Martha Stewart "Mittie" Roosevelt ( Bulloch; July 8, 1835 – February 14, 1884) was an American socialite. She was the mother of U.S. President

Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. (October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), also known as Teddy or T.R., was the 26th president of the United States, serving from 1901 to 1909. Roosevelt previously was involved in New York (state), New York politics, incl ...

and the paternal grandmother of

Eleanor Roosevelt Anna Eleanor Roosevelt ( ; October 11, 1884November 7, 1962) was an American political figure, diplomat, and activist. She was the longest-serving First Lady of the United States, first lady of the United States, during her husband Franklin D ...

. She was a great-granddaughter of

Archibald Bulloch Archibald Stobo Bulloch (January 1, 1730 – February 22, 1777) was an American lawyer, military officer and politician who served as the seventh governor of Georgia from 1776 to 1777. Born in the Province of South Carolina, Bulloch fought in t ...

, grandniece of

William Bellinger Bulloch William Bellinger Bulloch (1777 – May 6, 1852) was an American Senator from Georgia. He was the youngest son of Archibald Bulloch, uncle to James Stephens Bulloch, granduncle to James Dunwoody Bulloch, Martha Bulloch Roosevelt, and Irvi ...

, and granddaughter of General Daniel Stewart. A true

Southern belle "Southern belle" () is a colloquialism for a debutante or other fashionable young woman of European heritage in the planter class of the Antebellum South, particularly as a romantic counterpart to the Southern gentleman. Characteristics Th ...

raised in Georgia, Roosevelt is thought to have been one of the inspirations for

Scarlett O'Hara Katie Scarlett O'Hara is the protagonist of Margaret Mitchell's 1936 in literature, 1936 novel ''Gone with the Wind (novel), Gone with the Wind'' and the 1939 Gone with the Wind (film), film of the same name, where she is portrayed by Vivien Le ...

.McCullough, pg. 47.

Childhood

Mittie was born in

Hartford, Connecticut Hartford is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The city, located in Hartford County, Connecticut, Hartford County, had a population of 121,054 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 ce ...

, on July 8, 1835, to

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

residents Major

James Stephens Bulloch James Stephens Bulloch (1793 – February 18, 1849) was an early Georgia settler and planter. Bulloch was a grandson of Georgia governor Archibald Bulloch and a nephew of Senator William Bellinger Bulloch. He was also the maternal grandfather of ...

(1793–1849) and Martha "Patsy" Stewart (1799–1864). She had an elder sister, Anna Louisa Bulloch (1833–1893), and two younger brothers, Charles Irvine Bulloch (1838–1841) and

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

Confederate veteran Irvine Stephens Bulloch (1842–1898). Through her father's first marriage to Hester Amarintha "Hettie" Elliott (1797–1831), she had two elder half brothers: *John Elliott Bulloch (1818–1821) *

James Dunwoody Bulloch James Dunwoody Bulloch (June 25, 1823 – January 7, 1901) was the Confederacy's chief foreign agent in Great Britain during the American Civil War. Based in Liverpool, he operated blockade runners and commerce raiders that provided the Confed ...

(1823–1901), Civil War Confederate veteran Through her mother's first marriage to Senator John Elliott (father of Hettie), she also had four elder half siblings: *Susan Ann Elliott (1820–1905) *Georgia Amanda Elliott (1822–1848) *Charles William Elliott (1824–1827) *Daniel Stewart "Stuart" Elliott (1826–1861), who died of tuberculosis while serving in the

Confederate Army The Confederate States Army (CSA), also called the Confederate army or the Southern army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fi ...

during the Civil War. When Mittie was three, Major Bulloch moved the family from

Savannah, Georgia Savannah ( ) is the oldest city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia and the county seat of Chatham County, Georgia, Chatham County. Established in 1733 on the Savannah River, the city of Savannah became the Kingdom of Great Brita ...

, to

Cobb County Cobb County is a county in the U.S. state of Georgia, and is a core county of the Atlanta metropolitan area in the north-central portion of the state. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 766,149. It is the state's third most populous cou ...

in north Georgia and the new village that would become Roswell. It lies just north of the

Chattahoochee River The Chattahoochee River () is a river in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern United States. It forms the southern half of the Alabama and Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia border, as well as a portion of the Florida and Georgia border. It ...

and the city of

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

, and Major Bulloch had gone there to become a partner in a new cotton mill with

Roswell King Roswell King (May 3, 1765 – February 15, 1844) was an American businessman, planter, slave owner, and industrialist. Together with his son, Barrington King, he founded Roswell Manufacturing Company in the Georgia Piedmont, establishing a cotton ...

, the town's founder. Bulloch had a mansion built, and, soon after it was completed in 1839, the family moved into

Bulloch Hall Bulloch Hall is a Greek Revival Plantation house in the Southern United States, mansion in Roswell, Georgia, built in 1839. It is one of several historically significant buildings in the city and is listed on the National Register of Historic P ...

. As a significant

antebellum Antebellum, Latin for "before war", may refer to: United States history * Antebellum South, the pre-American Civil War period in the Southern US ** Antebellum Georgia ** Antebellum South Carolina ** Antebellum Virginia * Antebellum architectu ...

structure, it has been listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

. The Bullochs were a wealthy planter family, members of the Georgia elite. In 1850, they held 31 African-American slaves, most of whom worked in their cotton fields. Others were assigned to such domestic tasks as cooking, sewing and related work. Recent research in Bulloch records identified 33 enslaved black people who were owned by the family. They have been commemorated on a plaque on the mansion grounds. Like all of her siblings, Mittie was assigned an enslaved child - Lavinia - to act as her personal "shadow". Lavinia acted as Mittie's companion and went everywhere with her; stopping outside the classroom when Mittie went inside and sleeping on a mat by her side at night. Mittie was a student at the South Carolina Female Collegiate Institute in

Columbia, South Carolina Columbia is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of South Carolina. With a population of 136,632 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is List of municipalities in South Carolina, the second-mo ...

. After Major Bulloch's death in 1849, the family's fortunes declined somewhat, but Mittie was given a grand wedding to

Theodore Roosevelt Sr. Theodore Roosevelt Sr. (September 22, 1831 – February 9, 1878) was an American businessman and philanthropist from the Roosevelt family. Roosevelt was also the father of President Theodore Roosevelt and the paternal grandfather of First Lady E ...

in 1853. Later, as was expected of young Southern gentlemen, Mittie's brothers Irvine and James fought in the

Confederate A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a political union of sovereign states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issu ...

officers. They both lived in

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

after the war. Her half brother, Daniel Elliott, died early in the war from tuberculosis. It is believed by some that the character of

, in

Margaret Mitchell Margaret Munnerlyn Mitchell (November 8, 1900 – August 16, 1949) was an American novelist and journalist. Mitchell wrote only one novel that was published during her lifetime, the American Civil War-era novel ''Gone With the Wind (novel), Gone ...

's novel, ''

Gone With the Wind Gone with the Wind most often refers to: * Gone with the Wind (novel), ''Gone with the Wind'' (novel), a 1936 novel by Margaret Mitchell * Gone with the Wind (film), ''Gone with the Wind'' (film), the 1939 adaptation of the novel Gone with the Wind ...

'', was based partly on Mittie. Mitchell had, in fact, interviewed Mittie's closest childhood friend and bridesmaid, Evelyn King, for a story in the ''Atlanta Journal'' newspaper in the early 1920s. During that interview, Mittie's beauty, charm and fun-loving nature were described in detail.

Marriage to Theodore Roosevelt Sr.

Mittie married Theodore Roosevelt Sr. on December 22, 1853, at the

Greek Revival Greek Revival architecture is a architectural style, style that began in the middle of the 18th century but which particularly flourished in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in northern Europe, the United States, and Canada, ...

-style family mansion

in Roswell; they were wedded in front of the pocket doors in the formal dining room. After their honeymoon, the couple moved into their new home at 28 East 20th Street,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

, a wedding present from C.V.S. Roosevelt. Each of C.V.S.'s elder sons lived near his own house at 14th Street and Broadway in Union Square. Shortly afterward, her mother, Patsy, and sister, Anna Bulloch, moved north to join Theodore and Mittie in New York. Mittie bore four children: * Anna "Bamie/Bye" Roosevelt (1855–1931) * Theodore "T.R." Roosevelt Jr. (1858–1919) *

Elliott Roosevelt Elliott Roosevelt may refer to: * Elliott Roosevelt (socialite) (1860–1894), American socialite, father-in-law of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, father of Eleanor Roosevelt, younger brother of President Theodore Roosevelt, and grandfather of G ...

(1860–1894) * Corinne Roosevelt (1861–1933)

Life after Roswell

During the war, Mittie was terrified for her brothers, Irvine and James. Irvine was the youngest officer on the CSS ''Alabama'', firing the last gun before the ship sank in battle off the coast of

Cherbourg Cherbourg is a former Communes of France, commune and Subprefectures in France, subprefecture located at the northern end of the Cotentin peninsula in the northwestern French departments of France, department of Manche. It was merged into the com ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, while James was a Confederate agent in England, Scotland and Wales. These emotional crises were mitigated somewhat by the maturity and management skills of Mittie's elder daughter, Bamie, who stepped into a leadership role at a young age, especially when her father, nicknamed "Thee", was out of town in Washington, visiting

Lincoln Lincoln most commonly refers to: * Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the 16th president of the United States * Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England * Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S. * Lincoln (na ...

and lobbying Congress for programs to support the Northern troops in the field and their families back home. "Thee", a Northerner himself, left his conflicted home situation to serve for the Union cause, acting as an Allotment Commissioner for New York and traveling to persuade soldiers to send a percentage of their wages to their families. During her children's education, the family traveled to Europe, predominantly spending time in England, France, Switzerland, Italy,

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

and

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

from May 1869 to May 1870. They later went on an extended boat trip down the

Nile The Nile (also known as the Nile River or River Nile) is a major north-flowing river in northeastern Africa. It flows into the Mediterranean Sea. The Nile is the longest river in Africa. It has historically been considered the List of river sy ...

, a trip through the Holy Land, and on to Vienna, Germany and France from October 1872 to November 1873. On this second tour, Theodore Sr. returned to America to go back to work and oversee the building of the new family home at Number 6 West 57th Street. The three youngest children stayed in

Dresden Dresden (; ; Upper Saxon German, Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; , ) is the capital city of the States of Germany, German state of Saxony and its second most populous city after Leipzig. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, 12th most p ...

, while Mittie and Bamie went to

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

and then the spa at

Carlsbad Carlsbad may refer to: Geographical locations * Carlsbad, California, San Diego County, United States ** Carlsbad Santa Fe Depot, NRHP ID No. 93001016 * Carlsbad, New Mexico, United States ** Carlsbad Caverns National Park ** Carlsbad Irriga ...

so that Mittie could restore her health.

Death

Mittie Roosevelt died of

typhoid fever Typhoid fever, also known simply as typhoid, is a disease caused by '' Salmonella enterica'' serotype Typhi bacteria, also called ''Salmonella'' Typhi. Symptoms vary from mild to severe, and usually begin six to 30 days after exposure. Often th ...

in the early morning of February 14, 1884, aged 48. On the afternoon of the same day and in the same house, Theodore's first wife, Alice Lee Roosevelt, unexpectedly died of

Bright's disease Bright's disease is a historical classification of kidney diseases that are described in modern medicine as acute or chronic nephritis. It was characterized by swelling and the presence of albumin in the urine. It was frequently accompanied ...

Alice Roosevelt Longworth Alice Lee Roosevelt Longworth (February 12, 1884 – February 20, 1980) was an American writer and socialite. She was the eldest child of U.S. president Theodore Roosevelt and his only child with his first wife, Alice Hathaway Lee Roosevelt. Lo ...

, Mittie's granddaughter, had been born two days earlier. Mittie is buried at

Green-Wood Cemetery Green-Wood Cemetery is a cemetery in the western portion of Brooklyn, New York City. The cemetery is located between South Slope, Brooklyn, South Slope/Greenwood Heights, Brooklyn, Greenwood Heights, Park Slope, Windsor Terrace, Brooklyn, Win ...

located in

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

Mittie described in her son's autobiography

In his autobiography published in 1913, her elder son Theodore described his mother with these words: "My mother, Martha Bulloch, was a sweet, gracious, beautiful Southern woman, a delightful companion and beloved by everybody. She was entirely 'unreconstructed' .e., sympathetic to the Southern Confederate causeto the day of her death."

Gallery

Image:Bulloch Hall Roswell GA.JPG,

, the

home of the

South South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both west and east. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sunþa ...

, is where Mittie grew up and was married. Image:Bulloch Hall, Dining Room.jpg, The fireplace mantle in the room where

and Mittie Bulloch were married. Image:Chapel-at-Green-Wood.jpg, Chapel at Green-Wood Cemetery, in Brooklyn, where Mittie is buried.

Sources

Primary sources

* Roosevelt, Theodore. ''An Autobiography.'' (1913) * Huddleston, Connie M. and Gwendolyn I. Koehler. "Mittie & Thee: An 1853 Roosevelt Romance." (nonfiction) (2015) * Huddleston, Connie M. and Gwendolyn I. Koehler. "Between the Wedding & the War: The Bulloch/Roosevelt Letters (1854–1860)" (2016)

Secondary sources

* Beale, Howard K. ''Theodore Roosevelt and the Rise of America to World Power'' (1956). * Brands, H.W. ''Theodore Roosevelt'' (2001) * Dalton, Kathleen. ''Theodore Roosevelt: A Strenuous Life.'' (2002) * Harbaugh, William Henry. ''The Life and Times of Theodore Roosevelt.'' (1963) * McCullough, David. '' Mornings on Horseback: The Story of an Extraordinary Family, a Vanished Way of Life, and the Unique Child Who Became Theodore Roosevelt'' (2001) * Morris, Edmund ''The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt'' (1979) * Morris, Edmund ''Theodore Rex''. (2001) * Mowry, George. ''The era of Theodore Roosevelt and the birth of modern America, 1900–1912.'' (1954)

References

External links

Bulloch Hall: Official Website

{{DEFAULTSORT:Roosevelt, Martha Bulloch 1835 births 1884 deaths American socialites Burials at Green-Wood Cemetery Bulloch family Deaths from typhoid fever in the United States Infectious disease deaths in New York (state) Mothers of presidents of the United States Mothers of vice presidents of the United States People from Hartford, Connecticut People from Roswell, Georgia

Martha Martha (Aramaic language, Aramaic: מָרְתָא‎) is a Bible, biblical figure described in the Gospels of Gospel of Luke, Luke and Gospel of John, John. Together with her siblings Lazarus of Bethany, Lazarus and Mary of Bethany, she is descr ...

Women slave owners American slave owners