User:Rileykm/sandbox

Louise Amelia Knapp Smith Clappe

Introduction 

Louise Amelia Knapp Smith Clappe was born in New Jersey in 1819. She spent most of her youth and young adult life in Massachusetts, and later moving out West to California with her husband Fayette Clapp. It was out West where Louise took on the pen name of Dame Shirley and wrote her widely known Dame Shirley letters. Louise and Fayette eventually separated, but Louise remained out West teaching for some time. Louise eventually returned back to New Jersey where she lived out the remainder of her life, passing away in 1906.

Early Life
Louise Amelia Knapp Smith Clappe was born July 28, 1819 in Elizabeth, New Jersey to Moses and Louis (Lee) Smith. Her father Moses Smith, graduated from Williams College in Massachusetts in the year of 1811, and he once had the responsibility of being in charge of a local academy. Moses as well as wife both came from Amherst, Massachusetts. There is also speculation that her parents might be cousins for both Moses' mother and wife shared the same maiden name (Lee). Both of Clappe's parents passed before she turned twenty, with her father passing in 1832 and her mother in 1837. Clappe was on of seven children, with three brothers and three other sisters. In 1838 she attended a female seminary in Charlestown, Massachusetts. The following two years she continued her education at Amherst Academy. Clappe was an extremely smart woman, whose interests included metaphysics. Following in her father's footsteps, Clappe also got involved with working in the education realm, teaching in Amherst in 1840. Around the same time, Clappe was introduced to Alexander Hill Everett who happened to be at least twice of Clappe's age. Everett and Clappe's relationship was mostly an intellectual one for Everett was a distinguished author. Between the years 1839 to 1847 they had exchanged forty-six letters. During this time Clappe also met her future husband, Fayette Clappe. When Louise had to tell Everett about her new relationship, he was not pleased and things ended poorly. Fayette Clappe was younger than Louise, for he was born in June of 1824 in Chesterfield, Massachusetts. He was the tenth out of thirteen children. Fayette's family also had a different spelling of Clappe, and instead spelled it as Clapp. He started his college education off at Princeton, but finished up at Brown University, graduating in 1848. He briefly continued his education, studying medicine at Castleton, located in Vermont.

Marriage
Fayette Clappe was younger than Louise, for he was born in June of 1824 in Chesterfield, Massachusetts. He was the tenth out of thirteen children. Fayette's family also had a different spelling of Clappe, and instead spelled it as Clapp. He started his college education off at Princeton, but finished up at Brown University, graduating in 1848. He briefly continued his education, studying medicine at Castleton, located in Vermont. Similar to Louise's mother, Fayette's mother also bore the maiden name Lee. The exact date of their wedding is unknown; however, it can be believed to have occurred in either 1848 or 1849. Louise and Fayette never had any children together. Louise's marriage with Clapp started to go south around November of 1852. While the two separated around that time and Fayette headed back East, their marriage did not officially end until some years later.

Going West
Louise had always intended to go West, for she mentioned her desires to do so in one of her letters to Everett. While Fayette was studying medicine in Vermont, the couple caught gold rush fever. Upon arrival in California, both Louise and Fayette suffered from illnesses. Louise had suffered from chronic illnesses throughout the 1830's and 1840's. Her first year in California was spent taking care of Fayette for he had been sick for their whole first year.During this time, Fayette had also been able to obtain an absentee degree from Castleton, making him a doctor. Their first year in California was spent living in San Francisco, and Plumas which was located near Marysville. Fayette had a very successful go at things while he was out West. He was elected as an delegate to a political nominating convention. He was also chosen to serve on a committee to protest to the governor over the tactics of the agents hired to help the incoming immigrant wagon trains from across the Plains.

Writings
The Shirley letters for which Louise is so well known for were written between September of 1851 and November of 1852. There were a total of twenty three letters that were written. The letters were written to her sister Molly. Throuhgout the years there have been multiple editions of her letters in print. These letters are loved by many. Her letters have been described as being both witty and disturbing, while giving an insight into California mining life. In her earlier letters, Shirley never uses a full name and instead uses just a first initial. The Shirley letters were all carefully written, and they showed off Louise's education and writing skills wonderfully, for all of the letters were unique and extremely rich in detail. In the sixth letter written back to her sister Molly, Shirley discusses her shock at how vulgar the men in California are, and how it is expected for the men to be vulgar. The same letter also indicates that her marriage with Fayette was failing, for she talks about his business transactions in an ill manner. In her twelfth letter, Louise claims that she wants to give the true picture of mining life. Her letters were promoted in the Pioneer as being written in a way only a lady could write. Some writers, such as Smith-Barazinin believe that Shirley never intended for her letters to be private, but instead wrote them for a more public audience. Following her writing of the Shirley letters, Louise took a break from writing, but resumed writing for the Marysville Herald in the Spring and Summer of 1857. The Herald somewhat of a newspaper, but had more of an emphasis on advertisements. Going with the theme of the Herald, Louise's letters came off as sounding fake, and had an artificial feel to them. Unlike the Dame Shirley letters, these letters did not show her high affinity for writing, and instead made Louise appear less intellectual than she actually was.

Other Writings and Life in San Francisco
While Louise was staying in San Francisco she met the acquaintance of Ferdinand C. Ewer, who printed her Shirley letters in his new periodical, The Pioneer. The letters were printed from the Pioneer's inception in 1854 up until its demise in 1855. Not only did Louise submit her Shirley letters, but she also wrote two other articles for ''Pioneer. ''The two articles "Superstition" and "Equality of the Sexes" once again did not show off her writing gifts. In both articles she still identifies herself as Mrs. Louisa Clapp, even thought she and Fayette had split at this point. Louise began teaching in San Francisco in 1854. In 1856 she officially filed for divorce from Fayette. While living in San Francisco, she garnered a well liked and known reputation. She taught for two different all girls schools, Denman Grammar School, and Broadway Grammar school. In 1857 she most likely made nine-hundred dollars for the year. Between 1868 and 1869 she switched the spelling of her last name to Clappe. Throughout the next decade she went back and forth between the two different spellings, ending with the different from her original (Clappe). While in San Francisco, she adopted and raised a niece, Genevieve Stebbins. Im 1878 she retired from teaching. The Denman School raised a farewell gift of two thousand dollars. Louise lived out the remains of her life in New York City for the next twenty eight years. She resumed her writing in 1881 when a periodical at Hellmuth Ladies' College at London, Ontario published a series of her articles under her Shirley name. She passed in New Jersey at an old ladies' home from chronic diarrhea and senility in the year of 1906. Her headstone reads that she was the wife of Dr. Fayette Clappe.