One of the parts of writing historical fiction that I enjoy the most is being able to connect with my characters as the real people they once were. I like to look beyond libraries for other kinds of inspiration, hunting for whatever these people left behind - whether letters, clothing, or portraits, a favorite plate or a well-worn ring - that has been preserved by museums, historic sites, and other collections. It all comes together to spark my imagination, and helps bring these people back to life in my stories. They become real to me, which in turn (I hope!) helps make them real to readers as well.
But with Mary Emmons, the heroine of The Secret Wife of Aaron Burr, I didn’t have the luxury of museum collections and heirlooms. There are no surviving images of her, no letters, no diary, no baby clothes that she made or recipes that she cooked. With Mary, I had to dig deeper for my inspiration to discover who she was. As I’ve written here before, the only thing that definitely survived from her lifetime were her two children, and the descendants that followed them to the present day.
These same descendants gathered with more distant Burr cousins near Philadelphia in late August to honor John Pierre Burr - the son of Mary Emmons and Aaron Burr - with a new headstone to mark his grave, and to reaffirm his heritage as the son of Aaron Burr. The reunion and the ceremony were coordinated by descendant Sherri Burr, an attorney and professor at the University of New Mexico, who also shared new findings from her continuing research into the family’s history.
John Pierre (1792-1864) was originally buried in Mount Olive cemetery in West Philadelphia. Early in the 20thc, his remains and those of his wife Hester “Hetty” Emory Burr, were moved to Eden Cemetery in Collingswood, not far from the city line. Eden Cemetery was founded in 1902 with the purpose of providing a respectful final resting place for the African American community in the Philadelphia area, and it continues to do so today.
You can read about the ceremony, and how it brought together the extended Burr family as well as members of the Aaron Burr Association and the Sons of the American Revolution in this article from the Washington Post. While the journalist scrambles a few things, her story does capture the joy of the day and the pride the family takes in their illustrious ancestors.
Several weeks later, I was honored to visit Eden Cemetery with Karla Ballard Williams, a 5x great-granddaughter of Mary Emmons and Aaron Burr. The morning was beautiful, with a clear blue sky and the scent of new-mown grass, and Karla and I were alone, the only visitors. She quickly led me to the elegant new headstone, the polished black marble gleaming bright and standing tall among other, more settled stones. But while John Pierre deserves to be honored - he was an abolitionist, a conductor on the Underground Railroad, and a respected and important African-American leader in 19thc Philadelphia - I’d come with another purpose.
In addition to John Pierre and Hetty, the remains of other family members are buried in the same grave. Records were mislaid when the graves were moved over a hundred years ago, and while their exact identities were lost, the family believes that Mary Emmons herself is buried here with her son and daughter-in-law. Standing there before the grave, I believed it, too.
Together Karla and I sat on the grass, burned sage, and spoke of her ancestors, of connections between the past and the present. Then she stepped back to let me have a few moments alone with Mary.
Because Mary was there. I could sense her presence in the warmth of the late-summer sun and the surrounding peace that she so richly deserved. I told her how honored I’d been to imagine her story, how much she’d inspired me, and how much I’d come to admire her. I asked for her blessing, but more importantly I also asked her forgiveness for the things I’d inevitably imagined wrong. I’d often felt Mary’s spirit and strength guiding me while I was writing, and I’d done my best to listen, and find the words that she would want. This moment seemed the fitting culmination to what she and I had shared together, and a privilege it was in every way.
Many thanks to Karla Ballard Williams for guiding me to her ancestors' resting place, & letting me honor them with her.
My latest historical novel, The Secret Wife of Aaron Burr, is now available everywhere. Order here.