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Mr Walt Whitman
Dear sir—
Yours with check for 50$ recd—I put 40 in the Savings Bank to your
sister's1 credits—she not wishing to keep that amt
in house; and she had sufficient with her for the present—
Mrs Heyde has had a poor spell but not confined to bed, she is much better now,
and able to attend to house hold duties to some extent—I always look after
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her when sick if I know it—Mr Heyde2 is often sent
for me but fails to let Mrs Heydes wants known, and returns to her with some
vague answer
I presume he has written you most pitiful letters as to your sister's
condition, if like other messages that I know of. They are perfectly unreliable
If any thing serious occurs to Mrs Heyde I will inform you at once—
Sincerely Yours
L. M. Bingham
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Correspondent:
Dr. Leroy Monroe Bingham
(1845–1910) graduated from Bellevue Medical College in New York in 1870
and moved to Burlington, Vermont, in 1874. He became Hannah's physician after
1882. For more information, see William B. Atkinson, M.D., The
Physicians and Surgeons of the United States (Philadelphia: Charles
Robson, 1878), 375.
Notes
- 1. 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). [back]
- 2. Charles Louis Heyde (ca.
1820–1892), a French-born landscape painter, married Hannah Louisa Whitman
(1823–1908), Walt Whitman's sister, and they lived in Burlington, Vermont.
Charles Heyde was infamous among the Whitmans for his offensive letters and poor
treatment of Hannah. For more information about Heyde, see Steven Schroeder,
"Heyde, Charles Louis (1822–1892)," Walt
Whitman: An Encyclopedia, ed. J.R. LeMaster and Donald D. Kummings (New
York: Garland Publishing, 1998). [back]