Verdie does make her first appearance in "The Scholar" Season 1 Ep. 21
****I own a copy of this script that when I bought it at one of Carolyn Grinnell's auctions, it was already autographed by Earl Hamner & Richard Thomas. I have personally gotten Lynn Hamilton (Verdie), Kami Cotler (Elizabeth), Michael Learned (Olivia) and Mary McDonough (Erin) to also autograph it.
In the first mention of Verdie it says: Verdie Grant, a handsome black woman in her fifties, appears in the doorway. She carries a dress on a hanger. She pauses uncertainly and then is captivated by the scene between Elizabeth and John-Boy, listens quietly. At the time that this episode aired on 2/22/1973, Lynn Hamilton (Verdie) was not quite 43 years old (DOB: 4/25/1930).
Later in the script it says: Verdie's living room - Night
The cottage is simply furnished and spotlessly clean. There are framed photos of the married daughters and their children. In a special place is a photo of the youngest - Sarah. She's a keen-eyed young woman in her early twenties. Verdie is supposedly sewing but at the moment she is using her work to mask the clipping which Miss Hunter (the school teacher) handed her earlier. She stares at the print. Alice, Verdie's older sister, enters from the kitchen. She's a quieter, softer version of her more dynamic sister.
Alice: What you puzzling over?
Verdie (guiltily hides clipping): Nothing.
Alice (laughs): You can't hide things from me, sister.
Verdie takes the clipping out.
Verdie: Just a piece from a newspaper Miss Hunter gave me.
Alice (shaking her head): Your pride's carried you a long way, Verdie - that's good. But a thing like this is foolishness.
Verdie: It's no concern of yours.
Alice: Of course it is. Who have I got left to fret over but you? I see you hurting, I hurt.
Verdie: I manage fine.
Alice: You can't read or write. Why should you be ashamed to say so to Miss Hunter or anybody else?
Verdie: You don't understand, Alice.
Alice: You can do plenty of other things - more important than reading or writing. Like raising a family of five after *your husband died. Seeing two girls married - two boys working at steady jobs. Now there's reason to hold your head high.
Verdie: I don't feel to say to Miss Hunter: Don't bother giving me that paper for Sarah because I can't read it.
Alice: It isn't only Miss Hunter. This minute, Verdie, aren't you tormenting yourself whether to go up to New York for Sarah's graduation?
Verdie rises. She moves toward Sarah's photo.
Verdie: I've been looking forward to that day for four years. More than that - since Sarah first started to school and I decided my youngest was going to have a college education.
Alice: Maybe the money could have been put to a better use.
Verdie: No, it's not that. You know what's holding me back, Alice. Suppose I get up there and somebody wanted me to sign my name to something or read a menu. I'd be an embarrassment to her.
There's a KNOCK. Verdie moves to the door. John-Boy is outside.
John-Boy: Good evening, Mrs. Grant.
Verdie: John-Boy - step in. You know my sister, Mrs. Perry.
Alice and John-Boy exchange greetings.
From this episode we know that Verdie is a widow with five grown children. Two girls are married with children, two boys work at steady jobs and her youngest daughter, Sarah, is fixing to graduate college in New York. Verdie is living with her older sister Alice Perry. Alice says that she doesn't have anyone left to fret over but Verdie. Does that mean that Alice is a widow too? Verdie introduced her as Mrs. Perry to John-Boy, just like John-Boy called Verdie, Mrs. Grant. Is Alice childless or like Verdie is her child or children grown up and out on their own? Even though the script says that Verdie's late husband's name was Howard, it is not spoken in the episode - it's only in the script. I did not use the name Howard above, I just wrote what Alice *said in the actual episode.
In "The Stray" Season 6 Ep.2, introduces us to Josh (the stray) that Harley and Verdie ends up adopting. At the beginning of this episode Verdie asks Jim Bob to look after their house and water their garden as she and Harley is going to Ashville to look after her sister because she had broken her foot. I assume this is her sister Alice Perry.
In "The Illusion" Season 7 Ep. 8, Verdie's college graduate daughter Sarah has now been renamed Esther. I wonder why they changed her name? I too, thought that maybe she had been named after Esther Walton. Guess we will never know if she was or why they changed her name.
When Esther showed up from New York City with her baby named Harriet, Verdie inquired about Esther's husband.
Verdie: Where's Clint?
Esther: Clint's gone momma, gone for good.
Verdie: Gone?
Esther: We just couldn't work things out. He claimed he was wore out trying to live up to me and my education and I, well it's, it's just over.
Verdie: Oh, honey I'm sorry. Oh, but it's so good to have you home for a visit.
Esther: Home period momma. Home to stay.
Even though Esther ended up getting hired by J.D. Pickett as the personnel director for his defense plant we never see or hear of her again.
From this episode we find out Esther's husband's name is Clint and their daughter is named Harriet and they were living in New York City.
****Updated to reflect that as of today's date 11/07/18 I have also gotten Jon Walmsley (Jason), Eric Scott (Ben), Judy Norton (Mary Ellen) & David Harper (Jim Bob) to autograph my copy of this script.
