Mary Cheney Greeley was more than just the wife of her famous husband, Horace. Learn about this fascinating and complex 19th-century woman.About this Event
"She was neurotic, but she had a steady nerve. She was angry, but she felt pity. She was baffled by housework, but she liked neatness. She wanted children, but she needed to control their love. She preferred solitude, but she cherished her friends. She wanted to be active, but she always felt poorly. And although she had physical courage, she was afraid of her life and the trap she had set for herself and that her loving husband had unwittingly sprung.
Finally, there is great value just in thinking about Mary for herself, as a person who lived a life of her own, rather than as the unwifely wife of a famous man. Yes, her marriage and motherhood were her primary achievements. But if women’s history teaches us anything, it is that perspective is everything. Male is not the default sex – or at least it shouldn’t be. Mary knew this. She was one of America’s original feminists – a close friend and ally of Susan B. Antony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton."
John Magoun is a high school history teacher with degrees from Harvard, NYU, and Columbia. He lived in Chappaqua for many years and volunteered for the New Castle Historical Society starting in 2011. He was a Trustee until 2019. He has also been active in the New Castle Historical Preservation Commission, researching the families and homes that have made Chappaqua a special place.
Event Venue
New Castle Historical Society/Horace Greeley House, 100 King Street, Chappaqua, United States
