Bessie J. Wiggins and her twin brother, Jesse B. Wiggins, were born in 1899 in rural South Carolina. Bess and Jess, they called them, but Jess preferred to call his sister, “Bappy”– and it stuck. Before long everyone just called her “Bappy.” She hovers near the top of my list of “most unforgettable characters.” My wife, Peggy, had told me about Aunt Bappy even before we married. “I’ve never met anyone like her!” she remarked. “And no one has ever heard her say anything bad about anyone. She is the most kind, positive , and truly uplifting person I’ve ever met.”
We planned a trip to South Carolina for our first Thanksgiving together to attend a huge family reunion. Peggy was so excited for me to meet the family– especially the amazing Aunt Bappy. I looked forward to it, but prepared myself to not get my hopes up too high. Nobody is that nice. Her reputation, I assumed, was as much legend as fact.
