Eugenia Ruspoli
Princess Eugenia Ruspoli | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Jennie Enfield Berry 1861 Etowah County, Alabama, U.S. |
| Died | 1951 New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Noble family | Ruspoli (by marriage) |
| Spouse(s) | Henry Bruton Prince Enrico Ruspoli |
Princess Eugenia Ruspoli (born Jennie Enfield Berry; 1861–1951) was an American socialite who married into the Italian aristocracy.
Biography
[edit]Ruspoli was born Jennie Enfield Berry in 1861 to Thomas Berry and Frances Margaret Rhea Berry in Etowah County, Alabama.[1] She was brought up at Oak Hill, the family home near Rome, Georgia.[1] She had a sister, Martha Berry. In her youth, she traveled and studied in Europe.[1]
After living abroad, she returned to the United States and married Henry Bruton, a tobacco manufacturer from Nashville, Tennessee, on May 7, 1889.[1] During her marriage, she became a prominent society figure in Tennessee, hosting various events.[2][3] Her husband died in 1892 and she returned to Europe with a significant inheritance.[1] On March 2, 1901, she married Prince Enrico Ruspoli, a member of the House of Ruspoli, in a ceremony officiated by Monsignor Sebastiano Martinelli, the Papal Nuncio in Washington, D.C.[4] Upon her marriage, she changed her name from Jennie to Eugenia.[1] After the wedding, the couple returned to Italy and purchased Castle Nemi from the Orsini family, located twenty miles south of Rome.[1] She became a known figure in Italian high society and within art and religious circles.[5]
Her second husband died in 1909.[1] Despite a verbal agreement that the family's castle would remain in her possession, her husband left all property to his family.[5] She took the case to court and, in 1916, obtained the title of the castle and all personal property within it.[1]
Ruspoli returned to the United States following widowhood, taking up residence in New York City.[1] In 1929, she adopted a British girl named Maria-Theresa.[1] At the outbreak of World War II, Ruspoli shipped antique furniture, paintings, and sculptures from her castle to her sister, Martha, at Oak Hill.[1]
Eugenia passed away in her home in New York City in 1951.[1]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Eugenia Ruspoli: Italian Princess". Berry College Memorial Library. Rome, Georgia: Berry College. April 21, 2013. Retrieved June 1, 2025.
- ^ "Indians Guest of Honor". The Tennessean. 1899-04-21. p. 3. Retrieved 2025-06-03.
- ^ "Mrs. Bruton Talks". The Tennessean. 1899-04-30. p. 14. Retrieved 2025-06-03.
- ^ "DON ENRICO RUSPOLI WEDS.; Is Married in Washington to Mrs. Bruton of Nashville, Tenn". The New York Times. 1901-03-03. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2025-06-03.
- ^ a b "New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, December 27, 1909, Page 7, Image 7 « Chronicling America « Library of Congress". chroniclingamerica.loc.gov. Retrieved 2025-06-02.