Coleman decided she wanted to learn to fly, but the double stigma of her color and gender meant she'd have to travel to France to do so. Her brother also encouraged her by claiming that French ladies were better to African American women because they could fly. Bessie Coleman was born on January 11, 1892 in Louisville, Kentucky. She was the youngest child of William Coleman, a wealthy tobacco merchant, and his wife Mary Ann, a former slave. The Colemans had seven children in all; three sons and four daughters. Bessie showed an interest in music from an early age and by the time she was ten years old she was teaching herself how to play the piano. She also loved going to church services where she would sit under the piano and sing along with the organist. It wasn't long before people began noticing her talent, and she started receiving training from local musicians. By the time she was fifteen years old, Bessie Coleman was giving concerts around Louisville with her family's financial support. In May 1909, Bessie met Dr. James Allen "Jim" Johnson, a prominent black physician who worked at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. They fell in love and got married later that year. However, the marriage only lasted six months since Jim had already found another woman he wanted to marry.