Elsie Vickerstaff
Elsie Mae Bedell Vickerstaff, like many many women during that era married young. In 1938, she married John Lee Vickerstaff, with whom she would have four daughters and one son. Elsie, born in 1918, worked as a housekeeper in the Auburn community and John owned a sandwich shop and was self-employed; it can be assumed that Elsie frequently helped in the shop. In 1939 Elsie and John bought a lot in the northwest corner of Bragg and Frazier Streets (278 Bragg), then bought more property in 1942, more property from her parents, Gordon Bedell and Neva Dorsey in 1945, and finally another lot in 1945. The property on Bragg Avenue is where Elsie would carry out the rest of her life. Some time between 1947 and 1948, Elsie Mae gave birth to her last daughter, who was named after her mother. Shortly after giving birth, Elsie Mae Bedell Vickerstaff passed of an “acute attack” at John A. Andrews Hospital in Tuskegee. The exact cause of death is unknown, as an “acute attack” can mean a wide variety of things, but it is most often associated with heart problems. In the twentieth century childbirth was very dangerous and Black women in particular struggled to find appropriate medical care; the Tuskegee Institute Hospital was the most accessible and welcoming option for Elsie and many other Black women in Auburn, despite it being almost an hour away from their home. This lack of access to quality healthcare resulted in disproportionately high mortality rates and health issues in Black communities. Years after her passing, when her daughter, Elsie Mae, was 8, her letter to Santa was published in the local newspaper, where she told Santa that she had been a good girl and asked for a cowgirl suit, two toy guns, and cowgirl boots, quickly followed by a reminder to Santa to not forget about her sisters and brothers.
Sources:
1938 Marriage License Application
1938 Alabama County Marriages
1938 Marriage License Record A
1938 Marriage License Record B
1939 Warranty Deed
1940 World War II Draft Card
1942 Warranty Deed
1945 Property Description A
1945 Property Description B
1945 Warranty Deed
1948 Find a Grave
1948 Death and Burial Index
1948 Alabama Deaths Collection
1948 Obituary
1965 Daughter Marriage Record
1965 Son Marriage Record
1971 Daughter Marriage Record
1938 Marriage License Application
1938 Alabama County Marriages
1938 Marriage License Record A
1938 Marriage License Record B
1939 Warranty Deed
1940 World War II Draft Card
1942 Warranty Deed
1945 Property Description A
1945 Property Description B
1945 Warranty Deed
1948 Find a Grave
1948 Death and Burial Index
1948 Alabama Deaths Collection
1948 Obituary
1965 Daughter Marriage Record
1965 Son Marriage Record
1971 Daughter Marriage Record