Bessie Marcella Beckham, the early years

Hazel, Frieda, Grace and Bessie Beckham

Bessie Marcella Beckham was born on May 20, 1886.  She was the oldest child of Green Beckham and Ollie Glenn..

Loyd, Green,Roy, Ollie and Bessie

This picture would have been made between 1892 and 1898.  Roy was born in 1892 and Frieda was born in 1898.

The 1900 census, lists:
 

Bessie Beckham

1900 census: The family is living in Dawson Township, Phelps County, Missouri. Green's occupation is listed as farmer. Their farm is owned, free of any mortgages. They are living next to William C Beckham and his wife Margaret “ Mazie” Dillon. William is Green's uncle (William C and Henry Beckham (Green's father) are sons of Hardin Leonard Beckham and Zilph Rose)

Green C Beckham, age 40

Ollie G Beckham, age, 34

Bessie M Beckham, age 14

Loyd J Beckhan, age 10

Roy R Beckham, age 8

Fredie E Beckham, age 3

Hazel E Beckham, age 5/12

On this census, Bessie's occupation is listed as doing house work. If it were not for all the correspondence and photo's that Bessie kept, and were preserved first by her sister Hazel, then later, by Susie Rinehart Welch and Edna Rinehart Meyer, this would be all that we would know about Bessie until her marriage to George Harrison Rinehart.            

Bessie's Bible

 Nellie Skouby Lorts, Bessie and unidentified man

Most of these postcards were sent to Bessie, but there is still of lot information that we can learn about Bessie in these postcards.

Visitation Convent, 1907

Back of postcard dated August 29, 1907

This postcard shows that Bessie spent some time at Visitation Convent in 1907.  Another postcard was sent to her at this same address on September 14, 1906. You can find more information about this school here

Stamps from Sapulpa, IT (Indian Territory)

Bessie saved these stamps in one of her books. Oklahoma became a state on November 16, 1907.

Bessie also spent time in Oklahoma visiting her Grandmother and her extended family in Oklahoma .  Several postcards were addressed to her in Mounds and Sapulpa. 

She also has a postcard that was addressed to her in Royal, Missouri, but the card is not postmarked. I did not know where Royal, Missouri was, but I found it on a map. (It is Northeast of Safe).

Front of Postcard

Postcard from Bessie's Grandmother Elizabeth Branstetter Glenn