A Biography of Martha Bulloch Roosevelt

Martha “Mittie” Bulloch was a true southern belle, born on July 8, 1835, in Hartford, Connecticut, to Major James Stephens Bulloch and Martha Elliott Bulloch. The family relocated to Roswell, Georgia, when Mittie was four years old, where they lived in the grand mansion, Bulloch Hall, and became recognized as a wealthy planter family. By 1850, they owned as many as 33 slaves, most of whom worked in their cotton fields.

Mittie married Theodore Roosevelt Sr. on December 22, 1853, in Bulloch Hall’s formal dining room. The couple moved to their new home in New York City’s East 20th Street, a wedding gift from Cornelius Van Schaack Roosevelt. They had four children, including future President Theodore Roosevelt and the paternal grandmother of First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt.

Mittie was known for her beauty, charm, and spirit and was considered a true southern belle. It is believed that Margaret Mitchell’s novel, “Gone with the Wind,” based the character of Scarlett O’Hara partly on her. Mittie’s family had Confederate sympathies, and her brothers James and Irvine fought for the Confederate forces, while her husband supported the Union forces.

In 1872, the Roosevelt family acquired a new home on 6 West 57th Street, where Mittie lived until her death. She died of typhoid fever on February 14, 1884, at the age of forty-eight. Her son Theodore’s first wife, Alice Lee Roosevelt, died on the same day and in the same house from Bright’s disease, a complication of childbirth. Mittie is buried at Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn, New York.

Mittie’s childhood was one of privilege, and she was assigned a personal “shadow” to act as her companion. Mittie’s companion, Lavinia, went everywhere with her, stopping outside the classroom when Mittie went inside and sleeping on a mat by her side at night. Mittie was a student at the South Carolina Female Collegiate Institute in Columbia, South Carolina.

After Major Bulloch’s death in 1849, the family’s fortunes declined somewhat, but Mittie was given a grand wedding to Theodore Roosevelt Sr. in 1853. Later, as was expected of young southern gentlemen, Mittie’s brothers Irvine and James fought in the Civil War as Confederate officers. They both lived in England after the war.

During the war, Mittie was terrified for her brothers, Irvine and James. Irvine was the youngest officer on the CSS Alabama, firing the last gun before the ship sank in battle off the coast of Cherbourg, France, while James was a Confederate agent in England, Scotland, and Wales. These emotional crises were mitigated somewhat by the maturity and management skills of Mittie’s elder daughter, Bamie.

During her children’s education, the family traveled to Europe, spending time in England, France, Switzerland, Italy, Austria, and Germany from May 1869 to May 1870, and later on a second trip, an extended boat trip down the Nile, a trip through the Holy Land, and on to Vienna, Germany, and France from October 1872 to November 1873.

Mittie’s health was a frequent concern, and she required much tending to, earning her the nickname “Little Motherling.” Her eldest daughter, Bamie, assumed the role of caregiver, frequently caring for her younger siblings when her mother could not.

In his autobiography published in 1913, her son Theodore Roosevelt described his mother as “a sweet, gracious, beautiful Southern woman, a delightful companion and beloved by everybody. She was entirely ‘unreconstructed’

Legacy

Mittie Roosevelt’s influence on her famous son’s life and legacy is immeasurable. Her southern roots, particularly her family’s slaveholding history, deeply affected TR’s opinions on race and equality. Despite being a staunch abolitionist and supporter of civil rights for African Americans, TR nevertheless felt that slavery had been “a mild and beneficent institution.”

Mittie’s devotion to her children and her ability to balance love and discipline are two of her most notable maternal qualities. “The very completeness of my mother’s absorption in the work of caring for and training us, and her incapacity to see the value of outside interests, made her a wonderful mother,” TR wrote. He credited her with his love for nature, reading, and the written word.

Mittie’s granddaughters also remembered her fondly. Corinne Robinson, the last surviving child of Mittie and Thee, remembered her grandmother as a “lovely person, very affectionate and very vivacious.”

Mittie was buried at Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn, New York, where her tombstone reads: “Martha Bulloch Roosevelt. Born July 8, 1835, Died February 14, 1884. A Tender and Devoted Wife and Mother.”

In recent years, there has been renewed interest in Mittie’s life and legacy. The Friends of Bulloch, a group that seeks to educate the public about Mittie’s life and times, has published a book of letters and writings from Mittie and her family members, providing readers with a more nuanced look at the people and events that shaped Mittie’s life.

Conclusion

Martha “Mittie” Bulloch Roosevelt was a fascinating and complex figure whose legacy continues to be felt to this day. A devoted wife and mother, Mittie also embodied the spirit and ideals of the antebellum south, with all its strengths and flaws. Her influence on her son TR’s life and legacy was immeasurable, and her commitment to her family and community set an example that still resonates today. As we continue to study and learn from the past, Mittie’s story serves as a reminder of the many ways in which our shared history continues to shape our present and future.

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