Louise Clappe

Louise Clappe ( Smith; pseudonym, Dame Shirley; July 28, 1819 – February 9, 1906) was an American writer, best known for her "Shirley Letters." Clappe was born in New Jersey, spent most of her youth and young adult life in Massachusetts, and later moved out West to Quincy, California, in Plumas County with her husband Fayette Clapp. It was out West where she took on the pen name of Dame Shirley and wrote her widely known "Shirley Letters". Louise and Fayette eventually separated, but she remained out West teaching for some time. Louise eventually returned to New Jersey, where she lived out the remainder of her life, dying in 1906. 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. Both Moses and his wife came from Amherst, Massachusetts. There is some speculation that her parents might be cousins, for both Moses' mother and wife shared the same maiden name (Lee). Both of Clappe's parents died before she turned 20, with her father dying in 1832 and her mother in 1837. Clappe was one 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 a good student, whose interests included metaphysics. Following in her father's footsteps, Clappe also got involved with education, teaching in Amherst in 1840. Around the same time, she was introduced to Alexander Hill Everett (1792-1847) who happened to be at least twice of Clappe's age. Everett and Clappe's relationship was mostly an intellectual one. Between the years 1839 to 1847, they had exchanged 46 letters. During this time, Clappe also met her future husband, Fayette Clappe. When Louise told Everett about her new relationship, he was not happy for her and things ended badly.

Marriage Born in June 1824 in Chesterfield, Massachusetts, Fayette Clapp was five years younger than Louise. He started his college education at Princeton, but finished up at Brown University, graduating in 1848. He briefly continued his education, studying medicine at Castleton 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, some believe it occurred in either 1848 or 1849. Louise and Fayette never had any children together. Her marriage with Clapp started to falter around 1852. While the two separated around that time and Fayette headed back East, their marriage did not officially end until some years later. Throughout the years, multiple editions of her letters were in print. Her letters were described as being both witty and disturbing, while giving 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, 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 the wider tolerance for such vulgarity. The same letter also indicates that her marriage with Fayette was failing, describing his business transactions with some bitterness. In her twelfth letter, Louise claims that she wants to give the true picture of mining life, and she did so from a distinctly female perspective.