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Dr. Leroy M. Bingham to Walt Whitman, 6 August 1891

About This Item

  • Title: Dr. Leroy M. Bingham to Walt Whitman, 6 August 1891
  • Date: August 6, 1891
  • Creator(s): Dr. Leroy M. Bingham
  • Whitman Archive ID: loc.08046
  • 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: Cristin Noonan Amanda J. Axley Erel Michaelis Stephanie Blalock
  • Cite this page: Bingham, Dr. Leroy M.. "Dr. Leroy M. Bingham to Walt Whitman, 6 August 1891." The Walt Whitman Archive. Gen. ed. Matt Cohen, Ed Folsom, & Kenneth M. Price. Accessed 26 April 2024. <http://www.whitmanarchive.org>.
  • Source File: loc.08046.xml (TEI)
 loc_tb.00059.jpg Burlington VT1 Aug 6 1891 Mr Walt Whitman Dear sir—

I have visited your sister Mrs Heyde2 nearly every day of late but do not consider her dangerously ill.

She is now beginning to eat again and will soon be all right—Mr Heyde3 is evidently drinking heavily and no reliance whatever to be placed upon him;

Mrs Heyde has plenty of money at present, having some 60$ in all—She is afraid Mr Heyde writes  loc_tb.00062.jpg  loc_tb.00061.jpg in a begging sort of way. She says you must pay no attention to his demanding

Your sisters trouble is wholly with her stomach. Often has catarrhal attack which produce jaundice and indigestion—

She will be well as usual again soon—

Respectfully Yours L. M. Bingham  loc_tb.00060.jpg  loc_tb.00063.jpg  loc_tb.00064.jpg

Correspondent:
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 began treating Whitman's sister, Hanna Louisa Whitman Heyde. 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. 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.

Notes

  • 1. This letter is addressed: Mr Walt Whitman | Camden | New Jersey. It is postmarked: BINGHAMVILLE | AUG | 7 | 1891 | V T.; | CH[illegible]R | AUG | 7 | 1891 | V T.; | CAMDEN, N.J. | AUG | 9 | 9AM | 1891 | REC'D.; | CAMDEN, N.J. | AUG | 9 | 9AM | 1891 | REC'D. [back]
  • 2. 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]
  • 3. 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]
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