Elizabeth Sophia "Bessie" Harper of Antigua
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From Dr. Susan Lowes dissertation: "Elizabeth Sophia "Bessie" Harper was one of the few people that my informal ranking panel had difficulty placing. Her father, although he had been a landowner in Montserrat and owned a nonworking estate in Antigua, was better known for his drugstore. His sister married a Cranstoun. His daughter Bessie was very, very fair and was classified as white by those who did not know her father, who died in 1915. Bessie was a very religious Catholic who worked hard in the drugstore, socialized with whites, and never married. Her brother, who went to the Antigua Grammar School, migrated to New Zealand; his not marrying in Antigua also made it difficult to place Bessie." Antigua Girls High School From Dr. Susan Lowes dissertation: "But while the Antigua Grammar School began to open up to nonwhite men, its counterpart for women, the Antigua Girls High School, was far less welcoming to their sisters. Although this no doubt had something to do with family finances, and particularly with the differential allocation of scarce family resources between boys and girls, it was also a matter of social exclusiveness: the Antigua Girls? High School reportedly did not admit its first nonwhite student until well after 1900. One of the first was "Bessie" Harper, the daughter of the Legislative Council member James Dudgeon Harper; two others were Amy Christopher, a minister?s daughter, and Aggie Brooks, whose father was a Sergeant Major in the police. These were followed by Therese Taylor and Ella Henry— all beginning somewhere between 1906 and 1910."
This is folklore and is totally untrue as James Dudgeon Harper owned the building and business outright. (It is curious though that Dr. Susan Lowes had the same information, but as she once said, "No paper trail...no proof.) "Bessie" had a funny eye which looked staright up there is a family story that "Bessie" was walking to work one day and turned a corner and knocked over a little boy. She said, "Young man, I think you'd better watch where you're walking.", the young boy looked up at her and replied. "Lady, you'd better walk where you're looking!"
When "Bessie" Harper died a man from Barclays Bank in England contacted my father to find all members of his family. My father had been cut out of his mother’s will and told the man everyone was dead and hung up. He called a few days later and was told the same thing. The man was persistent and finally found my father’s brother Allan who told him all the living brothers and sisters. All the children of Langford Duer Cranstoun received funds from "Bessie" Harper’s Will as funds were left to the children of Langford Selly Cranstoun according to the wishes of her father which Bessie lived up to. I have found "Bessie’s" Will in a probate office in England and have acquired the documents. Later I found my father also had a copy of her Will. Will of Elizabeth Sophia “Bessie” Harper: (1893-1970) Elizabeth Sophia "Bessie" Harper died in March 1970 in Chichester, Sussex, England. I acquired a copy of "Bessie" Harper’s Will from the National Archives in London, England and as the complete Will is rather lengthy at nine pages I have reduced it to the highlights. 1. Kenneth and Trixie Gomez 300 pounds - I believe were friends from Antigua as I found Kenneth A Gomez ran 2. Beryl, May, Ruby, and Edwardine Dyett 1000 pounds - These were children of Edward Farley "Ned" Dyett (who was the brother of Helen Antoinette Dyett wife of the Honourable Dudley Henry Semper father of Dudley Henry Semper who married "Bessie's" cousin Irene Evelina Cranstoun's daughter Murial Aileen Malone) and Albertine Christiana Wall (another tie to St. Kitts as the Wall family is associated with Burchel Marshall and the S. L. Horsford Company as she was the sister of William Wall father of William Eustace Llewellyn Wall who married Burchell Marshall's daughter Doris Esme Marshall and he eventually ran the company). They were distantly related to "Bessie" and they lived in New York. 3. Bernard and Marie Therese Tidby 1000 pounds - I don’t know who they are. 4. The Bishop of Roseau Dominica 1000 pounds, as Bessie was a devote Catholic I assume this is the Roman 5. To the children of her late father’s sister Evelina Cranstoun and the late Langford Selly Cranstoun, namely 6. Canadian and American stocks and bonds to her cousins (children of her mothers sister, Elizabeth Maria 7. She left her properties to the bank to sell and put in trust for charities in the West Indies for the treatment of any persons suffering from blindness or any serious eye disease and to the benefit of charities concerned with the 8. Annie Sophia Gillender Pohlen (who is her mother’s, Anna Constable Watkins, brother George Eccles 9. Ivan Pohlen her son born in 1911 4,000 pounds 10. Mary Pohlen her daughter born in 1912 4,000 pounds. 11. 16 other people I assume are servants and friends various sums from 500 to 100 pounds each. 12. She had an insurance policy with Guardian Assurance on her life for the benefit of the first five persons mentioned in part one, Annie Sophia Gillender Pohlen, Ivan Pohlen, Mary Pohlen, Daisey Mallalieu and Linda La Berry. (Daisey Mallalieu was Helen Elise Margaret "Daisey" Semper who was married to Hugh Sinclair Mallalieu) Further research revealed a lady, Helen Moulden, from New Zealand, who was a decendent of George Eccles Watkins’ second wife Elizabeth Cook and their daughter Mabel Jane Watkins. Helen pointed me in a direction which revealed some interesting stories on the family of Anna Constable Watkins and Elizabeth Sophia “Bessie” Harper, which showed, like the Cranstoun family, there was also some family in fighting here as well. Family members in Antigua speak highly of "Bessie". They remember going to her house on Sunday's, but they really did not know her and as you can see, the fortune she acquired from Antigua was dispersed to her mother's family in New Zealand. Perhaps if she had cared enough to pay attention to her Antiguan family, her father's sister would not have died intestate and her brother wouldn't have committed suicide. "Bessie" was a devote Catholic, the Cranstoun's were Methodist's, perhaps this is the reason Arthur Herbert "Artie" Cranstoun left instructions for his illegitimate children to be brought up with the Catholic religion.
James Watkins Harper (1893-1933) - Bessie's brother James Watkins Harper, "Bessie's" brother was a doctor educated in Canada and that he fought with the Canadian Army during WWI and that he returned to Canada and went on to New Zealand to visit his mothers family of George Eccles Watkins. He remained there and started a medical practice. Further research shows that James’ military career also saw him serve in India, Egypt, Bagdad and Khartoum. Now, what was not known by our family was when and how James died, no one had a clue about what had happened to him. Well, now we know, that on January 5, 1933 Dr. James Watkins Harper commited suicide! He poisoned himself and died in Auckland Hospital on January 5, 1933. He was a well known medical practioner in New Lynn and Auckland, New Zealand, he was 40 years old and engaged to be married. It seems James became very depressed at the fact he wasn’t making any money in his medical practice and had amassed a debt of 300 pounds which he could not pay back. Now the interesting questions arise. He was awaiting a letter from home (Antigua) and was expecting the 300 pounds. Guess what...it NEVER CAME! One has to ask why? In 1933, his mother was alive and so was "Bessie", his father had died, and you’ve read his father's Will and have seen that he was mentioned in his will. So why did the 300 pounds not arrive? One can only speculate that there was some kind of rift in the family. To me, it darkens the light on his sister Elizabeth Sophia “Bessie” Harper and the Watkins family. A New Zealand newspaper article, shows his cousin George Eccles Watkins, whose family reveived a nice sum from James' sister "Bessie" Harper, knew he was in financial difficulty and offered no help to his cousin...yeah I’m liking the Harper’s and Watkins’ families more and more as I uncover the family history.
Further research would reveal that "Bessie" Harper also owned a sugar plantation known as Cove a 500 acre plantation, which no one in the family knew about. The owner in 1871 was suspiciously listed as Reverend J. McGuire. Does this name ring any bells?
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As family folklore goes, 
Elizabeth Sophia "Bessie" Harper was an author writing a few minor books "A Short History of the Heads of the Government of the Island of Antigua", I actually have an autographed copy! She was also quite prominent in the Red Cross and had lunch with Franklin Delano Roosevelt on her way to England, after visiting my father's family in Toronto. She traveled extensively throughout the world, "First Class" and settled in England where she died. Bessie sold the Harper's Drug Store building and business to a Cranstoun daughter 
