Appalachias Triplets: Essie Bessie & Dessie

[Music] in the open doorway of the ancient weather Log Cabin far up the slopes of Sugarloaf Mountain stood a rugged mountain man with a stout frame clad in typical overalls attire Thomas Edward Justice simply known in the little world of edneyville as big Tom now Tom was innocent of all book learning and void of any license to operate a business in the state of North Carolina but the hill folks knew that they could count on him at the farmers market every Saturday for a wagon load of fresh vegetables it had been that way for the past 20 years as big Tom pedal his Irish taters corn and apples depending on the time of year he might even have some fresh strawberries or chestnuts but one thing's for sure he'd be at that market with something to sell each and every week today was a busy day for big Tom since it was Friday there was so much to do he took note of the fresh new buds springing the life on the maple trees this was exactly what he'd been hoping for indeed the weather was finally taking a turn for the better gone were the Long Cold Hard Days of winter and renewed were the hopes of the longer days and bountiful crops to come with that in mind Tom wasted no time hooking up the plow to his faithful mule Earl well Earl it's time me and you get back at it old boy and start turning his dirt over he said as he gently rubbed the animal's neck like he was a blood family member inside of the Primitive cabin his wife Effie was busy preparing strips of hog in the cast iron kettle while making cornbread on a flat griddle held over the Open Flame of the fireplace by now all the kids were starting to stir and what a pel of young it was seven boys and four girls but the way folks figured back then you needed a fine crop of youngans to help ease the workload of taking care of the fields and the animals and wouldn't you know it it looked like the Justice family was about to be blessed Again by the good Lord since it was plain for anyone to see that Effie was very pregnant so much so that they had sent for the granny woman yesterday because the baby H they were likely to make their grand entrance into this world any minute sure enough by noon that day the mountain doctor galloped to the Justice Homestead with a saddle bag full of the latest medicine and and she had harvested from the hills and the hollers and she wasn't a moment too soon as Effie was in the full throws of labor now back in those days babies in the spring were just the natural order of things and Men folk didn't do all the pacing the floors and fretting and worrying like they do now no sir they went right ahead tending to their business so it was no surprise that big Tom and Earl never broke stride out in the fields while if he was giving birth inside the cabin the farmer looked up and he saw his eldest boy Tom Jr running towards him Paul Paul we got a baby girl the Mountaineer gave a brief nod of understanding to his son well how about that another gal to help out around the house he thought to himself well directly about 30 minutes later Junior came a running across the field again Paul we got another baby girl big Tom nodded again and casually thought thought to himself well I reckon I'll break ground on a couple more rows this year the good Lord knows we'll need the extra food and lo and behold it weren't near 15 minutes later when big Tom looked up and saw his boy running towards the field yet again with his arms flailing Away Paul there's another one what Incarnation is going on in there the old man yelled out as he dropped his plow and took off running towards the cabin he had to make sure there weren't any more gals about to be born [Music] [Applause] [Music] today and so it was the Justice household was now bursting at the seams with seven boys and seven girls now folks around these parts had had heard Tales of twins before but triplets that was Plum unheard of on Sugarloaf and by the next day wagon tongues had spread the news up and down Wolf Creek and clear across Jude's Gap over the next week a steady stream of Ken folks and curious alike visited the Justice Homestead to see the famous triplets with their own eyes when Uncle Bob Freeman first saw the girls he asked the obvious question well big Tom what you going to name them well I don't rightly know it's hard to tell them apart Uncle Bob pointed at the girl who had been born first and said why don't you name now and there after my wife Bessie and since they look so much alike it's only sensible to make their names rhyme how about Essie Bessie and desie and just like that the triplets had their legal names from that moment on Essie Bessie and desie were inseparable Effie made all their clothes and dressed them identical and and as they grew they were the pride and joy of big Tom he took the girls to baby contest down in the valley where all three of these pretty girls would cause a spectacle rarely seen in the mountains folks would come from all over to see the famous Justice girls and they were showered with all the free ice cream that they could eat each time they went to town back home they worked just like all the other kids each girl helped out with the household chores tending to the animals and were even paid 10 cents a day to work the potato in the corn fields a few months out of the Year all the children of sharlo mountain would attend the shepherd one room Schoolhouse it was here that Essie Bessie and desie were given the nicknames of boots shoes and leggings by their classmates the girls were Model children as long as their parents were around but it was well known that they loved to rip and run just like all their siblings they they got into every bit of Mischief possible climbing trees and fences but the most fun they had was going to school during the winter you see the road they walked had a large overhanging Cliff that water cascaded down which created an icle Wonderland during the cold months the triplets would battle their brothers and their sisters and their classmates in epic wars with these huge chunks of ice fiercely fighting as a team yet at the same time each Sunday the girls would be on their best behavior in their pretty dresses sitting between Effie and big Tom and even sung in the church choir the biggest day of the year at the Justice house was a triplets birthday it would be planned for months in advance with the entire Community celebrating it with the family yes sir these were Simple Times back then but the Justice triplets always said that these were some of the best memories of their life they always had food and they were surrounded by loving hardworking parents yet Time Marches On by 1920 both Essie and Bessie were 17 years old and married desie soon followed just like that the triplets started out on their own individual Journeys however the seeds that were planted by their parents during their childhood proved to be lasting for them and they would go on and live long healthy lives running successful businesses surrounded by a pel of children children of their own and scores of grandchildren their birthdays continued to be spectacles for the rest of their lives with newspapers Across America celebrating each one even President Ronald Reagan would write them to celebrate their special [Music] [Applause] day desie died in 1986 at 82 years old Bessie followed in 1988 at 84 years old and by 1998 the last of the triplets Essie died at 93 years old ironically the spirit of Essie Bessie and Essie still lives on today take a look at this photo from their 80th birthday you see those babies in their laps those are their great grand nieces who are now known as the famous hle triplets so my friend now you know the rest of the story on Essie Bessie and desie the famous Justice Triplets of Appalachia be sure to like And subscribe for more true stories from avalanche's [Music] past

Channel: The Appalachia Channel

Views: 691,383

Keywords: triplets, appalachia, appalachian, appalachia stories, the appalachia channel, North Carolina history, north carolina, justice triplets

Id: te9Jly0vGxU

Length: 9min 54sec (594 seconds)

Published: Sun Dec 03 2023