Vesta Jane (Bess) Frost

b. 12-14-1884 d. 10-26-1918

Child: Gladys Jacqueline Davis b. July 14, 1906, d. Feb. 23, 1974

Vesta Jane, also known as Bess and Bessie, was the daughter of Snow and Eliza, and sister of Walter, Ernest and Jessie. Vesta was born in Grandby, Missouri on December 14, 1884. Several entries have her birth year as 1885 but is probably due to errors when original records were transcribed to digital format.

In the 1900 census, she is listed as Vestie J. Frost, age 15 along with her parents and sister Jessie P.

As Bessie Frost (misspelled as Frostt on the marriage license), she married Charles E. Davis, Jr. in Carthage, Missouri on May 28, 1903 and had their daughter, Gladys, in 1906. In the 1910 census she is listed as Bess J. Davis, 25 years old, widowed, with a 3 year old daughter. They lived with Snow, Eliza, and older sister, Jessie. There is no complete record of the death of Charles Davis but there are two possibilities. The first Charles Davis died on December 3, 1907; the second died on December 30, 1909. Both were listed as miners.

Thousands of lead miners fell victim to falling rocks and timbers, accidental explosions, and a lung disease that was attributed to tuberculosis until it was discovered that it was actually silicosis from dry mining. Some miners succumbed to "bad air" after working in the mines for as little as two years. It's very probable that Charles Davis was a casualty from his job in the lead mines leaving Bess a widow with a 3 year old daughter.

How Bess ended up in Detroit is a mystery. She, died of bronchial pneumonia on October 26, 1918 during the Spanish flu pandemic. On her death certificate, she was listed as the wife of William Barber but a marriage license has yet to be discovered. Prior to her death, William Barber adopted Gladys and in the 1920 census, Gladys, 13, is recorded as his daughter, living in Detroit with two boarders who were sisters.

The address on the death certificate was 343 Hillger. The area is an empty field now with only a trace of the original street remaining. Hillger Avenue was about 2 1/2 miles from Belle Isle Casino. Walter mentioned to Roy that she had been a dancer but didn't say where she had danced.