The Walt Whitman Archive
Life & Letters
Correspondence
About this Item
Title: Walt Whitman to Hannah Whitman Heyde, 11 March 1891
Date: March 11, 1891
Whitman Archive ID: loc.04787
Source: The Charles E. Feinberg Collection of the Papers of Walt Whitman, 1839–1919, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. Transcribed from digital images or a microfilm reproduction of the original item. For a description of the editorial rationale behind our treatment of the correspondence, see our statement of editorial policy.
Contributors to digital file: Kelsey Barkis, Maire Mullins, Brandon James O'Neil, Zainab Saleh, and Stephanie Blalock
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Camden1
March 11 '91
Sunny & fine to-day—had a letter f'm Jess,2 St. Louis, this mn'g—She is well & seems to be getting along—is ab't 5 now, & I have eaten my early supper—had a fine varied meal bro't to me, but selected only some stew'd tomatoes (with onions & crust bread) and half cup coffee, & sent the rest back—am sitting here same as usual—hope & pray it is comfortable with you, sister dear—a poor English street-singing boy stops out in the street & sings "the flowers that bloom in the spring"3 while another boy (his brother I fancy) fiddles. $2 enclosed—God bless you, Han—
Walt Whitman
Correspondent:
Hannah Louisa Whitman Heyde
(1823–1908) was the fourth child of Walter and Louisa Whitman and Walt
Whitman's youngest sister. Hannah was named for her paternal grandmother, Hannah
Brush Whitman (1753–1834), and her mother, Louisa Van Velsor Whitman
(1795–1873). Although Walt Whitman had a close relationship with his
younger brother Jeff Whitman, Hannah was his favorite, most beloved sibling.
Until she married, Hannah lived at home with her parents and her brothers.
Educated at the Hempstead Academy, Hannah taught school in rural Long Island. On
March 23, 1852, Hannah married Charles Louis Heyde (ca. 1820–1892), a
landscape painter. It is possible that Walt introduced Hannah to Charles. In
August 1852 the Heydes departed for Vermont. The first decade of their marriage
was marked by constant moving from boarding houses to hotels, mostly in rural
Vermont, as Heyde sought out vantage points for his landscape paintings. In 1864
the Heydes settled in Burlington, purchasing a house on Pearl Street. After
Hannah's marriage and relocation to Vermont, Mother Whitman became Hannah's
faithful correspondent; Walt also kept in touch, sending letters and editions of
Leaves of Grass after publication. Hannah faced
several health crises during her marriage, partly due to the ongoing trauma of
emotional, verbal, and physical intimate partner violence that she experienced.
In the 1880s and 1890s Heyde increasingly had difficulty earning enough to cover
household expenses; in addition, he may have become an alcoholic. He repeatedly
asked Whitman for funds to cover their expenses. Whitman sent both Heyde and
Hannah small amounts of money. After Heyde died in 1892, Hannah remained in
Burlington, living in their house on Pearl Street until her death in 1908. For
more information, see Paula K. Garrett, "Whitman (Heyde), Hannah Louisa (d. 1908)," Walt
Whitman: An Encyclopedia, ed. J.R. LeMaster and Donald D. Kummings (New
York: Garland Publishing, 1998).
Notes:
1. In March 1884, Whitman purchased a house at 328 Mickle Street in Camden, New Jersey. He would live in this house until his death on March 26, 1892. [back]
2. Jessie Louisa Whitman (1863–1957) was the youngest daughter of Thomas Jefferson "Jeff" Whitman and Martha Mitchell "Mattie" Whitman, Walt Whitman's brother and sister-in-law. Jessie and her older sister Manahatta ("Hattie") were both favorites of their uncle Walt. [back]
3. "The Flowers that Bloom in the Spring" is a song from the opera The Mikado; or, the Town of Titipu. Sir William Schwenck ("W. S.") Gilbert (1836–1911) wrote the lyrics, and Arthur Sullivan (1842–1900) wrote the music. The opera was first performed in London in 1885. [back]