Research with me: Mary Bessie Commer (1892-1950)

Mary Bessie Commer was the daughter of Mary Jane Allen and Thomas Wesley Whitehead and the granddaughter of Isiah Spencer Allen. She was also the sister of Effie E. Commer. Mary Bessie was born on 12 June 1892 in Mississippi, likely Winston County. She married James Huddleston Whitehead on 6 April 1908 in Winston County. Mary Bessie and James Huddleston had ten children, 5 boys and 5 girls. Mary Bessie died on 20 April 1940 in Mississippi, most likely in Winston County. Mary Bessie’s youngest child was born about 1937, three years before her death.

Mary Bessie’s Name

Mary Bessie’s name on her FamilySearch profile was originally Mary Lee. Her headstone had the name Bessie Lee. Most of the records attached to her profile were for Mary Bessie or Mary B. It’s unclear where the name Mary Lee came from unless it was an attempt to reconcile the name on the headstone with other sources. The name on the headstone most likely reflects the name she used in life. Bessie Lee was probably a nickname, combining her middle name and Lee because they rhymed. It’s hard to know for sure. Bessie could even be a shortened form for Elizabeth.

Deciding on what name to use on a FamilySearch profile or Ancestry profile can be difficult. I have examples from other southern families where an individual had a different name for each source record, very often an evolution of a nickname. Do you use the name recorded on the earliest known document, the name used on a headstone, or the name that appears to be used most often?

There are strong opinions, but no real rules on what to do. A professional genealogist will often choose a name for consistency in a written report and include an explanation of the choice. At the end of the day, it’s best to use your own judgment when editing or creating a profile, especially if you know the person.

I chose the name Mary Bessie Commer because it appears to be the most complete name supported by records. FamilySearch has an Alternate Names field to enter variations. It is useful to enter name variations because FamilySearch will use the alternate names for record hinting. Ancestry has the ability to add an Also Known As a fact, but it’s not clear if the fact is used in record hinting.

Mississippi Marriage Records

FamilySearch has two marriage record collections.

The Mississippi County Marriages collection is an index with images. The Mississippi Marriages collection is an index only and is much smaller than the other. The Mississippi County Marriages Index is not perfect and likely incomplete, but it is useful for finding marriage dates. Part of the marriage index was derived from the filmed paper indexes and registers that reference the marriage license and certificate documents. It may require a bit of searching, but it is possible to find the marriage date on the actual marriage license and certificate.

Marriage license for Mary Bessie Commer and James H. Whitehead on 6 April 1908.
Marriage license for Mary Bessie Commer and James H. Whitehead on 6 April 1908.

A search of the Mississippi County Marriages, 1818-1979, did find a marriage record for Mary Bessie Commer and James Huddleston Whitehead on 6 April 1908 in Winston County, Mississippi. The marriage record states that Mary Bessie and James had reached the statutory age of 18 and 21 years of age. This does not mean they were 18 and 21 years old at the time of the marriage, but rather they were at least 18 and 21 years old.1 In reality, Mary Bessie Commer was 16 years old.

FamilySearch Data Quality Score

FamilySearch recently released a Quality Score on profiles. The Quality Score is intended to give confidence in the sources attached to a profile. It looks at data completeness, source tagging, source consistency, and conflict-free data. Each of these categories have more information like, “The birthplace is missing a city.” or “This person has a last name which does not match the last name on the record.”

The scores are low, medium, or high depending on how well the profile meets the requirements. The fewer items listed in the sub-categories, the higher the quality score. The Quality Score is only available to ancestors born between 1800 and 1920 and is limited to the United Kingdom, North America, and South America.

Mary Bessie Commer’s profile was originally given a medium-quality score. After standardizing dates and places, correcting her name to match records, and adding a marriage date, the score changed to high. There is still some work that can be done to further improve Mary Bessie’s profile, but the overall improvement is good progress.

Sources

  1. “Mississippi, County Marriages, 1818-1979,” entry for J. H. Whitehead – Bessie Commer, 6 April 1908, Winston County, Mississippi; digital images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org : accessed 30 December 2024). ↩︎

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