Hannah Coulter

Hannah narrates the story of her childhood. She was the only child of Dalton and Callie Steadman, and they lived in a farmhouse with her paternal grandmother, Grandmam. Dalton was a tenant farmer, but Hannah can remember working from an early age. She was a child during the Depression but didn’t notice being poor because everyone was poor and banded together to help one another. Hannah was 12 when her mother died from the flu. When Dalton remarried, his new wife, Ivy, brought her two sons, younger than Hannah, into their home. Ivy gave preferential treatment to her sons, who teased and bullied Hannah, making it difficult for her to live with them. Dalton found religion, which Hannah suspects was his way of trying to save himself from a bad marriage.

Grandmam became like a mother to Hannah, guiding her and imparting wisdom that Hannah would later use in life. Grandmam helped Hannah move into a new room over the kitchen after Ivy and her sons arrived and encouraged Hannah to work hard at her studies and start earning money. Grandmam sold eggs and cream, and she began letting Hannah sell a portion and save the earnings. Hannah, like Grandmam, was an early riser, and she enjoyed spending time alone with her grandmother each day while everyone else slept. Through Grandmam’s hard work and thrift, the family never went without. As Hannah notes, they had “everything but money” (27). When Hannah came of age, Grandmam allowed her to go on dates but carefully instructed her on how to stay out of trouble with boys.

Hannah graduated from high school in 1940, and Grandmam told her she must leave home and find a job. At the time, Hannah felt sad, but she now sees it as Grandmam’s “last gift to [her]” (29). Grandmam and Hannah went to the nearby town of Hargrave to visit Ora Finley, a childhood friend of Grandmam who gave Hannah a place to stay.

Miss Ora was a widow who rented out her rooms, so Hannah moved in and used her savings to pay the rent while she searched for a job. She learned typing skills in school but was still young and inexperienced, and struggled to find work at first. Hannah was lonely, but Miss Ora became a mentor and friend to her. Miss Ora often had guests, such as her sister-in-law, Margaret, Margaret’s husband, Mat Feltner, and their son, Virgil, Miss Ora’s sister, Lizzie, and her brother-in-law, Homer Lord. Hannah was treated as one of the family. The Feltner’s daughter, Bess, was married to Wheeler Catlett, a lawyer who hired Hannah to fill in for his secretary while she was away on vacation.

Since Wheeler was also a farmer, his farmer friends often came by to visit, and Hannah got to know each one. She transcribed letters dictated by Wheeler and enjoyed the work, but she also appreciated connecting with members of the community. Wheeler’s secretary returned, but he continued to call on Hannah when he needed help. Her connection to him brought opportunities for employment with other lawyers. When tax season arrived, Wheeler hired Hannah for the entire winter. She replenished her savings and had enough money to open a bank account.

Virgil began visiting town more frequently, and he and Hannah built a friendship. When he started bringing her gifts, she appreciated it, but Virgil was seven years older than she was, and she knew his family would disapprove of her due to her impoverished background. Virgil was kind and respectful of Hannah’s boundaries, and for a time, they remained friends. Gradually, Virgil started to reveal more of himself to Hannah, envisioning a future he wanted her to share. Virgil confessed his love and desire to marry her, and while Hannah reciprocated, she expressed her apprehensions, saying she had nothing “to offer but what’s walking around in my clothes” (43). Virgil assured her he would manage his family. He spoke to his parents, who then met with Miss Ora, giving their blessing to Virgil and Hannah. Looking back, Hannah realizes that she and Virgil had pinned all their hopes on having a long life together, but the war robbed them of that when it took Virgil’s life.

Virgil and Hannah didn’t rush to get married, instead, they took their time and “let it soak in a while” (45). Hannah took Virgil to meet her family, shocked to see how rundown the family place had become as Grandmam was getting older and Ivy was increasingly in charge. The Feltner family had a long history, and their landholdings were extensive. Virgil took Hannah to the old homestead, the house long in ruins, and explained that he wanted to build their home on the property. As she stared out at the vastness of the land, she felt the weight of becoming a part of the Feltner legacy.

Virgil and Hannah got married in 1941, just as the rumblings of war began to intensify. They moved in with the Feltners, who had plenty of room in their ten-room farmhouse. Mrs. Feltner’s brother, Ernest, a veteran of World War I, also lived there. Their first Christmas together was spent entertaining the many guests who attended, which included Grandmam, the Catletts, the Felner’s cook, Nettie, and her husband and mother-in-law, as well as Virgil’s great-uncle Jack. Hannah spent days in the kitchen helping prepare for the Christmas meal, a luxurious spread she’d never experienced before. However, what she loved the most was the time spent talking and communing with her new family and friends. Despite the festive mood, the shadow of the coming war loomed over the festivities. Hannah and Virgil never spoke of building their home again.

When Virgil went off to the war, Hannah stayed with the Feltners as she had become like a daughter to them. Hannah reflects on how the war changed the small town of Port William, noting that everyone experienced individual pain and loss, yet Port William as a collective also suffered. By living there, Hannah came to understand what it meant to be a part of a community, loving how the members helped and supported one another during difficult times. Though it felt like life should pause in the absence of so many men and women, people had to go on with their lives. Even though it was a sad time, there were still joyful moments too.

Grandmam died in 1944, and soon after, Port William received word of its first war casualties. Tom Coulter was the first person Hannah knew who died in combat. In the absence of traditional rituals like funerals and visitations, no one knew what to do with this type of loss, so they mostly suffered and grieved in silence and went on with their work. When Virgil first deployed, he remained stateside and returned home briefly in August 1944 before traveling overseas. It was a strange time as every moment with him was tinged with the knowledge he was leaving again. Hannah recalls Virgil taking her deep into their land and telling her he wanted to build her a house. He marked the dimensions with rocks and sticks, and they built a fire inside the borders. Though Hannah says it was a “play house, a dream house” (61), it was real to them, and the experience gave her something tangible of Virgil she could treasure even in his absence.

In 1945, Virgil was reported missing in action after fighting in the Battle of the Bulge. Hannah and Virgil’s parents didn’t know what to do with the word “missing.” No one ever found out what happened to him, and so they eventually accepted that he was gone. The Feltners and Hannah grew closer to one another as they grieved, but often the weight of the grief was too much for Hannah, and she felt suffocated by it. Hannah was pregnant and grateful to have a part of Virgil always with her but recognized that the child was “an orphan before it could be born” (63). Though Hannah had her sadness to carry, she also grieved for the Feltners. She was young and had a whole life ahead of her. At the same time, the Feltners lost their only son and were getting older. Hannah reflects that this time of sadness made her aware that her entire life story would be built on seasons of great love and significant loss.

Hannah gave birth to a baby girl, whom she named Margaret after Mrs. Feltner. Her father came to visit her and meet the baby. Little Margaret, as they nicknamed her, became a great comfort to everyone, even though most people cried when they held her, mourning the loss of her father. Uncle Jack, one of Port William’s oldest citizens, moved out of his home and into town, frequently visiting Hannah and the baby, with whom he had built a tender bond.

Margaret grew, and Hannah and the Feltners marveled at every milestone. After Virgil had been gone for three years, Hannah gradually began to feel joy again. Watching Little Margaret grow and discover the world changed her, helping her persevere despite her great sadness. At times, Hannah allowed herself to remember when she and Virgil were first in love. She realized that those people no longer existed because Virgil was gone, and she had been forever changed by his death.