Hetty_ The Genius and Madness of America's First Female Tycoon - Charles Slack [121]
Llewellyn Howland III, an author, editor, and publisher who is an indirect relation to Hetty Green, shared his extensive knowledge of the New Bedford Howlands and his thoughts on Hetty, and pointed me toward several crucial books and other sources. He also introduced me to two people in South Dartmouth, Massachusetts (home to the Greens’ Round Hill estate), who were particularly helpful. Captain Noel Hill, the son of Ned Green’s Round Hill caretaker Bert Hill, invited me into his home and gave me unrestricted access to his remarkable collection of papers, photographs, and other documents related to Colonel Green and Round Hill. Barbara Fortin Bedell, a resident of one of the homes on the Round Hill estate, shared her knowledge of the Colonel, much of which is collected in her excellent book, Colonel Edward Howland Robinson Green and the World He Created at Round Hill.
In New York City, I owe thanks to the staff of the New-York Historical Society, where I spent a great deal of time scanning microfilm copies of New York newspapers and poring over books on New York history. The New York Public Library was another vital resource for period newspapers and journals, as well as several hard-to-find books. The Museum of American Financial History is a small gem located on lower Broadway, a stone’s throw from the site of the old Chemical National Bank and Hetty’s other Wall Street haunts. I found many helpful books, bank records, and other materials in the museum’s library, with the help of assistant director Meg Ventrudo. Shelley Diamond of the JP Morgan Chase Archives Department in lower Manhattan located and copied historical information on Chemical National Bank, including lists of depositors from Hetty’s time, photographs, and so forth.
In Bellows Falls, Vermont, Chris Burchstead of the Rockingham Free Public Library pointed me to thick files of clippings on Hetty and her family, and allowed me to examine original letters and other items in the library’s second-floor museum. Local historian Robert Ashcroft gave me a tour of Bellows Falls. Thanks also to Rockingham town clerk Doreen Aldrich, and Wanda Blanchard of the Westminster Probate Court for their help in locating and copying birth and death records, wills, deeds, and other records.
Robert Foster, of the Hoboken Historical Museum in New Jersey, showed me around Hoboken, helped me visualize the town as it would have appeared during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, and shared his bountiful knowledge of local history. In neighboring Jersey City, I owe thanks to Joseph Donnelly and Bruce Brandt of the Jersey City Library.
Thanks also to James McCord of the Terrell Heritage Society in Terrell, Texas; Helen Nichols Battleson of Urbanna, Virginia, a descendant and genealogist of the Robinson family; and to the Historical Society of the town of Greenwich. The American Antiquarian Society in Worcester, Massachusetts, Harvard University Law Library, Harvard’s Widener Library, the Library of Congress, and the Trumbull Public Library in Connecticut all opened their doors to me.
I owe immeasurable thanks to my wife, Barbara, for her constant support and encouragement through my highs and lows, and to my daughters, Natalie and Caroline, who make life so sweet, and to JoAnn and Anthony DiPanni. Among those who read the manuscript and made valuable suggestions are my father, Warner Slack, physician, teacher, and author, whose steadfast support and encouragement continue to amaze me; Dean King, who has shown me by his example how to be a professional writer of books; and Claudio Phillips, a trusted friend and wise reader.
I must also thank my agent and friend Andrew Blauner, a wise and gentle guide for the past seven years. Julia Serebrinsky, my editor at Ecco Press, took