Part 3: Undaunted

Maud Hapworth Small

The Hapworths are thought to originate in England.  However, in 1982, Howard Hapworth, son of William Hapworth, who's father was Zelotes, said this: " Well, family folklore says that the first Hapworth jumped-ship down in Bucksport, and took to the woods and married an Indian".

The family doesn't believe he married an Indian, but rather a French woman.  Back then it was better to say that they married an Indian than anyone French.  Some think she was the sister of another settler of that area; the surname being Deshon. Thomas was one of about three families that settled that area, later known as Mariaville.

I include this information because to better understand Bessie, you have to understand the extraordinary people who raised her.

On 19 Jun 1868, only a few years after the Civil War, Maud Faustina Hapworth was born in Holden, Penobscot, Maine.

She was the first child and only girl of three children born to Horatio and Henrietta (Nickerson) Hapworth.

Horatio Southgate Hapworth
Henrietta Nickerson Hapworth

Maud's mother, Henrietta, died in 1878 leaving three children to be cared for by their father. Maud was 10 years old.

Her father remarried six years later in 1884 to Ella Kennerson. Ella and Horatio would be known to Bessie and her siblings as Grammie and Grampie Happy (short for Hapworth).

Auntie Georgia is standing between Grampie and Grammie Happy.
Everyone else in the photo is unknown. 

Because death took her own mother, Maud could empathize with the tender hearts and feelings of her orphaned grandchildren to a degree that would not have been possible in any other way. Each of them loved her greatly and always showed great respect when speaking of her.

Howard Lois Small

William Lois Small (Bill) was born 29 Oct 1858 in East Bucksport, Hancock, Maine (His middle name is not a type-o, the name Lois was used for boys in that era).

He was the son of Otis Harriman Small and Dorcas Jane Quimby. His mother died when Bill was 20 years old. His father then married Mary Norwood in 1881, just five years before Bill married Maud on 16 Jan 1886 in East Eddington, Penobscot, Maine.

Walter Oree
A.K.A. Walter Small

Bill and Maud had one biological son, Howard Edwin, and one daughter, Georgia. As if a sign of things to come, they also opened their hearts and home to Walter Oree, a boy who had been living with Bills' father Otis.

He officially took the surname Small just before he got married. After some research, it has been discovered Walter's parents gave him away and kept his siblings. Rumor has it that they did it to give him a better opportunity to live a normal life.

Walter married Ellen Kitchen 21 Feb 1915 and had four children with her. In honor of his adopted brother, he would name his only son, Howard E.

Bill and Maud were busy and prosperous people until the stock market crashed.

Infamous Stock Market crash

While they didn't loose everything, they lost enough to make them appreciate what was left and have to work hard to make ends meet.

Georgia Small

Their daughter, Georgia, eventually received over 20 marriage proposals and finally accepted Herbert Leslie Ward, a divorcee. They had a happy marriage and by all accounts I've ever heard, they were the best of friends.

Callie Day

Bill and Maud's son, Howard, had been engaged to Callie Day, but the engagement was called off by Howard when he found her with another beau when he went to see her.

Callie's mother asked him to stay until the weather improved, but he was so unhappy with the discovery that he drove the buggy home in the pelting rain, ignoring the effect it would have on his brand new wool suit.

To find work and a measure of forgetfulness over his broken heart, he traveled 200 miles to New Brunswick, Canada to harvest potatoes that fall.

Janet Giberson

While there, he met Janet Beatrice Giberson, daughter of George Alonzo and Lois Maud Giberson. Janet sang in the church choir and was said to have a lovely voice.

Bessie often wished she knew whether her mother sang alto or soprano (Bessie loved music and sang soprano).

Another talent Janet may have had was acting.

Janet dressed in her husband's clothes
and her sister-in-law Georgia also dressed as a man. 

Whether this was just a dress up or a play they were involved in, is not known. One other thing it affords is how tall Janet was compared to Georgia. Her son, Joy, would inherit the family share of tall genes.

Copy of Wedding Invitation

Here is a copy of Howard and Janet's official wedding invitation. Valeda received it from a cousin who found it while she was going through some old papers. Bessie made a copy of it when Valeda was visiting in 1977.

The Reverend George Alonzo Giberson, a relative of Janet's, performed the marriage between Howard and Janet on 20 Nov 1912.

In matters of religion, Janet and Howard had the LDS missionaries visit them often and they had great respect for one another's religion. Howard, a Methodist, leaned toward the LDS missionaries' teachings about the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Bessie told me that when asked about religion, her papa said, "I prefer the Mormons." 

She felt her father would have converted to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints if his wife had not remained firm in her commitment to the Baptist church. We can't know everything, but it's possible that Janet felt changing her religion would be disloyal to her family.  She came from a long line of Canadian Baptists. 

From these pictures, I assume that Janet and Georgia must have been very fond of one another.

Janet and Georgia
under lampshade

Janet and Georgia

Face it, there are very few people that most of us would feel comfortable posing with under a lampshade.

Janet and Georgia
at Old Orchard Beach

Janet and Georgia
Old Orchard Beach

I'm not completely sure it is Janet here with Georgia at the beach, but they looked enough like her to include them.

Janet's calling card. In an era where telephones were fairly new and far too expensive, people would leave calling cards if the person they came to visit was not at home. It served two purposes. First, to let the person know they had been there, and second, to show respect and/or affection. Sometimes, they would exchange them with friends and leave addresses or other information written on the back.

At the time of their son's death, Bill and Maud lived at 61 Kenduskeag Avenue and this is the address where they brought and raised their orphaned grandchildren.

Kenduskeag Avenue

Later in life, she shared a special experience that happened to her concerning this place which was so dear to her heart. 

One day, while standing in her kitchen in Archer, Idaho, there opened a vision of this avenue right before her. The vision was so powerful, it blocked out the living room, but she could still see the desk in the kitchen and knew that behind her, the kitchen was still there. She wasn't sure why it happened, but she was grateful for it, as she had loved the avenue with its large trees.

People were amazed that she never lost her eastern accent. She never forgot her eastern roots though she loved living in the west.

When she spoke, Bessie would broaden a and e sounds. Calf becomes "cahf." Bath becomes "bahth." Can't becomes "cahn't." 

If a word ended in "r" she would drop it, such as car=cah or turn some one-syllable words into two syllables. Such as: There = they-uh. Here = hee-ah." Dear was always dee-ah and mirror was always mirr-ah.