Jesse Lewis Rustin was born in Alabama on 2 November 1823 and eventually settled in the historic Mount Carmel community of Wilkinson County, where he apparently worked as a beekeeper. The term “bee bread” refers to a fermented mixture of pollen, nectar, and enzymes that serves as a food source for bees. “Bee bread man” is thought to be a historic name for beekeepers in general. According to the foot stone at Mr. Rustin’s gravesite, he died of bee poisoning (21 April 1857). This was likely fairly common in the 19th century, before the advent of modern medicine.