked up the child, in an effort to take her from her parents.  “Our grandchild will not be raised up in poverty with no dowry, no future, no prospects of a proper marriage”, Bessie’s father yelled.

At that point, the story goes that guns were actually drawn in defense of the removal of the child. In response to the impending gun battle over the child, Bessie’s family retreated permanently and remained out of her life, as they said they’d do, never attempting contact again.

Who are Bessie & Jim?  They are actually my great grandparents. The little girl is my grandmother.  Of all of the stories that I’ve been told, this one is my favorite.  It was told to me first by my grandmother.  I am privileged to know that I got one major trait from my great grandparents. Just as they did, I would do.... “Anything for love”, for love can overcome any obstacles in life.

The Beginning.....