Chapter 2: Christmas in Baltimore
Nothing to celebrate here
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Release Date: July 2, 2024
Aimee Henry's classmates at Mrs. Mead's School for Girls in Norwalk, CT, likely had a more nuanced understanding of her situation than had previous classmates, and perhaps even Aimee herself had when she arrived in 1905.
They quickly recognized "Aunt Martha" for what she was – a guardian. And, keenly aware of the social dynamics and potential stigma associated with being under a guardian's care, they set about determining who Aimee was and where she fit on the social ladder they were climbing, a ladder that could determine future prospects and social standing.
There were, after all, just three scenarios for which Aimee would need a guardian: her parents were incapacitated and unable to care for her, she was an orphan and had been taken in by a benevolent family member or friend, or she was an illegitimate child of someone with a social reputation to protect.
And each could easily explain Aimee's evasive behavior and frequent lies.
On Wednesday, July 10, 1907, 43-year-old Mary Martha Parker married her longtime attorney and confidant, Archibald Henderson Taylor. The wedding was held at her summer home in Port Chester, NY, just 24 miles from Norwalk, CT, where Aimee was attending Mrs. Mead's School for Girls.
Despite the proximity, Mary Martha’s nuptials came as a complete shock to Aimee, who would later say she'd heard the news from a friend who'd read it in the newspaper.
But Aimee hadn't been the only one caught off-guard.
This is from the morning edition of the July 10, 1907, Baltimore Sun:
The marriage of Mr. Taylor will come as a surprise to most of his friends, as the engagement was announced but two or three days ago. 1
In the days following the mid-week wedding, dozens of announcements appeared in prominent newspapers up and down the East Coast, from New York City to Washington D.C. and from Boston to Alexandria, VA. Nearly all the announcements prominently highlighted the family lineages of the bride and groom, including this one which appeared in the Baltimore Globe on July 14.
A marriage of much interest in society here and elsewhere, which took place on Wednesday (July 10) in Port Chester, NY, was that of Miss Mary M. Parker, daughter of the late Richard Parker of Boston, with Mr. Archibald Henderson Taylor of Baltimore. The event, however, was a very quiet one, taking place at noon at the summer home of the bride at Port Chester in the presence of members of the two families and a few intimate friends only. The bride was given away by her brother, Mr. James Parker, of Boston. There were no attendants.
The union connects some of the most historical lines of New England and the South. In addition to her distinguished Parker ancestry, the bride is a granddaughter on her maternal side of the late Charles Thorndike of this city, who married a Miss Purnell of “The Plains”, one of the beautiful old colonial manors of Caroline County, MD. The late Allen Thorndike Rice, who was appointed U.S. Minister to Russia under Cleveland, and who died on the eve of sailing to his post, was a cousin. Personally, she is a very attractive and talented woman, who has been highly educated and has traveled extensively.
Mr. Taylor is a Virginian by birth, his native place being the quaint old town of Alexandria, but for a number of years he has resided in Baltimore, where he is a leading member of the bar. His maternal grandfather was Robert Johnstone Taylor of the Supreme Court of the United States, while his maternal grandfather was Gen. Archibald Henderson, one of the heroes of the War of 1812 and of the Seminole and Greek Wars. He is a graduate of the University of Virginia and a member of the Maryland University and Bachelor’s Cotillion Clubs of Baltimore… 2
And at least one article out of Baltimore even went so far as to include a complete guest list. Noticeably absent on that list were Dr. and Mrs. Charles Parker, as well as Miss Aimee Henry. In fact, other than Mary Martha’s brother, James, who gave her away, the only member of the Parker family in attendance was Anna Parker Lowell Lowell, Mary Martha’s cousin and the wife of Harvard University President, Abbott Lawrence Lowell. 3
The media's interest in the newlyweds extended well beyond their wedding day, however. Even in late August, newspapers were still captivated by the unforeseen union, reporting that Mr. and Mrs. Archibald H. Taylor were embarking on a two-month tour of Europe while their Baltimore home was being prepared.
When classes at Mrs. Mead's School resumed a few weeks later, Aimee was likely still grappling with the fallout of Mary Martha's unexpected marriage to Archibald.
At 16, Aimee had few expectations when it came to the woman she called "Aunt Martha." Although theirs was the only stable and longstanding relationship in her life, it was not close. There's little to indicate Aimee felt comfortable confiding in Mary Martha, for example, or that the two were in regular contact. Instead, Mary Martha kept Aimee at a distance. She dutifully provided for her education and physical well-being and paid surrogates to do the rest.
On a personal level, Aimee may have been hurt by Mary Martha's lack of concern, but she likely wasn't surprised.
What may have surprised her, however, was that Mary Martha's new husband hadn't shown more care.
After all, Aimee had known the charismatic Virginian for as long as she could remember.
It had been Archibald who'd arranged for her to live with his law professor's daughter, Mary Lancelot Minor, in Charlottesville, VA when Aimee left the home of Orin and Etta Byers as a child. And when that arrangement hadn't worked out, he'd accompanied Aimee on the journey from Virginia to Mary Martha's estate in Rhinebeck-on-the-Hudson, NY.
Aimee's expectations about Archibald may have been very different.
By all accounts, Archibald Henderson Taylor was a true Southern gentleman. Although a fierce legal and political force to be reckoned with, he also worked diligently to protect the lives and rights of those in need, including orphans, abandoned children, women, the working poor, and minorities. He was a philanthropist and generous contributor to worthy causes, a champion of social justice and human dignity and a good and honorable man.
Yet, he hadn’t intervened.
So, yes, Aimee was taken aback, but on a deeper level, she may also have been consumed by a profound sense of betrayal. Mary Martha and Archibald, two people who held the old money ideals of decorum, discretion and social propriety in the highest regard, had seemingly abandoned those values through their thoughtless actions.
By excluding Mary Martha's so-called niece from the guest list and withholding information from her about their impending nuptials, the newlyweds shattered the protective facade that had been built up around Aimee a decade or more earlier, opening them and her to unwanted attention, speculation and questions.
When Mary Martha and Archibald sailed off to Europe that fall, a suddenly much more vulnerable Aimee found herself terrifyingly alone and forced to fend for herself.
As word spread among Aimee’s classmates that she hadn't been among those on the short list of family members and intimate friends in attendance but had instead heard about her aunt's marriage after the fact, speculation about the relationship between guardian and charge must have reached a fevered pitch.
If the two were related in some way, certainly social protocol would require Aimee to be notified of the marriage, even if she were not included on the list of invited guests.
On the other hand, if aunt were merely a term of respect, what would that mean to the relationship?
Was Mary Martha a uncaring guardian, or was she something more?
And, while Aimee likely did her best to sidestep the questions of her classmates, her own questions must have grown.
Who am I?
Where do I belong?
Will I ever know?
Sometime after Thanksgiving of 1907, Thursday, November 28 as declared by President Theodore Roosevelt, Aimee received a telegraph requesting her presence in Baltimore at the start of the coming winter break. Physically exhausted and emotionally battered and bruised from the previous months of relentless inquisition and inuendo, Aimee made the decision to honor the request, and vowed to use the visit to finally confront Mary Martha about their relationship.
It's not known how long Aimee stayed in Baltimore with Mary Martha and Archibald, or what conversations took place.
It’s possible Aimee approached the task she’d given herself discreetly.
She may have shared stories she’d heard from classmates about ancestors who’d built vast empires or settled cities, and encouraged Archibald to share details of his own illustrious family, one grandfather had been a Supreme Court Justice, and another General-in-Chief of the United States Marine Corp.
Maybe Aimee stroked Mary Martha’s ego, feigning interest in the many exclusionary hereditary and lineage organizations to which she belonged, The Society of Colonial Dames of America, The Daughters of the American Revolution and others.
But, eventually, emboldened by the righteous, innate, and fundamental need to know one's identity, Aimee stopped beating around the bush and asked Mary Martha the question that had haunted her heart for as long as she could remember: Where do I belong?
There must have been a long, tense pause. Then Mary Martha had spoken, wielding her words like the sharpest of weapons.
"Your father and mother were never married. The sin of a child born out of wedlock is something you can never live down. They may be dead, but the burden of their sin — it will be on you for as long you live." 4
Copyright 2024 Lori Olson White
So, what do you think? How would you react to such shocking news? How do you think Aimee did, and what motivated Mary Martha to share this news with Aimee? Let’s start a conversation and see where it leads!
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Chapter Endnotes
1 “Mr. A.H. Taylor weds Today: Lawyer will Marry Miss Parker, of Port Chester, NY".” Baltimore sun, July 10, 1907, p. 6
2 Table Gossip, The Boston Globe, Boston, MA July 14, 190,7 p 44 .
3 “Mr. Taylor’s Wedding”, Alexandria (VA) Gazette, Alexandria, VA, July 11, 1907, p.3.
4 “Mr. A.H. Taylor Weds; Widely Known Baltimore Lawyer a Benedict: Merry Party at Breakfast: After a Tour, which may include Europe, the Bride and Groom will live Here.”Baltimore Sun, July 11, 1907, p7
5 [1] International Feature Service, Inc. Great Britain, “Astonishing Secrets behind the Morecroft Fight for Millions — and the Bar Sinister; Sworn Statement of the Dainty Divorcee that She is the Natural Daughter of Rich “400” Widow, Whose Vast Estates She Would Share after Harrowing Experiences in Schools, Hospitals and Sanitariums while kept in the Dark,” Star Tribune, November 25, 1928.
Wow, wow, wow!! Gripping story. Told beautifully! Looking forward to the next chapter.
Just finding you...fascinating story!
Personally stopped in my tracks to learn that May Street in Worcester had such a home, and that it became a historic district. I lived at 137 May Street in the mid-1980s, so the opening in Chapter One brought me right back there through the lens of time -- the story's and my own. Then all that talk about the Parkers...in 2000, we bought what we call "The Parker House" in Orange MA. Am riveted by your story on its own, and for me there's an overlay that I don't quite know what to call.