Ellen Channing Day Bonaparte
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Ellen Channing Day Bonaparte (née Day; September 25, 1852 – June 23, 1924) was a member of a distinguished Connecticut family who is best remembered for her marriage to Attorney General Charles Joseph Bonaparte.
Ellen Channing Day Bonaparte | |
|---|---|
 Photograph by Harris & Ewing | |
| Born | Ellen Channing Day September 25, 1852 Hartford, Connecticut, U.S. |
| Died | June 23, 1924 (aged 71) Washington D.C., U.S. |
| Spouse | |
| Parents |
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| Relatives | Thomas Day (grandfather) Jeremiah Day (granduncle) Bonaparte family (by marriage) |
Family
[edit]Ellen Channing Day was born on September 25, 1852, in Hartford, Connecticut. She was the daughter of Thomas Mills Day of Hartford,[1] an attorney.[2] Her grandfather was Thomas Day, who's brother Jeremiah Day was President of Yale.[3] She was also known as "Nellie."[4] Her mother was Anna Jones (Dunn) Day, originally of Boston.[5]
Marriage
[edit]While visiting friends in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Ellen met Charles Joseph Bonaparte, then a student at Harvard.[3] Charles was the son of Jerome Napoleon "Bo" Bonaparte and his wife, Susan May Williams. Charles' father was the son of Jerome Bonaparte, King of Westphalia, and his first wife, Elizabeth Patterson of Baltimore. Charles made the acquaintance of Ellen while at a party in Cambridge,[6] which had been "formed for purposes of amusement."[7]
She would write an account of the Great Chicago Fire, as she was visiting the city with her mother when the fire occurred.[4][8]
On September 1, 1875,[9] Ellen and Charles were married in Newport, Rhode Island. They were not engaged until June 1875, due to a three year visit to Europe Ellen had with her mother.[10][4] They had had no children.
Charles' grandmother Elizabeth was still alive at the time of their marriage, and although she was disappointed in her descendants marriages to other Americans, she was more affectionate towards Ellen. Ellen wrote to her mother that "It is such a blessing that the Madame is not an enemy; she tells people she is much pleased with me to her great surprise!"[6] Many of Elizabeth's belongings would eventually end up in the possession of Ellen,[11] and she would donate many of them to the Maryland Historical Society in 1921.[12]
Charles would serve as Attorney General to President Theodore Roosevelt, who he enjoyed a friendship with.[13] Known for his Progressive values, he also created the Bureau of Investigation, which would later become the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
The Bonapartes often lived at the Bella Vista estate in Baltimore. It was constructed by James Bosley Noel Wyatt and William G. Nolting.[14] The couple were "stay-at‑homes,"[15] with Ellen not being particularly physically strong, and Charles experiencing heart problems.[16] The Bella Vista would be destroyed in a fire in 1933.[14]
Ellen died on June 23, 1924, in Washington D.C., at the age of 71.[17]
References
[edit]- ^ "Portrait of Ellen Channing Day". Maryland Center for History and Culture.
- ^ Berkin 2014, pp. 191.
- ^ a b Bishop 1922, pp. 209.
- ^ a b c "Charles J. and Ellen C. Bonaparte collection". md.history.libraryhost.com.
- ^ "The morning times (Washington, D.C.), January 21, 1896". Library of Congress.
Mrs. Day was formerly Miss Dunn, of Boston. She was the mother of Mrs. Charles J. Bonaparte, of Baltimore.
- ^ a b Deutsch 2016, pp. 193.
- ^ Bishop 1922, pp. 210.
- ^ Bishop 1922, pp. 211.
- ^ "Charles Joseph Bonaparte (1851–1921)". msa.maryland.gov.
- ^ Bishop 1922, pp. 212.
- ^ Deutsch 2016, pp. 31.
- ^ Deutsch 2016, pp. 32.
- ^ "Charles J. Bonaparte (1905–1906)". Miller Center.
- ^ a b Kelly, Jacques. "Houses – Bella Vista". Baltimore County Public Library Legacy Web.
- ^ Macartney & Dorrance 2010, pp. 65.
- ^ Macartney & Dorrance 2010, pp. 57.
- ^ Macartney & Dorrance 2010, pp. 66.
- Berkin, Carol (2014). Wondrous beauty : the life and adventures of Elizabeth Patterson Bonaparte. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. ISBN 9780307592781.
- Bishop, Joseph Bucklin (1922). Charles Joseph Bonaparte, his life and public services. New York, C. Scribner's sons. LCCN 22024561.
- Deutsch, Alexandra (2016). A Woman of Two Worlds: Elizabeth Patterson Bonaparte. Maryland Center for History and Culture. ISBN 9780996594431.
- Macartney, Clarence E.; Dorrance, Gordon (2010). The Bonapartes in America. Kessinger Publishing. ISBN 1163153435.