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Walt Whitman to Hannah Whitman Heyde, 29 September 1891

About This Item

  • Title: Walt Whitman to Hannah Whitman Heyde, 29 September 1891
  • Date: September 29, 1891
  • Creator(s): Walt Whitman
  • Whitman Archive ID: loc.04799
  • 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 Stephanie Blalock
  • Cite this page: Whitman, Walt. "Walt Whitman to Hannah Whitman Heyde, 29 September 1891." The Walt Whitman Archive. Gen. ed. Matt Cohen, Ed Folsom, & Kenneth M. Price. Accessed 20 April 2024. <http://www.whitmanarchive.org>.
  • Source File: loc.04799.xml (TEI)
 loc_ad.00185_large.jpg Camden N J1— Sundown Sept: 29 '91

Just had my supper, some oysters, bread & coffee—a rare fried egg for breakfast—(so you see I am not so ill but I eat something)—To day cloudy & rain, welcome change to me f'm​ the glaring sun & strange heat of the last ten days—Lou2 has been here—they are all well—yr's​ rec'd​ ,3 dearest sister, & glad enough to get it—I sit here ab't​ same—might be much worse (may be shall be)—my books selling so so, lucky to keep up & sell at all—I will send Dr Bingham4 one5—Best love to you—2 enc'd​

W W  loc_ad.00186_large.jpg

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. Louisa Orr Haslam Whitman (1842–1892), called "Loo" or "Lou," married Walt's brother George Whitman on April 14, 1871. They moved to Camden in 1872, and Walt Whitman lived with them from 1873–1884. For more information, see Karen Wolfe, "Whitman, Louisa Orr Haslam (Mrs. George) (1842–1892)," Walt Whitman: An Encyclopedia, ed. J.R. LeMaster and Donald D. Kummings (New York: Garland Publishing, 1998). [back]
  • 3. Whitman is referring to Hannah's letter of September 22, 1891, in which she expresses her gratitude to Whitman for his emotional and financial support. [back]
  • 4. Dr. Leroy Monroe Bingham (1845–1911) graduated from Bellevue Medical College in New York in 1870 and moved to Burlington, Vermont, in 1874. After the death of Dr. Samuel W. Thayer in 1882, Bingham became Hannah's doctor. According to the Vermont Medical Monthly, "From about 1878, for a period of 20 years, he was one of the most active and the best known surgeons in Vermont" (Volume 17, Issue 12 [December 15, 1911]), 306. For more information, see William B. Atkinson, M.D., The Physicians and Surgeons of the United States (Philadelphia: Charles Robson, 1878), 375. [back]
  • 5. Whitman sent a copy of his book Complete Poems & Prose (1888), a volume he often referred to as the "big book," to Dr. Bingham on November 3, 1891. Bingham thanked Whitman for the volume in his letter to the poet of November 16, 1891. [back]
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