Edwards reflects on life well lived
January 4, 2023 at 5:57 p.m.
In December, longtime Brookville resident Bessie Edwards had her 98th birthday. Although it didn't seem to be a big deal to her, Bessie's family knew the residents of Franklin County would enjoy the memories of her hometown of Brookville, which is now history for many of us.
Bessie agreed to be interviewed and invited me over to her cozy little cottage where she lives and thrives alone. However, she has plenty of family and friends who visit. Her two granddaughters were there during the interview to also ask their grandma questions, whom they clearly adore. Throughout our interview, Bessie was humble, witty, kind and funny.
One of the first questions I asked was one everyone wants to know. "What is the secret to living a long life and staying healthy?" Her reply was a matter of fact. "Well, I think that's all in your genes. You have no control over that; you're born that way."
As Bessie shared memories of her life with us, we realized how much the small town of Brookville has changed over the years and how much of a staple Bessie has been, even though she is too humble to acknowledge it.
We began by asking about some of her earliest memories from when she was in school. She shared the basics. She attended Short High School in Liberty and rode the bus the short distance to school. However, there was one memory from her school days that stood out.
"We were going up the stairs, and there was a teacher right ahead of us, and I had said something inappropriate. I don't remember what I said, but she turned around and slapped me." She laughed and then stated, "I remember that."
When Bessie began dating her husband, Denver Edwards, in high school, she shared that she wasn't allowed to go on dates with him alone. Instead, she had to bring along her sister, and Denver brought his brother. As fate would have it, Bessie's sister and Denver's brother were also married.
Bessie left high school in her junior year to be married to Denver in 1944. Bessie and Denver eloped in Liberty and then spent their honeymoon at the Valley House in Brookville.
"Next to the Valley House was a dress shop, a real neat dress shop where they had all these fancy clothes, and next to that was the Greyhound Bus Station." The Greyhound Bus transportation is where Denver was employed for 52 years driving a Greyhound Bus until he retired.
Of course, their marriage came with challenges. Still, Bess had nothing but wonderful things to say about her husband and kept an upbeat attitude through anything thrown their way, including WWII when Denver received notice he was being drafted and had to go to Indianapolis to take a physical right away. After passing the physical, he was immediately shipped out without receiving the 30-day notice soldiers usually received to get their affairs in order. Denver's role was to assist in transporting injured soldiers home.
"So, that left me the job of getting rid of all that stuff we had in that little house," Bessie explained. That turn of events brought the Edwards from Union County to Franklin County. Next, Bessie got a job at J Garment, which was located where the K of C is now in Brookville.
"I walked in there, and they hired me that day," Bessie said. "My job was serging blue jeans for little boys. So, I was on the serger, and you worked on quota. If you got your quota anything above that, you got extra pay. So, I am doing all this, and the office is right here, and the secretary in there, her boss came out one day, and he said, 'Bess, Sylvia says that whistling is driving her crazy." She laughed as she shared she was trying to meet and exceed her quota while she whistled away while she sewed.
When Bessie and Denver had their first of five children, Phyllis, she was delivered in Batesville by a well-known Brookville doctor.
"At that time, I had Dr. Seal; he was my doctor, Bessie said. "All his patients went to Batesville."
Everyday things that come with marriage, like buying a house, were much simpler in those times. Bessie explained the process.
"We went to the Franklin County Bank, and we had never borrowed any money or anything, but the president of the bank we told him what we wanted, he just reached and got the checkbook and wrote the money. There was no checking to see if you were honest or not, so it was really easy to get a loan."
The experience was similar when Bessie purchased her first car, which was a Mustang Convertible.
"I went to People's Bank, the teller there I knew, and I said I need x amount of dollars to buy a car. He just wrote me out a check."
Another interesting fact about the Edwards home is a long-running business begun in their basement, Dixon Dance. Bessie shared where else Dixon Dance was located over the years.
"We had a studio uptown over the old Franklin County Bank on the corner."
Even Bessie's day-to-day life over the years told of changes in Brookville. For example, when asked where she grocery shopped, Bessie stated Kroger in Brookville, which was located where the old CVS location is now, along with another business unique to Brookville.
"Then, down over the hill, there was a place called the Banana House," she laughed. She further explained the Banana House was before Tom Duress purchased the property and tore down the building for a parking lot.
But, it was Bessie's involvement in the community that stood out in the interview. She worked at the courthouse in Brookville for as long as she could remember and continues to do so at the polling locations. She explained how the process worked when she first started.
"They would go to the clerk's office and get cleared, and they had to show a card. Then they would come into our office to vote."
The polling station is where Bessie also learned to sew. In between voters, she made magnificent quilts to keep herself busy.
Bessie was also involved in numerous clubs and organizations, including the Eastern Stars, Red Hats, and the Women's Club, which she still participates in, plus much more, making her a true gem in Franklin County.
Her granddaughter Alyssa shared the family's view of just one of the many things that makes her an extraordinary lady.
“She is the glue to our family," Alyssa shared. "She is the only one of our grandparents we have left, and she brings us together for the holidays and celebrations. She is definitely our rock. Even at 98 years old, we still go to a grandma with our problems and ask her for advice. She is an amazing woman."
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In December, longtime Brookville resident Bessie Edwards had her 98th birthday. Although it didn't seem to be a big deal to her, Bessie's family knew the residents of Franklin County would enjoy the memories of her hometown of Brookville, which is now history for many of us.
Bessie agreed to be interviewed and invited me over to her cozy little cottage where she lives and thrives alone. However, she has plenty of family and friends who visit. Her two granddaughters were there during the interview to also ask their grandma questions, whom they clearly adore. Throughout our interview, Bessie was humble, witty, kind and funny.
One of the first questions I asked was one everyone wants to know. "What is the secret to living a long life and staying healthy?" Her reply was a matter of fact. "Well, I think that's all in your genes. You have no control over that; you're born that way."
As Bessie shared memories of her life with us, we realized how much the small town of Brookville has changed over the years and how much of a staple Bessie has been, even though she is too humble to acknowledge it.
We began by asking about some of her earliest memories from when she was in school. She shared the basics. She attended Short High School in Liberty and rode the bus the short distance to school. However, there was one memory from her school days that stood out.
"We were going up the stairs, and there was a teacher right ahead of us, and I had said something inappropriate. I don't remember what I said, but she turned around and slapped me." She laughed and then stated, "I remember that."
When Bessie began dating her husband, Denver Edwards, in high school, she shared that she wasn't allowed to go on dates with him alone. Instead, she had to bring along her sister, and Denver brought his brother. As fate would have it, Bessie's sister and Denver's brother were also married.
Bessie left high school in her junior year to be married to Denver in 1944. Bessie and Denver eloped in Liberty and then spent their honeymoon at the Valley House in Brookville.
"Next to the Valley House was a dress shop, a real neat dress shop where they had all these fancy clothes, and next to that was the Greyhound Bus Station." The Greyhound Bus transportation is where Denver was employed for 52 years driving a Greyhound Bus until he retired.
Of course, their marriage came with challenges. Still, Bess had nothing but wonderful things to say about her husband and kept an upbeat attitude through anything thrown their way, including WWII when Denver received notice he was being drafted and had to go to Indianapolis to take a physical right away. After passing the physical, he was immediately shipped out without receiving the 30-day notice soldiers usually received to get their affairs in order. Denver's role was to assist in transporting injured soldiers home.
"So, that left me the job of getting rid of all that stuff we had in that little house," Bessie explained. That turn of events brought the Edwards from Union County to Franklin County. Next, Bessie got a job at J Garment, which was located where the K of C is now in Brookville.
"I walked in there, and they hired me that day," Bessie said. "My job was serging blue jeans for little boys. So, I was on the serger, and you worked on quota. If you got your quota anything above that, you got extra pay. So, I am doing all this, and the office is right here, and the secretary in there, her boss came out one day, and he said, 'Bess, Sylvia says that whistling is driving her crazy." She laughed as she shared she was trying to meet and exceed her quota while she whistled away while she sewed.
When Bessie and Denver had their first of five children, Phyllis, she was delivered in Batesville by a well-known Brookville doctor.
"At that time, I had Dr. Seal; he was my doctor, Bessie said. "All his patients went to Batesville."
Everyday things that come with marriage, like buying a house, were much simpler in those times. Bessie explained the process.
"We went to the Franklin County Bank, and we had never borrowed any money or anything, but the president of the bank we told him what we wanted, he just reached and got the checkbook and wrote the money. There was no checking to see if you were honest or not, so it was really easy to get a loan."
The experience was similar when Bessie purchased her first car, which was a Mustang Convertible.
"I went to People's Bank, the teller there I knew, and I said I need x amount of dollars to buy a car. He just wrote me out a check."
Another interesting fact about the Edwards home is a long-running business begun in their basement, Dixon Dance. Bessie shared where else Dixon Dance was located over the years.
"We had a studio uptown over the old Franklin County Bank on the corner."
Even Bessie's day-to-day life over the years told of changes in Brookville. For example, when asked where she grocery shopped, Bessie stated Kroger in Brookville, which was located where the old CVS location is now, along with another business unique to Brookville.
"Then, down over the hill, there was a place called the Banana House," she laughed. She further explained the Banana House was before Tom Duress purchased the property and tore down the building for a parking lot.
But, it was Bessie's involvement in the community that stood out in the interview. She worked at the courthouse in Brookville for as long as she could remember and continues to do so at the polling locations. She explained how the process worked when she first started.
"They would go to the clerk's office and get cleared, and they had to show a card. Then they would come into our office to vote."
The polling station is where Bessie also learned to sew. In between voters, she made magnificent quilts to keep herself busy.
Bessie was also involved in numerous clubs and organizations, including the Eastern Stars, Red Hats, and the Women's Club, which she still participates in, plus much more, making her a true gem in Franklin County.
Her granddaughter Alyssa shared the family's view of just one of the many things that makes her an extraordinary lady.
“She is the glue to our family," Alyssa shared. "She is the only one of our grandparents we have left, and she brings us together for the holidays and celebrations. She is definitely our rock. Even at 98 years old, we still go to a grandma with our problems and ask her for advice. She is an amazing woman."