From NKAA, Notable Kentucky African Americans Database (main entry)
Coleman, Bess Anderson Francis
(born: August 1893 - died: February 1967)*This entry was suggested by Anna White.
Bess Anderson Francis Coleman is recognized as the first African American woman to become a licensed and registered optometrist in the United States. She received her education in Chicago, IL. Dr. Coleman was born in Harrodsburg, KY, the daughter of Charles W. and Emma Francis. The family of 8 lived on Chiles Street in 1910. Dr. Coleman's career as an optometrist took place in Lexington, KY, starting in 1934. She was the first African American woman optometrist in the city and in Kentucky.
Prior to becoming an optometrist, Bess A. Francis was one of the five school teachers at the Colored School in Harrodsburg, KY, as early as 1918. In May of 1923, she and several other women from Harrodsburg attended the Galli-Curci Concert that was held at the Woodland Auditorium in Lexington, KY. In 1930, Bess Francis and John B. Coleman were enumerated in the U.S. Census as having been married for six years. They lived in Chicago, IL, and had previously lived in Miami, FL, where Bess F. Coleman was a school teacher.
In Chicago, the couple had a two-year-old son, and Hazel Francis, a sister of Bess F. Coleman, lived with the family. Her sister was employed as a maid at a hotel. Her husband, John B. Coleman, Sr., was a pharmacist. He had been a real estate dealer in Louisville, KY, when he registered for the U.S. Army during WWI.
The family was in Chicago until 1934 when Dr. Bess Coleman and her son moved to Lexington, KY, where Dr. Coleman established her business in November of 1934. She was a recent graduate of Northern Illinois College of Optometry and passed the Illinois Board for her license. Dr. Bess Anderson Francis Coleman was the first African American woman to graduate from the Northern Illinois College of Optometry. Her office in Lexington was located at 264 N. Upper Street with office hours 10a.m.-5p.m. and Saturday 9:00p.m.
In Lexington, Dr. Bess Coleman's household included her son, her mother, Emma L. Francis, and her father-in-law, John J. Coleman. The family lived at 658 N. Upper Street. Dr. Bess Coleman had her hands full with her new business and caring for her 6-year-old son, her 61-year-old mother, and her 84-year-old father-in-law. About two weeks after establishing her office in Lexington, Dr. Bess Coleman was called to Harrodsburg, KY, when her father, Charles W. Francis, suddenly died. He is buried in Maple Grove Cemetery in Harrodsburg.
Following the death of her father, Dr. Bess Coleman was honored with a dinner for her educational success and for opening the first optometrist office for African Americans in Lexington, KY. The event was organized by Mrs. Mary Ellen Woodard at 422 N. Upper Street. Dr. Coleman was establishing herself in Lexington's African American professional circles. She was a member of the Blue Grass Medical Society and attended the society's 1934 Annual Banquet held in December at the Marble Suite, 118 N. Broadway in Lexington. The following month, Dr. Coleman delivered the installation address for the Epworth League in Lexington. She was a member of local organizations, such as the Phyllis Wheatly Branch Y.W.C.A., and she was frequently requested as a guest speaker for community and social events that are mentioned in the "Colored Notes" section of the Lexington newspapers from 1934-1941.
By October of 1935, Dr. Bess Coleman's husband was also living in Lexington, KY, and he had added Coleman's Prescription Pharmacy at the 264 N. Upper Street business location. The couple still traveled from Lexington to Chicago for special events. On June 6, 1940, John J. Coleman died from a cerebral hemorrhage at their Lexington home. He was the father-in-law of Dr. Bess Coleman and the father of Dr. John B. Coleman, Sr. Funeral services were held at the grave site. John J. Coleman is buried in Maple Grove Cemetery in Harrodsburg, KY.
At some point after April of 1941, Dr. Bess Coleman and her son left Lexington and lived in Denver, CO. Dr. Bess Coleman's mother, who had lived with the family in Lexington, was living with family members in Illinois. In 1945, Mrs. Emma L. Francis, died in Chicago. She was a native of Lawrenceburg, KY, and is buried in Maple Grove Cemetery in Harrodsburg, KY.
In Denver, Dr. Bess Colman was retired as an optometrist. She lived with her son and his wife on Lafayette Street, they are listed in the Denver City Directory, 1948. By 1950, Dr. John B. Coleman, Sr. had also moved to Denver and had a pharmacy, according to the 1950 U.S. Census. Their son John B. Coleman, Jr. was a chemist with a hospital in Denver. He and his wife and daughter, and his parents all lived together. Dr. Bess Anderson Francis Coleman died in Denver, CO, in February of 1967. Her funeral was held in Harrodsburg, KY, and she is buried in Maple Grove Cemetery in Harrodsburg. Her husband, Dr. John B. Coleman, died in July of 1985. He is buried in Fairmount Cemetery in Denver, CO. John B. Coleman, Jr. died in 2008 and he is buried in Fairmount Cemetery beside his wife who died in 2005.
NOTES:
OPTOMETRIST - doctor of optometry (ODs) who complete four years of optometry school and are licensed to provide primary eye care.
OPTHALMOLOGISTS - a medical doctor who specializes in eye and vision care, and can diagnose and treat all eye diseases, injuries, and disorders, including performing eye surgery
OPTICIAN - a professional who fills eyeglass and contact lens prescriptions from optometrists and ophthalmologists.
SOURCES:
"Schools. Colored Schools." The Harrodsburg Herald, 09 August 1918, p.3; see Miss Bessie A. Francis in the 6th paragraph under the heading "Additional Classified Ads." The Lexington Leader, 13 May 1923, first section, p.2; "Optometrist. Dr. Bess F. Coleman." The Chicago Defender, 04 May 1935, part four, p.1; "Optometrist. Dr. Bess Francis Coleman." The Chicago Defender, 09 June 1934, p.2; "Dr. Bess F. Coleman has opened her office at 262 N. Upper Street." See within "Colored Notes." The Lexington Herald, 21 November 1934, p.7; see "Dr. Bess F. Coleman, Optometrist ..." in "Colored Notes." The Lexington Herald, 02 December 1934, p.23.
Sources: "Dr. Bess Coleman was called to Harrodsburg ..." The Lexington Herald, 06 December 1934, p.10; "Mrs. Mary Ellen Woodard ..." The Lexington Herald, 28 December 1934, p.13; see Dr. Bess F. Coleman in the "Colored Notes." The Lexington Herald, 30 December 1934, p.17; see Dr. Bess F. Coleman in the "Colored Notes." The Lexington Leader, 02 January 1935, p.14; see Dr. J. B. Coleman in the "Colored Notes." The Lexington Herald, 20 October 1935, p.20; see Dr. John B. Coleman and Dr. Bess Coleman in the "Colored Notes." The Lexington Herald, 13 September 1938, p.12.
Sources: see John J. Coleman's Kentucky death certificate in Ancestry, State File #14286, Registrar's #527; see John J. Coleman in "Colored Notes." The Lexington Herald, 08 June 1940, p.11; see Mrs. Emma Francis in "Colored Notes." The Lexington Leader, 03 December 1945, p.11; "Mrs. Bessie Munday has received word of the death of her aunt, Dr. Bess F. Coleman of Denver, Colo." The Lexington Leader, 13 February 1967, p.23; see Bess F. Coleman at Find A Grave; see John B. Coleman, Sr. at Find A Grave; see John B. Coleman, Jr. at Find A Grave.
Sources: Hebert, K. L. (2020). "Optometry at the intersection of gender, race and class in the Early Twentieth Century: the exemplary life of Bess Coleman, O.D." Hindsight: Journal of Optometry History, v.51, no.2, pp.37–50.