Ellen Hardin Walworth
Encyclopedia
Ellen Hardin Walworth was an American
author, lawyer, and activist who was a passionate advocate for the importance of studying history and historic preservation
. Walworth was one of the founders of the Daughters of the American Revolution
and was the organization's first secretary general. She was the first editor of the DAR's official magazine, American Monthly Magazine
. In 1893, during a speech at the World's Columbian Exposition
(Chicago World Fair), Walworth was one of the first people to propose the establishment of the United States National Archives. Walworth was one of the first women in New York State to hold a position on a local board of education
, a role that was frequently used to bolster the call for women's suffrage.
During the Spanish American War, Walworth and other influential women established the Women's National War Relief Association
to offer aid to the war effort. Walworth, the impetus behind the organization, was the Director-general of new association.
In her personal life, Walworth was a victim of domestic violence
with tragic consequences when her son, Frank, killed his father after years of intervening to protect his mother. Walworth studied law to gain the knowledge to overturn the conviction of her son for killing her abusive former husband.
Ellen Hardin was born on October 20, 1832, in Jacksonville, Illinois
, into the well known Hardin family of Kentucky. She was the oldest of four siblings born to John J.
and Sarah Ellen (Smith) Hardin. John's father was Martin D. Hardin
, a prominent statesman from Kentucky who served in the United States Senate. John Hardin was a lawyer and a member of United States Congress as a member of the Whig Party
. Ellen was educated at Jacksonville Academy. Additionally, Ellen was heavily influenced by the wide supply of English literature and history reading materials which were offered in the family library. In 1846, John Hardin joined the United States Army
to fight against Mexico and was killed in the Battle of Buena Vista
. The family remained in Jacksonville until 1851 when Sarah Hardin married the Honorable Reuben Hyde Walworth, the last chancellor of New York State, and moved the family to Saratoga Springs, New York
, to live on the family estate, Pine Grove. Many members of the Walworth family were converted to the Roman Catholic faith by a family member, Rev. Clarence A. Walworth
, who was a missionary priest. After moving to Pine Grove, Ellen changed her religious affiliation from Presbyterian to Roman Catholic.
Walworth's husband was an "unstable person" with a "violent temper" who physically assaulted her. In 1861, she separated from her husband and moved with her children to live on a farm near Louisville, Kentucky
. After several failed attempts to reconcile, she went to Washington in 1868, and secured a government clerkship. Walworth tried reconciling one last time after she lost her job, but she left him permanently in January 1871 after he physically assaulted her while she was pregnant with Sarah Margaret. She returned to Saratoga, and obtained a "limited divorce".
in order to overturn her son's murder conviction. Thereafter, Walworth practiced law in the courts of New York and the District of Columbia. For a short time, she was employed as a clerk for the United States government in Washington, D.C.
." Her paper, "Field Work By Amateurs" was presented at the August 1880 Conference in Boston and published in Proceedings of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. In the paper, Walworth passionately advocated for more popular science work done by and with amateurs, especially more participation by women.
When Walworth traveled to Europe in 1873, she arranged with her mother that she would write long detailed letters to her mother about the trip to make a journal type record of her travels and to keep her mother informed of her trip. Later she was surprised, and pleased, to learn that the letters were being published in The Albany Sunday Press in a serial format. Upon her return to the United States, she organized the letters and they were published in the form of a book by D. & J. Sadlier & Co in 1877.
’s home, Mount Vernon
, near Alexandria, Virginia
. Walworth was active in the Saratoga Monument Association and for 18 years she was the only female trustee in the organization. She was chair of the committee on tablets, and undertook the task of researching the battles and soliciting funds to place a marker at each site.
, Walworth and other influential women established the Women's National War Relief Association to collect monetary donations and to offer aid to soldiers. Walworth, the impetus behind the organization, was the Director-general of new association.
in Washington on June 23, 1915, and was buried at Green Ridge Cemetery, near Saratoga, New York
. As a founder of the Daughters of the American Revolution, Walworth has received long term recognition of her accomplishments. A marble bust of her was sculpted by Adelaide Johnson
and was put in Memorial Continental Hall
, Washington, D.C to honor her.
Walworth is included in biographic books and papers about women who were trailblazers. In 2002, Allison P. Bennett wrote a biography about Walworth called Saratoga Sojourn: a biography of Ellen Hardin Walworth. The book primarily covers the time period and events from when Walworth relocated to Saratoga with her mother, her domestic life with Mansfield, her son's murder of his father, and her mission to overturn his murder conviction. Along the way Bennett tells about the life of a woman who was ahead of her times with her interests and accomplishments as a businesswoman, writer, historian, women's rights activist, and community organizer.
The Walworth Memorial Museum is housed in the Saratoga Springs History Museum. The seven room museum includes material about the lives of Ellen Hardin Walworth and her family.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
author, lawyer, and activist who was a passionate advocate for the importance of studying history and historic preservation
Historic preservation
Historic preservation is an endeavor that seeks to preserve, conserve and protect buildings, objects, landscapes or other artifacts of historical significance...
. Walworth was one of the founders of the Daughters of the American Revolution
Daughters of the American Revolution
The Daughters of the American Revolution is a lineage-based membership organization for women who are descended from a person involved in United States' independence....
and was the organization's first secretary general. She was the first editor of the DAR's official magazine, American Monthly Magazine
American Monthly Magazine
American Monthly Magazine was the original official monthly magazine published by the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution. Later issues of the monthly of magazines published by NSDAR were called Daughters of the American Revolution Magazine, and The National Historical...
. In 1893, during a speech at the World's Columbian Exposition
World's Columbian Exposition
The World's Columbian Exposition was a World's Fair held in Chicago in 1893 to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the New World in 1492. Chicago bested New York City; Washington, D.C.; and St...
(Chicago World Fair), Walworth was one of the first people to propose the establishment of the United States National Archives. Walworth was one of the first women in New York State to hold a position on a local board of education
Board of education
A board of education or a school board or school committee is the title of the board of directors or board of trustees of a school, local school district or higher administrative level....
, a role that was frequently used to bolster the call for women's suffrage.
During the Spanish American War, Walworth and other influential women established the Women's National War Relief Association
Women's National War Relief Association
The Women's National War Relief Association was an American relief organization founded during the Spanish-American War to give comfort to the officers, soldiers and sailors in the United States Military...
to offer aid to the war effort. Walworth, the impetus behind the organization, was the Director-general of new association.
In her personal life, Walworth was a victim of domestic violence
Domestic violence
Domestic violence, also known as domestic abuse, spousal abuse, battering, family violence, and intimate partner violence , is broadly defined as a pattern of abusive behaviors by one or both partners in an intimate relationship such as marriage, dating, family, or cohabitation...
with tragic consequences when her son, Frank, killed his father after years of intervening to protect his mother. Walworth studied law to gain the knowledge to overturn the conviction of her son for killing her abusive former husband.
Family life
Jacksonville, Illinois
Jacksonville is a city in Morgan County, Illinois, United States. The population was 18,940 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Morgan County....
, into the well known Hardin family of Kentucky. She was the oldest of four siblings born to John J.
John J. Hardin
John J. Hardin was a U.S. Representative and militia general from Illinois.Born in Frankfort, Kentucky, Hardin pursued classical studies and was graduated from Transylvania University, Lexington, Kentucky, where he studied law. He was admitted to the bar in Kentucky in 1831 and commenced practice...
and Sarah Ellen (Smith) Hardin. John's father was Martin D. Hardin
Martin D. Hardin
Martin Davis Hardin was a United States Senator from Kentucky.-Biography:Born along the Monongahela River in western Pennsylvania, Hardin moved with his parents to Kentucky in 1786. He pursued an academic course, and attended Transylvania Seminary in Lexington, Kentucky...
, a prominent statesman from Kentucky who served in the United States Senate. John Hardin was a lawyer and a member of United States Congress as a member of the Whig Party
Whig Party (United States)
The Whig Party was a political party of the United States during the era of Jacksonian democracy. Considered integral to the Second Party System and operating from the early 1830s to the mid-1850s, the party was formed in opposition to the policies of President Andrew Jackson and his Democratic...
. Ellen was educated at Jacksonville Academy. Additionally, Ellen was heavily influenced by the wide supply of English literature and history reading materials which were offered in the family library. In 1846, John Hardin joined the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
to fight against Mexico and was killed in the Battle of Buena Vista
Battle of Buena Vista
The Battle of Buena Vista , also known as the Battle of Angostura, saw the United States Army use artillery to repulse the much larger Mexican army in the Mexican-American War...
. The family remained in Jacksonville until 1851 when Sarah Hardin married the Honorable Reuben Hyde Walworth, the last chancellor of New York State, and moved the family to Saratoga Springs, New York
Saratoga Springs, New York
Saratoga Springs, also known as simply Saratoga, is a city in Saratoga County, New York, United States. The population was 26,586 at the 2010 census. The name reflects the presence of mineral springs in the area. While the word "Saratoga" is known to be a corruption of a Native American name, ...
, to live on the family estate, Pine Grove. Many members of the Walworth family were converted to the Roman Catholic faith by a family member, Rev. Clarence A. Walworth
Clarence A. Walworth
Clarence Augustus Walworth was an American attorney, writer, ordained Roman Catholic priest, and missionary. Walworth was a well regarded writer who published numerous works related to the Roman Catholic Church.-Life:...
, who was a missionary priest. After moving to Pine Grove, Ellen changed her religious affiliation from Presbyterian to Roman Catholic.
Marriage and domestic life
In 1852, Ellen married Mansfield Tracy Walworth, her stepfather’s youngest son, and resided with him at Pine Grove. Mansfield Walworth was a lawyer by training who was a prolific writer and gained minor fame as novelist. Ellen and Mansfield had six children in rapid succession: Francis Hardin, John J., Mary Elizabeth, Ellen Hardin, Clara Teresa, and Mansfield Tracy. Two children were born later, Reubena Hyde and Sarah Margaret.Walworth's husband was an "unstable person" with a "violent temper" who physically assaulted her. In 1861, she separated from her husband and moved with her children to live on a farm near Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
. After several failed attempts to reconcile, she went to Washington in 1868, and secured a government clerkship. Walworth tried reconciling one last time after she lost her job, but she left him permanently in January 1871 after he physically assaulted her while she was pregnant with Sarah Margaret. She returned to Saratoga, and obtained a "limited divorce".
Frank Walworth's murder of Mansfield Walworth
After the divorce, Mansfield Walworth continued to threaten his former wife. After failed attempts by family members to intervene on her behalf, on June 3, 1873, her oldest son, Frank, shot his father to death in a New York City hotel room. After a widely publicized trial that included Ellen Walworth testifying on behalf of her son, Frank was sentenced to life imprisonment on July 5, 1873. Following the conviction, Walworth "devoted herself to securing his release which she achieved in 1877 on the ground of insanity." In August 1877, New York Governor Robinson pardoned Frank Walworth on the grounds that the prisoner was not legally responsible for the crime due to insanity. Walworth studied law to gain the knowledge needed in order to overturn the conviction of her son.Career
In order to bring in a stable income for the family, Walworth opened the family homestead, first as a boarding school for females, and then later as a summer hotel. Walworth initially earned her law degree at New York UniversityNew York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
in order to overturn her son's murder conviction. Thereafter, Walworth practiced law in the courts of New York and the District of Columbia. For a short time, she was employed as a clerk for the United States government in Washington, D.C.
Writer
Walworth wrote constantly on historic subjects. She was an authority on the battlefields of Saratoga and also published an account of the Burgoyne campaign. Walworth was interested in science, in particular geology, and was among "the few women of her time to present a paper to the American Association for the Advancement of ScienceAmerican Association for the Advancement of Science
The American Association for the Advancement of Science is an international non-profit organization with the stated goals of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific responsibility, and supporting scientific education and science outreach for the...
." Her paper, "Field Work By Amateurs" was presented at the August 1880 Conference in Boston and published in Proceedings of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. In the paper, Walworth passionately advocated for more popular science work done by and with amateurs, especially more participation by women.
When Walworth traveled to Europe in 1873, she arranged with her mother that she would write long detailed letters to her mother about the trip to make a journal type record of her travels and to keep her mother informed of her trip. Later she was surprised, and pleased, to learn that the letters were being published in The Albany Sunday Press in a serial format. Upon her return to the United States, she organized the letters and they were published in the form of a book by D. & J. Sadlier & Co in 1877.
Community service
During the final decades of the 19th Century and early into the 20th Century, membership in community organizations was an important part of professional and social life in the United States. Being a female, Walworth by normal conventions was excluded from membership in many prominent organizations. To overcome this issue, women either pressed to join these organizations, or established alternative organizations for females. Walworth did both, with the Daughters of the American Revolution being a notable example of women creating a new organization after being excluded from membership in prominent patriotic lineage organizations. Walworth joined and founded community organizations that reflected her interests in history. She identified as a women's suffragist but was not heavily involved with the women's suffrage movement. Instead, she joined numerous clubs that were previously exclusive to men, often being the first and sole female member.Historic preservation
Walworth had a strong interest in the restoration and preservation of historical sites. She was on the forefront of the movement to raise public funds to purchase and restore historical properties. In 1876, Walworth advocated for funds to renovate George WashingtonGeorge Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
’s home, Mount Vernon
Mount Vernon
The name Mount Vernon is a dedication to the English Vice-Admiral Edward Vernon. It was first applied to Mount Vernon, the Virginia estate of George Washington, the first President of the United States...
, near Alexandria, Virginia
Alexandria, Virginia
Alexandria is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of 2009, the city had a total population of 139,966. Located along the Western bank of the Potomac River, Alexandria is approximately six miles south of downtown Washington, D.C.Like the rest of northern Virginia, as well as...
. Walworth was active in the Saratoga Monument Association and for 18 years she was the only female trustee in the organization. She was chair of the committee on tablets, and undertook the task of researching the battles and soliciting funds to place a marker at each site.
Daughters of the American Revolution
After being excluded from a prominent patriotic lineage organization, a group of women in the nation's capital formed their own organization, the Daughters of the American Revolution, in October 1890. Walworth was the first editor of the official publication of the Daughters of the American Revolution, the American Monthly Magazine, serving as editor from the spring of 1892 until July 1894.Women's National War Relief Association
The Women's National War Relief Association was an relief organization founded during the Spanish-American War to give comfort to the officers, soldiers and sailors in the United States Military. During the Spanish-American WarSpanish-American War
The Spanish–American War was a conflict in 1898 between Spain and the United States, effectively the result of American intervention in the ongoing Cuban War of Independence...
, Walworth and other influential women established the Women's National War Relief Association to collect monetary donations and to offer aid to soldiers. Walworth, the impetus behind the organization, was the Director-general of new association.
Death and legacy
Walworth died in Georgetown University HospitalGeorgetown University Hospital
Georgetown University Hospital is one of the national capital area's oldest academic teaching hospitals and is affiliated with Georgetown University School of Medicine. GUH is a not-for-profit, acute-care teaching and research facility located in Northwest Washington, DC...
in Washington on June 23, 1915, and was buried at Green Ridge Cemetery, near Saratoga, New York
Saratoga, New York
Saratoga is a town in Saratoga County, New York, United States. The population was 5,141 at the 2000 census. It is also the commonly used, but not official, name for the neighboring and much more populous city, Saratoga Springs. The major village in the town of Saratoga is Schuylerville which is...
. As a founder of the Daughters of the American Revolution, Walworth has received long term recognition of her accomplishments. A marble bust of her was sculpted by Adelaide Johnson
Adelaide Johnson
Adelaide Johnson was an American sculptor whose work is displayed in the U.S. Capitol and a feminist who was devoted to the cause for equality of women....
and was put in Memorial Continental Hall
Memorial Continental Hall
Memorial Continental Hall is owned & operated by the Daughters of the American Revolution. It also serves as the organization's National Society headquarters. Memorial Continental Hall is located alongside DAR Constitution Hall, connected by a third building that houses the DAR Museum...
, Washington, D.C to honor her.
Walworth is included in biographic books and papers about women who were trailblazers. In 2002, Allison P. Bennett wrote a biography about Walworth called Saratoga Sojourn: a biography of Ellen Hardin Walworth. The book primarily covers the time period and events from when Walworth relocated to Saratoga with her mother, her domestic life with Mansfield, her son's murder of his father, and her mission to overturn his murder conviction. Along the way Bennett tells about the life of a woman who was ahead of her times with her interests and accomplishments as a businesswoman, writer, historian, women's rights activist, and community organizer.
The Walworth Memorial Museum is housed in the Saratoga Springs History Museum. The seven room museum includes material about the lives of Ellen Hardin Walworth and her family.