Gaston County families

John Frank Bess & Maggie Virginia Taylor Bess

John Frank Bess was born around 1860 in Lincoln County, NC to Franklin Frank Bess (1835-1905) & Easter Bess (1841-1875). John lived his first five years as a slave with his parents and siblings on the plantation of Sebastian or Peter Bess. When the Civil War ended in 1865, John moved to Cherryville, NC along with his parents and siblings.

Some time around 1875, Easter Bess (John's mother) died, leaving behind her husband Franklin Bess and five young children.

On April 26, 1885, John married Etta Boyd (1869-1891), the daughter of John and Emeline Boyd. The couple lived in Cherryville, NC and had one son named Thomas Bess. But the couples marriage was short-lived, Etta died around 1891 after only six years of marriage.

John then met a young woman by the name of Maggie Virginia Taylor. Maggie was the daughter of Lawson Taylor (1826-1905) and Mariah Carpenter Taylor (1830-1912).

John and Maggie were married some time around 1893, they then became the parents of seven boys and one girl; John Adams Bess, Rainey William Bess (Sara Sadler-Saddler), Cora Lee Bess (Neil Gordon), Charlie Frank Bess, James Walter Bess, Clarence Alfred Bess (Jessie Gordon), Dorus Otto Bess (Mattie Hambright & Ruth McDowell) and Clyde Howard Bess (Mary Crocker).

John and Maggie then purchased land and built a home on Dixon School Road in Kings Mountain, NC. The land is still in the family and part of the original home is still standing.

John Frank Bess died on November 20, 1948, and his wife Maggie Virginia Taylor Bess died on March 20, 1970. They are both buried in the Bynum Chapel A.M.E. Zion Church Cemetery in Kings Mountain, NC.

John Frank Bess & Maggie Virginia Taylor Bess were the 3rd great-grandparents of Dominique Bess who submitted this article.