Ellen Tucker Emerson was the second child and eldest daughter of Ralph Waldo Emerson and Lidian Jackson Emerson. Born on February 25, 1839, she was named after Emerson’s first wife, Ellen Tucker, who was deceased.
Emerson understood the importance of education for all and ensured that Ellen was well schooled by educators, including Elizabeth Cary Agassiz, wife of biologist Louis Agassiz and a dedicated teacher who became the first president of Radcliffe College; Franklin Sanborn, Concord educator and one of abolitionist John Brown’s “secret six;” and Elizabeth Sedgwick, who founded the Sedgwick School for Young Ladies in Lenox to enable girls to expand their knowledge. By the time Ellen’s formal schooling ended in 1858, she was able to speak and translate French and German, capabilities she was able to draw on for the rest of her life.
But Ellen’s education encompassed much more than formal schooling. As her friend Louisa May Alcott said, “Life is my college…” Ellen’s choices and accomplishments throughout her life were affected by exposure to some of Concord’s literary elite—including her father—as well as naturalists, leading educators, and strong women who took on the challenges of the day.
courtesy of the authorA Writer and Observer
Observation, reading, and writing were valued and encouraged in the Emerson household. Ellen’s inner circle in Concord included Little Women author Louisa May Alcott and naturalist/writer Henry David Thoreau. Louisa May Alcott’s first published book, Flower Fables, was dedicated to Ellen.
Ralph Waldo Emerson urged friends and family to keep journals. In a letter to her father in 1846 (Ellen was seven) she wrote, “You have requested me to write you a journal.” Her letter writing served as her journal until 1907 (she died in 1909) as she chronicled her journeys, memorable events, and involvement in church and academic activities. Providing us today with an extensive look into Emerson family life, Ellen’s letters also share her experiences away from home during stressful times. An example is a long letter written during the Civil War, composed in 1862, that records her experience volunteering at the Portsmouth Grove Military Hospital. She wrote, “I was left alone with a hundred convalescent soldiers for two to three hours and asked every question that I had long been wishing to have answered. I made a friend there whose conversation was so delightful that I have written out a good deal of it…” In 1863 she wrote about meeting Colonel Robert Shaw, the leader of the 54th Massachusetts Black regiment, as he was about to go off to war.
In addition to her letters, Ellen authored a biography of her mother, The Life of Lidian Jackson Emerson, which provided a view of her mother’s wit, beliefs, and extensive contributions to the development of one of the greatest American literary figures in history, Ralph Waldo Emerson.
During Emerson’s last years and after his death, Ellen aided James Elliot Cabot —her father’s literary executor, friend, and biographer— in completing A Memoir of Ralph Waldo Emerson, published in 1887.
Ellen Emerson’s traveling coat, called a Duster
| ©Barbara Ellen EwenA Student of Nature
Henry David Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson were naturalists who were inspired by the fields, farms, and woods of Concord, including Walden Pond where Emerson owned land and Thoreau built his cabin. After moving into his cabin, Thoreau began to write Walden.
Emerson shared his knowledge of nature with his children through frequent walks. Ellen wrote, “Whenever we walked with him, he told us the name of every flower, and showed us how many pine-needles in each sheath the two kinds of pines had, and how the lichens grew thickest on the north side of the tree...” During the 1840’s Thoreau lived with the Emersons for more than two years and, when not in residence, was a frequent visitor. He, too, shared his extensive knowledge of all things natural with Ellen, Edith, and Edward through outings into the countryside.
Ellen embraced this given knowledge of the natural world throughout her life. She took multiple camping trips to “Monadnoc” with her brother Edward, trips to Vermont and Maine with her father, and cultivated gardens at the Emerson home.
Ellen Emerson alongside her donkey, Gloriosa, with Edith Emerson in the saddle
| Courtesy of Concord Free Public LibraryA Manager, Educator, and Planner
Ellen was surrounded by strong women in Concord who were courageous and exhibited leadership. Women she knew and observed included the active members of the Ladies Anti-Slavery Society of Concord; Elizabeth Peabody, a publisher, transcendentalist, and teacher; Anne Whiting and Sarah Sanborn who stopped U.S. Marshalls from arresting John Brown associate Franklin Sanborn; and Sarah Alden Bradford Ripley, educator and classical scholar.
Preparing to take on an important leadership role of her own, Ellen wrote in 1856, “This is supposed to be my last year at school. The next year will probably be an apprentice-ship in house-keeping and that I hope to have begun my career as superintendent of the house.” Her mother was often ill, so Ellen began to run the Emerson household at age 17. She paid the bills, ensured the family coffers did not run out of money, hired and managed staff, ordered necessities for the house, and provided support when needed for Emerson’s obligations, trips, and events.
Leveraging her own educational background, Ellen taught Sunday school at First Parish Church in Concord for 40 years and was appointed to Concord’s School Committee—the first woman in Concord to serve—and held the position from 1870 to 1876. She additionally was an active participant in the Social Aid Society during the Civil War, a member of the Fine Arts Committee, and the instigator of social activities in Concord to bring her neighbors together.
A World Traveler
Travel to Europe was not uncommon for those wanting to expand their literary or artistic exposure. Ralph Waldo Emerson went abroad three times and his son Edward also traveled in Europe. Ellen finally had her first opportunity in 1868 when she traveled to Fayal in the Azores. She wrote about the plentiful fresh fruit, the dress and habits of the natives, and of her donkey rides. She wrote, “I felt exactly as if the donkey was an enchanted chair that chose to carry me hither and thither. I didn’t touch the bridle, but held on tight and enjoyed myself.” Her enjoyment was fortuitous because subsequent to her visit, Ellen was sent a donkey from the Azores named Gloriosa.
In 1872 after a fire at the Emerson house forced the family to leave until repairs could be made, Ellen traveled with her father to Europe, Egypt, and down the Nile River. Starting in England in early November, they journeyed from England to Paris, to Florence, to Rome, to Naples, and finally to Alexandria on Christmas day. Once they completed the cruise down the Nile, they reversed their travels from Egypt back to England and returned to Concord in May of 1873. Ellen handled all the very complicated arrangements, dealt with unexpected challenges, and recorded what they saw, who they met, and highlights of the trip.
Ellen Emerson certainly did not experience the notoriety and recognition of her father and her very famous friends—nor did she want to—but led a fascinating life, enriched by her intelligence and desire to always be learning.