August 5, 1896 - Born to tenant farmers in Americus, Georgia.

1910 - leaves school

1915 - marries at the age of 19

1918 - husband James Ryan and son Lee Ryan die from the Spanish flu

1919 - move to Miami

1920-1923 - working in a textile mill

1924 - hired by Lucian MacLeod

Her mother and father were very poor and struggled to provide for their children. Bessie was the middle child of seven children, but by the time she reached her teens two of her younger siblings had died.

After her husband died, Bessie somehow saved up enough money for a ticket to Florida, but found it hard to get a job since she had little education.

She stayed in a women's boardinghouse when she first arrived, but is finding it increasingly difficult to pay the rent on the money she makes in a textile mill. She would like to remarry or become involved in a financially-secure relationship.

• Independent
• Lonely
• Cautious
• Loves fun
• Good with children

Nicknames: Bess

Status - Single (widowed)

Husband - James Ryan (deceased)

Son - Lee Ryan (deceased)

Parents - Cecil and Bertha Dooley