Hattie, Philip, & Viola

Young Philip & Hattie

On this trip to Florida, I have been learning a whole lot about my extended family. One couple and their niece have really stuck with me and I’ve been so interested in learning more about them. At this point, I haven’t done any research online (my internet capabilities are limited), but I intend to sometime, which will probably be after I get back to Texas.

My great-grandfather’s sister Hattie, from what I’ve heard, seems like a super sweet Christian lady. She married Philip Hampsten.

Viola & Hattie

Then, here’s where the story gets a bit more interesting, my great-grandfather’s brother, George, was the father of Viola. See Viola was his last child from his first marriage. Her mom died, I think, shortly after Viola was born. While Viola was young it sounds like Hattie and Philip took her in for a time.

At some point Viola moved back in with her father, who remarried and had more children. There sounds like there was some tension between integrating the families, or something, but I don’t want to get into that.

Throughout the years it sounds like Viola stayed close with Hattie and Philip. When she was old enough to leave home, she moved in with them. They stayed a happy little family for quite a few years. I have many letters that were sent to my great-grandmother from Hattie during those many years.

Announcing Henrietta's (Hattie) Funeral

On March 9, 1969, Hattie passed away. The last letter we have from her was written on January 1, 1969, but her handwriting is so shaky that it is super hard to read.

At some point after that, Viola and Philip married. It was the proper thing to do, since they were still planning on living in the same house. Definitely in that time, it was improper to have an unmarried man and woman living together.

Viola wrote a few letters to my great-grandmother, but not nearly as much as Hattie did. In a letter she wrote on November 10, 1980, she mentions rushing ‘Daddy’ to the hospital. I have no idea if the ‘Daddy’ she is referring to is Philip, but her dad, George, died in 1957, so it’s easy to say it wasn’t him. From this, their marriage definitely sounds like just the thing they did for propriety sake.

Announcing Philip's Funeral

On June 20, 1994, Philip passed away and Viola was heartbroken. In her letters she refers to Philip as ‘her heart.’ (Excerpt from a Letter written on August 3, 1994) “I am writing you with a heavy heart. My sweet heart went to be with the Lord June 20^th at 5:00AM.” In another letter from December of that same year she writes this: “I miss my sweet heart so much. It is so lonely without him.”

My mind totally riddles with what her words mean. I’m sure they were very close and definitely had the relationship similar to best friends. They had about 25 years together before Philip passed away. I’m totally not trying to suggest anything, but my mind does wonder.

At first, I thought that Viola had passed away in 1994 as well, but I later found out she lived four more years and died in 1998. Hattie and Philip had no children that survived (they had a baby, but she died as an infant), so there is no one to ask about them. I really wish I could have met them. They sound like amazing people and this short write-up doesn’t do them justice.

Viola, Hattie, & Philip (sometime before Hattie passed away).