In a continuing quest for information about the post-war lives of Betty and William Maury, I have learned that in 1884 Will was on what we would now call the short list of potential nominees for the position of District Attorney for Washington, D.C. In…
I am reading again Sara (Mrs. Roger) Pryor’s memoirs, Reminiscences of Peace and War. Mrs. Pryor begins by describing Washington City, as Washington DC was known then, as she knew it in the 1850s. It is a wonderful social history, and I wish I knew whe…
The John Paul Jones house at 501 Caroline Street in Fredericksburg.
Once again I recommend to those who are interested in fiction of the American Civil War the short story by Constance Fenimore Woolson called “Rodman the Keeper”. It is well worth reading.
Another Fredericksburg diarist was Jane Beale who lived at 307 Lewis Street. Here is her house as it appears today, in 2008. Jane’s diary spans the years 1850 to 1862.
Matthew Fontaine Maury and his family lived in Fredericksburg, Virginia up to 1842 when they moved to the National Observatory in Washington, D.C. The Maury home was located on Charlotte Street. It is no longer there, but a stone marks the site. The st…
The Richmond Dispatch for January 9, 1903, in an obituary reporting the death of Betty Herndon Maury (available at the Library of Congress Chronicling America web site) relates the following information about Betty and her husband Will: “Mrs. Maury …
The Victorian Web has a list of best selling novels in the years 1862 to 1901. 1862Margaret Oliphant’s The Doctor’s FamilyMargaret Oliphant’s The Last of the MortimersHenry Kingsley’s RavenshoeOuida’s Held in BondageMargaret Elizabeth Braddons’s Lady A…
Ellen Lewis (Herndon) Arthur was Betty Herndon Maury’s cousin. Ellen’s father (William Lewis Herndon) and Betty’s mother (Ann Hull (Herndon) Maury) were brother and sister. Ellen married Chester Alan Arthur in 1859. Chester Alan Arthur became 21st Pres…
I went to Richmond today, beginning with a stop at the Richmond zoo. Although you can’t see it in this photo, this is a two-humped camel. I think it looks like he’s smiling.My main destination was the Virginia Historical Society Library to do some re…
