Exploring Artifacts: Mary Donovan Hapgood

In looking through the Hapgood folders in the Lilly Library I only had time to complete one of her writings, but was able to glance through a couple of the others to try and better understand where she was coming from and the point she was trying to convey in the article that I did read.

The essay I was able to finish was entitled "Big Tim's Daughter", it was a short story about a young girl, about the age of 16, who slept with a boy who got her pregnant and then left her to deal with it alone. Big Tim, the girl's father was a factory worker who was forced into a strike as soon as the baby was born. After the birth of her baby, Big Tim's daughter became very ill, and was unable to even leave her bed. Being out of work, Big Tim was unable to take care of his sickly daughter and new born grandson, so he sent his grandson to be raised on the "county farm", or the prison, by the warden. The boy would visit hi smother and grandfather on occasions, but lived most of his toddler years on the farm. The boy was given back to his mother after about four years, when a new warden came and did not agree with the boy. Big Tim's Daughter was still not well enough to care for her child and he was taken back to the farm. Eventually, Big Tim's daughter died and the boy was forced to stay with the new warden who mistreated and disliked him.

The other folders I looked at had chapters from her book No Tears From My Youth: an autobiography, Sacco-Venzetti Story. Through this tale of Italians on trial, Hapgood shows the inequality in the American court system. Hapgood, was one of the first members of the Socialist party in Indiana and ran for governor, although she was unsuccessful, she was a still a major player in the Indiana Socialist party. She shows the separation of classes that appears in court ruling and decision, it is often times a trial of upper class versus lower class. Hapgood's tale of Big Tim's daughter shows the difficulties one may face living in a lower class society. Because Big Tim was forced to go on strike, he was forced out of an income and unable to properly care for his own daughter and grandson. Hapgood's tale expresses reason for her socialist views and desires. By creating a socialist party in Indiana, Hapgood wishes the society to undergo a social reform and help stop stories like that of Big Tim's daughter from occurring.