The Courtship of Gran Hat

Colorized wedding portrait of Hattie Abigail Sapp and William Hiram Calvin on 22 February 1891. Copy in my possession. 

"You said that you never seen a girl that you loved half as well as you did me."

I am sure that my great great grandmother Hattie Sapp never thought that her love letters to her future husband, Will Calvin, would be read by her descendants 133 years after they were written. How would she feel about that?

 I don't recall the exact story, but two letters she wrote, one in 1889 and one in 1890, were discovered under the floorboards in an attic in Ashland, Missouri in the 1990s.  The letters were clearly well read and treasured because they had been taped back together along the seams after frequent folding and unfolding. (See the end of the post for the letters and transcript)

The letter written on October 22, 1890 describes a trip that they took and came back via Fulton Missouri and "the springs." Where had they gone?  The letter describes her father and Lizzie being able to see better. Did they go somewhere for an eye treatment? 

Hattie was clearly popular among the boys and had multiple suitors writing to her by the time she was 15 years old in 1889. In her October 1890 letter she writes to her 23 year old beau, Willliam Hiram Calvin, or as she calls him in an earlier letter, "Mr. Willie Calvin."  

        "That’s right, I am going to drop all my correspondence but yours and I will never quit writing to you as long as you will write and I want you to write the oftener since I have quit writing to all the boys but you."

Her letter goes on to ask "Willie" along with his half brother Orpheus "Orph" Calvin and Bob to come to a mock baseball game at Mr. Jones on Saturday. From the stories my grandfather, Glen Maxwell, told about growing up a few years later playing baseball was one of the most important activities for boys at the time.  The Columbia Tribune in 2014 mentions frequent articles in the Ashland Bugle from the early twentieth century about baseball games that were mostly after church on Sundays.

Hattie Abigail Sapp,  was the first born of the seven children of William Henry Harrison Sapp and Mary Rebecca Fletcher who lived to adulthood. Or was she born just minutes after her twin sister, Mattie, who didn't make it to adulthood? 

As for William Hiram Calvin, I was told he was named after his Uncle Hiram "Hi" Calvin. Will didn't get along with his father, James Calvin, and his stepmother Nancy Dudley Calvin, and had gone to live with his Uncle Hi in Callaway County. He seems to have made regular trips to see his Uncle William Calvin in Ashland and met Hattie Sapp there. His mother Mildred Frances Callaway Calvin had died just before his fourth birthday in 1870.

Marriage license of Mr. Wm. H. Sapp and Miss Hattie A. Sapp. Her father, W.H. Sapp, gave permission because she was under 18.

Uncle Hi wanted Will to wait to marry and said he would pay him $500.00 if he didn't marry until he was 30, the equivalent of over $16,000 in 2022.  However, Will couldn't resist the charms of Gran Hat and they were married on February 22nd, 1891 when he was 25 and she was almost 17. He felt really strongly about her from what Hattie says, "No dear I never thought of anyone killing themselves for me or because they couldn’t get me."

Picture of the Ashland School, possibly close to the time that Hattie was a student.
Southern Boone County Historical Society Collection . Early School Class: ash_school_01. Archives of the Daniel Boone Regional Library. retrieved 15 Jul 2022.

"I went to the school house this evening and I saw Mark but I did not want to see him half as bad as I did you."

When in a far and distant land you see the writing of my hand, although you can not see my face remember me—Hattie

Remember me        Tell Lena bring   [unreadable]

Ashland Mo

Oct. 22 1890

 

“Mr. W. H. Calvin.”

                                                                                Dear Friend

I will answer your most welcome letter received a few days ago. I was so glad to it. I would be glad if I could get a letter every day.

We got home yesterday at 4 o’clock. We came by the springs and Fulton. We had a nice time . We had lots of fun, wish you could have been along.  I would have enjoyed myself better.

Lizzie and Pa think they are entirely well. Lizzie said she could see better than she ever could wash her eyes, but I couldn’t see any better.

I don’t think I haven’t seen no one since I got home but the home folks. Haven’t seen Lou yet. I want to see her, too. Leona is coming home Thursday and I know Ed B. is rejoicing. Nora Johnson is going to marry tomorrow a fellow from Indiana.

You must be sure and come up Saturday and get here by 1 or 2 o’clock and go to the mock game of baseball at Mr. Jones. The school boys are going to play against Willie McGee and Jasper, Ed. B and _____ D. and I don’t know who else. But you bet I am going to see the [diary?] game played. Tell Bob and Orph to be certain and come Saturday.

I haven’t answered Mr. Morris letter yet. I am going but I am not going to correspond with him.  That’s right, I am going to drop all my correspondence but yours and I will never quit writing to you as long as you will write and I want you to write the oftener since I have quit writing to all the boys but you. You said for me to think of you once in a while if it wasn’t too hard a task. I think of you all the time and it is no task at all, and I will ask the same of you, dear love. No dear I never thought of anyone killing themselves for me or because they couldn’t get me. For I never thought of anyone loving me that much and I don’ think they could. Or if they could, they wouldn’t. I don’t think, my love, you got me to love you for I think I loved you without you getting me to. I love you now and always will.

That’s right, I do want you to be certain and come Saturday. I am going to look for you all.

Well, I will close for this time. Hoping to hear from you soon and to see you sooner.

Excuse bad writing. I couldn’t find my pencil and had to write with a pen.

                                                                                Love Hattie

When in a far and distant land you see the writing of my hand, although you can not see my face remember me—Hattie

I will send you a hug and 2 kisses. Remember next Christmas is to be the happiest in my life.

 

                                                                                                December 13, 1889

                                                                                                At home

Mr. Willie Calvin

Much esteemed friend, I will answer your most welcome letter received …[much of letter is impossible to read]

Well I am sure you are the only one who has ever loved me if you do. I have only got for it your word and I said I would never say you was deceitful again and I am not going back on my word if I know you are. You said you guess that you love me a lot more than you did.  ____ you love me fit to kill for I don’t think anyone could love anyone any more than I do you but I guess it will never do me any good .

You said that you never seen a girl that you loved half as well as you did me. I guess you never loved any one then for I don’t think you love me if you do I am glad.

I went to the school house this evening and I saw Mark but I did not want to see him half as bad as I did you.

Well I will close. Hoping to here from you soon.  Yours affectionately, Hattie.