Mary Ewing Outerbridge
Encyclopedia
Mary Ewing Outerbridge (February 16, 1852 – May 3, 1886) was an American
woman who imported the lawn game tennis
to the United States from Bermuda
.
to Alexander Ewing Outerbridge (1816–1900) and Laura Catherine Harvey (1818–1867). Her siblings include: Albert Albany Outerbridge; Joseph Outerbridge; August Emelio Outerbridge (1846–January 14, 1921); Harriett Harvey Outerbridge; Alexander Ewing Outerbridge II; Laura Catharine Outerbridge; Adolph John Harvey Outerbridge (1858–May 29, 1928) and Eugenius Harvey Outerbridge, who was the first president of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
.
by Major Walter Clopton Wingfield
of the British Army
. One of the Major's men brought the game and equipment to Bermuda when posted there in 1874. Mary played the game at "Clermont", a house with a spacious lawn in Paget parish. On February 2, 1874 Mary returned from Bermuda aboard the ship "S.S. Canima" and introduced lawn tennis to the United States. She played the first tennis game in the US at the Staten Island Cricket Club
on Staten Island
, New York
, on an hourglass-shaped court. The Staten Island Cricket Club was founded on or about March 22nd 1872. One early name was “Staten Island Cricket and Baseball Club”. At the time the tennis court was set up the club was located at St. George on the “Flats” or old camp Washington Terminal. The club later moved to what is now Walker Park to make way for what is now the Staten Island ferry terminal. In 1880 the Staten Island Cricket Club held "the tournament for the championship of America". The match was won by O. E. Woodhouse of England who happened to be in New York at the time.
Several other clubs held similar tournaments in the same year. In the same year tennis was also introduced in Arizona
.
area of Staten Island
, New York City
and her father was working as a clerk, as was her brother, Adolph. The family had two servants.
section of Staten Island
and was buried in Silver Mount Cemetery, Staten Island
, next to her parents.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
woman who imported the lawn game tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
to the United States from Bermuda
Bermuda
Bermuda is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. Located off the east coast of the United States, its nearest landmass is Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. It is about south of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and northeast of Miami, Florida...
.
Birth and siblings
Mary was born in Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaPennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
to Alexander Ewing Outerbridge (1816–1900) and Laura Catherine Harvey (1818–1867). Her siblings include: Albert Albany Outerbridge; Joseph Outerbridge; August Emelio Outerbridge (1846–January 14, 1921); Harriett Harvey Outerbridge; Alexander Ewing Outerbridge II; Laura Catharine Outerbridge; Adolph John Harvey Outerbridge (1858–May 29, 1928) and Eugenius Harvey Outerbridge, who was the first president of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is a bi-state port district, established in 1921 through an interstate compact, that runs most of the regional transportation infrastructure, including the bridges, tunnels, airports, and seaports, within the Port of New York and New Jersey...
.
Bermuda and tennis
The modern game of lawn tennis was commercialized in 1873 in EnglandEngland
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
by Major Walter Clopton Wingfield
Walter Clopton Wingfield
Major Walter Clopton Wingfield was a British army officer who was one of the pioneers of lawn tennis. Inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1997, an example of the original equipment for the sport and a bust of Wingfield himself can be seen at the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis...
of the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
. One of the Major's men brought the game and equipment to Bermuda when posted there in 1874. Mary played the game at "Clermont", a house with a spacious lawn in Paget parish. On February 2, 1874 Mary returned from Bermuda aboard the ship "S.S. Canima" and introduced lawn tennis to the United States. She played the first tennis game in the US at the Staten Island Cricket Club
Staten Island Cricket Club
The Staten Island Cricket Club is a cricket club on Staten Island, New York that was incorporated as the Staten Island Cricket and Base Ball Club on March 22, 1872. It became the first tennis venue in the United States.- History :...
on Staten Island
Staten Island
Staten Island is a borough of New York City, New York, United States, located in the southwest part of the city. Staten Island is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull, and from the rest of New York by New York Bay...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, on an hourglass-shaped court. The Staten Island Cricket Club was founded on or about March 22nd 1872. One early name was “Staten Island Cricket and Baseball Club”. At the time the tennis court was set up the club was located at St. George on the “Flats” or old camp Washington Terminal. The club later moved to what is now Walker Park to make way for what is now the Staten Island ferry terminal. In 1880 the Staten Island Cricket Club held "the tournament for the championship of America". The match was won by O. E. Woodhouse of England who happened to be in New York at the time.
Several other clubs held similar tournaments in the same year. In the same year tennis was also introduced in Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
.
Home life
In 1880 Mary and her parents were living in the CastletonCastleton, Staten Island
Castleton is a former town in the U.S. state of New York. It was located in the northeastern part of Staten Island prior to the incorporation of Staten Island into New York City in 1898...
area of Staten Island
Staten Island
Staten Island is a borough of New York City, New York, United States, located in the southwest part of the city. Staten Island is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull, and from the rest of New York by New York Bay...
, New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and her father was working as a clerk, as was her brother, Adolph. The family had two servants.
Death and burial
She died in 1886 at age 34 in the New BrightonNew Brighton, Staten Island
New Brighton, formerly an independent village, is today a neighborhood located on the North Shore of Staten Island in New York City, USA. The neighborhood comprises an older industrial and residential harbor front area along the Kill Van Kull west of St. George.The village of New Brighton was...
section of Staten Island
Staten Island
Staten Island is a borough of New York City, New York, United States, located in the southwest part of the city. Staten Island is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull, and from the rest of New York by New York Bay...
and was buried in Silver Mount Cemetery, Staten Island
Silver Mount Cemetery, Staten Island
Silver Mount Cemetery is located at 918 Victory Boulevard on Staten Island, New York, United States.-Notable burials:*Mary Ewing Outerbridge , who imported tennis into the US.*William Winter , American dramatic critic and author...
, next to her parents.
Timeline
- 1867 Death of her mother
- 1874 Return from Bermuda with tennis game
- 1880 US Census
- 1886 Death
- 1981 Tennis Hall of FameInternational Tennis Hall of FameThe International Tennis Hall of Fame is located in Newport, Rhode Island, United States. The hall of fame and honors players and contributors to the sport of tennis and includes a museum, grass tennis courts, an indoor tennis facility, and a court tennis facility.-History:The hall of fame and...