Prior to the publication of her first novel in 1822, Sedgwick corresponds primarily with her immediate and extended family and friends. As her fame grows, her social networks expand, and correspondents include visual and performing artists, poets, novelists, political and religious figures, and reformers.
Theodore Sedgwick
Sedgwick’s father, Theodore Sedgwick I (1746-1813), served two terms in the Continental Congress, four terms in the US House of Representatives, and was Speaker of the House under John Adams from December 1799 to March 1801. Later, he was a Justice of the Massachusetts Superior Court. Though beloved by Catharine, who deeply admired him for his devotion to public service, Theodore’s months-long absences from the family home in Stockbridge, MA were a strain on his wife and their children.
Eliza Sedgwick Pomeroy
Sedgwick’s eldest sibling, Eliza Sedgwick Pomeroy (1775-1827) married Dr. Thaddeus Pomeroy in 1797, when Catharine was only seven. Like a second mother to Catharine, Eliza and “The Doctor” were members of the orthodox Calvinist church, lived in Stockbridge near the Sedgwick family home, and raised eleven children.
Elizabeth “Mumbet” Freeman
Sedgwick’s much-loved “nurse,” Elizabeth “Mumbet” Freeman (c 1744-1829) won freedom from slavery in 1781 via the case Brom and Bett v. Ashley; Theodore Sedgwick was her lawyer. Mumbet, short for “Mother Bet,” began working for the Sedgwick family soon after until about 1808, when Theodore remarried. After leaving the Sedgwicks, she moved to a home near her children that she purchased in Stockbridge, and continued to work as a healer and midwife. She is the only non-Sedgwick buried in the inner circle of the family gravesite in Stockbridge Cemetery.
Pamela Dwight Sedgwick
Sedgwick’s mother, Pamela Dwight Sedgwick (1753-1807), was descended from a powerful colonial Connecticut family. Pamela became Theodore’s second wife in 1774. From 1775-91 Pamela bore ten children; seven survived. In 1791, she began to suffer from attacks of severe depression; these continued until her death in September 1807, when Catharine was 17.
William Ellery Channing
Sedgwick’s spiritual mentor, William Ellery Channing (1780-1842), was a renowned Unitarian minister and author. He became a close friend of the Sedgwick siblings, with whom he exchanged visits in Stockbridge, Boston (where he served as pastor at Federal Street Church), and New York City. Catharine’s friendships extended into the Channing family, especially to Channing’s sister-in-law, Susan Higginson Channing, and his sister, Lucy Channing Russell.
Eliza Cabot Follen
One of Sedgwick’s closest friends, Eliza Cabot Follen (1787-1860) published poetry, books for children, translations from the French and German, and edited her husband Rev. Charles Follen’s letters. Mother to two and a staunch abolitionist, Eliza lived near Boston, MA, and was active in Unitarian circles.