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Family of William Joseph Jr. VESEY and Bessie C WITTE
William Joseph Jr. VESEY b. 1889 Jun 17221 at Ft Wayne, IN221. d. 1950840. bd. Lindenwood Cem., Fort Wayne, IN840.
Bessie C WITTE b. 1888 Jul 312072 at Fort Wayne, IN2072.
Married2072 1909 Aug 162072 at the home of Mr and Mrs Christian Witte, 433 Masterson Ave., Fort Wayne, IN3174.
William and Bessie were married at her parents' home at 8 P.M. They were married by Rev. Theodore Hahn, pastor fot eh English Lutheran Church of the Redeemer. Miss Lydia Kemp and Dr. Lyle Tucker were the attendants. After the wedding, the couple left for Michigan, and would spend some time with the bride's sister in Sturgis. At the time, William was a florist.
William's middle name and Jr. suffix middle name are given in The Pictorial History of Fort Wayne2253. In 1910, William is listed as a greenhouse florist. The history2253 of Fort Wayne mentions that William carried on the florist tradition of the family. In 1914, W. J. Vesey, Jr., of Detroit, joined with J E Smith (Wyandotte), and Charles H Maynard (Detroit), to form the Flower Growers corporation of Detroit (Detroit, MI, Free Press, Jun 2, 1914; newspapers.com.) In 1915, William is listed1735 in Fort Wayne, IN, as manager of "Vesey's," the family floral company. In 1930, William and Bess lived in Shreveport, IN, and he was a salesman for an oil company. In 1935 and 1936, William and Bess resided in Wichita, KS. William was a manufacturer's agent. In 1940, William and Bess resided in Springfield, MA, and William was an auto supplies salesman. William's 1942 WWII draft registration card170 lists his residence as New Haven, CT, and his employer as Western Auto Supply Co., of Springfield, MA. It appears William and Bessie had no children.
Indications of Bessie's birthdate vary. In 1900, she is listed as "daughter" in the household of Christian and Louisa Witte as born May 1886. The marriage record for Bessie and William Vesey lists her birthdate as Jul 31 1888. In 1910, Bessie Vesey is age 20 (~1890). In 1930, Bessie is listed as age 34 (b ~1896). In 1940, Bess is listed as "Bess Ann Vesey," age 49 (b ~1891). Though William and Bess were not found in the 1920 census, Mrs Bessie Vesey is listed1735 in 1919 in Fort Wayne, IN, boarding at 729 Columbia Ave. William is not listed in that city directory that year.