Jack Gee, Jr.

Informal adoption.

From http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Bessie_Smith

In an attempt to save their marriage Smith adopted a six-year-old boy; the son of one of Smith's chorus girl's niece. They renamed the boy John Gee, Jr. and Smith took great pride in spoiling him. However, because of her constant touring Smith was unable to take care of John, Jr. daily. Therefore she bought two houses for her sisters in Philadelphia with the understanding that they care for her son while she was away.[17]

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• 17. Jackie Kay. Bessie Smith. (Bath, UK: Absolute Press, 1997
• from HBO Bessie movie vs the real Bessie Smith "Snooks," as she had nicknamed the boy, was Margaret Warren's niece's son. Warren was one of Bessie's chorus girls. The boy's father had been a stranger in the night, and the mother was having trouble making ends meet since she had other children. Bessie displayed a fondness for the child, and the mother told Bessie that if she ever felt that she couldn't take care of him, she would give him to Bessie for adoption. ... Bessie visited Snooks whenever she was in Macon, showering him with gifts and affection. When the boy was six, the woman made good on her promise and gave Snooks to Bessie, who then named him Jack, Jr. Though Bessie treated him like a son, years later it was discovered that the adoption had never been legal. Like in the movie, Jack warmed to the child, at least at first, and Viola was given the task of caring for the boy when Bessie was away. -'Bessie' by Chris Albertson
• Spark Notes - BESSIE SMITH - Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out All through 1930 and 1931, Jack Gee, Jr.. was in a boy's home in Maryland, away from his mother. In 1932, he was discharged to Jack Gee. Jack Gee, Jr. wrote to Smith, telling her how miserable he was. Smith, accompanied by a sizeable group of male friends, traveled to Gee's at once to fetch Jack, Jr. and brought her son back to Philadelphia. Although Smith had high hopes for Jack, Jr. –in particular, she wanted him to be a lawyer–Jack, Jr. had no interest in school or in settling down to a regular life. Like his mother, he was apt to disappear for days at a time.
• Bessie: Revised and expanded edition By Chris Albertson. "Jack Gee owned a laundromat in Philadelphia ... Died at the age of 84 on June 6, 1973; Jack, Jr., worked as a bartender in Philadelphia, where he died in the 1990s."
• Fkps&dq=jack%20gee%20jr&pg=PA61#v=onepage&q&f=true "Bessie Smith Musical Stirs Fond Memories For Son" Jet Magazine, Dec 27, 1982. 64 pages. Vol. 63, No. 16 ISSN 0021-5996. Published by Johnson Publishing Company. Page 61-62
• Re: Jack Gee was Bessie Smith's husband