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Strong passions : a scandalous divorce in old New York / Barbara Weisberg.
Van Pelt Library HQ836.N48 W45 2024
Available
Athenaeum of Philadelphia - Circulating Collection HQ836.N49 W66 2024
Available
- Format:
- Book
- Author/Creator:
- Weisberg, Barbara, author.
- Language:
- English
- Subjects (All):
- New York (N.Y.)--History--19th century.
- New York (N.Y.).
- Strong, Mary E. (Mary Emmeline), 1833-1895.
- Strong, Mary E.
- Strong, Peter R. (Peter Remsen), 1823-1878.
- Strong, Peter R.
- Abortion--New York (State)--New York--History--19th century.
- Abortion.
- Custody of children--New York (State)--New York--History--19th century.
- Custody of children.
- Divorce--New York (State)--New York--History--19th century.
- Divorce.
- Scandals--New York (State)--New York--History--19th century.
- Scandals.
- Trials (Adultery)--New York (State)--New York--History--19th century.
- Trials (Adultery).
- Physical Description:
- xiv, 320 pages : illustration ; 24 cm
- Edition:
- First edition.
- Place of Publication:
- New York, NY : W.W. Norton & Company, [2024]
- Summary:
- "Shocking revelations of a wife's adultery explode in an incendiary nineteenth-century trial, exposing upper-crust New York society and its secrets. What could possibly go wrong in a wealthy matriarch's country home when her dilettante son, his restless wife, and his widowed brother live there together? Strong Passions, rooted in the beguiling times of Edith Wharton's 'old New York,' recounts the true story of a tumultuous marriage. In 1862, Mary Strong stunned her husband, Peter, by confessing to a two-year affair with his brother. Peter sued Mary for divorce for adultery--the only grounds in New York--but not before she accused him of forcing her into an abortion and having his own affair with the abortionist. She then kidnapped their young daughter and disappeared. The divorce trial Strong v. Strong riveted the nation during the final throes and aftermath of the Civil War, offering a shocking glimpse into the private world of New York's powerful and privileged elite. Barbara Weisberg presents the chaotic courtroom and panoply of witnesses--governess, housekeeper, private detective, sisters-in-law, and many others--who provided contradictory and often salacious testimony. She then asks us to be the jury, deciding each spouse's guilt and the possibility of a just resolution. Social history at its most intimate, Strong Passions charts a trial's twists and turns to portray a family and country in turmoil as they faced conflicts over women's changing roles, male custody of children, and men's power--financial and otherwise--over wives"-- Amazon.com.
- Contents:
- A marriageable girl
- A good, honest, warm-hearted fellow
- Initiations
- A handsome young matron - Wedding, baptisms, and funerals
- Revelations
- Maneuvers
- The tenant of Waverly Place
- Criminal charges
- A civil judge and jury
- Opening for the plaintiff
- The governess
- The bishop's wife
- Eyes and ears everywhere
- The judge's daughter
- A fishing expedition
- Opening for the defendant
- A resolute old man
- Delicate health
- Sister, nurse, undertaker
- A mental aberration
- The matter of Mrs. Potter
- Accusations and rebuttals
- Closing time
- A long and painful investigation
- Post-trial battles
- The changing world.
- Notes:
- Includes bibliographical references (pages 275-297) and index.
- Local Notes:
- Athenaeum copy: Miller Fund bookplate.
- Acquired for the Penn Libraries with assistance from the Alumni and Friends Memorial Book Fund.
- ISBN:
- 9780393531527
- 039353152X
- OCLC:
- 1379265265
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