Hello, Sir and Madam, allow me to
introduce myself, I'm JULIA BOGGS DENT GRANT. I have chosen, AntietamCW/Peggy,
through whom I wish to tell my story.
I was born on White Haven
Plantation, to "Colonel" Frederick Dent, and Ellen Bray Wrenshall Dent,
on January 26,1826. I was one of their eight children. We children,
were evenly divided between boys and girls.
My mother believed in education of
ALL children, including we girls. You could say, our family was
considered wealthy, by the standards of the times. This wealth allowed
me to attend the Mauro Boarding School. I loved literature and detested
mathematics. Roman numerals were the bane of my boarding school days.
I returned from boarding school, in
1844, and met the man I would love and share my life with until his
passing in 1885. He was. my brother Fred's roommate at West Point. A
dashing young man, by the name of, Ulysses Grant. Ulysses and I
courted, but my father did not approve of my chosen one's profession.
You see young army men did not earn the type of money, my father
thought, would make me comfortable. Just before Ulysses, was ordered to
Louisiana, we became informally engaged, unknown to my father.
We were married. at last on August
22,1848. One of my many cousins, were in attendance. One of whom. you
may have heard of, James Longstreet. He was one of my grooms
attendants. My in-laws, refused to come for the wedding, because my
family was a slave holding family.
Some say my husband was a drunkard.
NOT SO !!!!!!! Sam only drunk when he was lonely for his family, as
when he was stationed in the northwest. Once he left the army or back
in it during THE WAR, he did not drink. We had a hard life together and
moved many times, from Detroit to Sacketts Harbor, New York. We finally
settled in Galena, Illinois.
I won't go into the years of THE
WAR. AntietamCW/Peggy assures me that these years are well documented.
I loved the years in the White House,
maybe more than at anytime in our life together. Our only daughter,
Ellen (Nelly) was married there in 1874. This may surprise you, but
during our time in the White House I forbade SMOKING. There was an
exception to that rule, my "General" and his ever present cigars. My
Tuesday receptions were opened to ALL and I do mean All. It was only
later, that I learned, that the White House Staff were denying entry to
my reception to all "colored people" <AntietamCW/Peggy tells me that term is no
longer acceptable, but I insist on using the terms of my era>.
I left the White House, sadly in
1877. Yes I did shed a tear as we left, because as I said before, I
loved living there. "The General" and I traveled the world, after
departing the White House. Our reception in Europe was like that for
visiting royalty.
My dashing "General" lost his
valiant fight with cancer in 1885. Only 20 years after the war that
made him famous. I lived long enough to see the new century in, coming
to rest beside my beloved "General' in 1902
AntietamCW/Peggy, tells me that my memoirs were
finally published in 1975. I want to thank AntietamCW/Peggy for allowing me to
speak to you, through her from the across "the Great Divide"
