Jessie Key Habersham collection

The Jessie Key Habersham collection is composed of four series: Habersham letters, Miscellaneous papers, Oversize newspaper articles, and Photographs.

Series I, Habersham letters, consists of approximately 130 letters between members of the Habersham family and acquaintances, circa 1891-1911. The earliest letters are from Alexander Wylly Habersham Jr. to his wife Alice, and reveal that the couple are separated. On July 26, 1891, he urges Alice to return to Baltimore from her parents' in Richmond, saying that "in order to support the children it is imperative that for awhile we live under the same roof, and eat at the same table." In a further undated letter from Mrs. Alexander W. Habersham Sr., to Alice, she encourages her daughter-in-law to support her son, despite his business failings. "If you want to live comfortably," she writes, "you must take care of him, he is all that you and the dear children have." Alice died shortly after in March 1892.

Many of the letters after Alice's death concern the children's schooling and their welfare. In August 1892, Beatrice Sands from St. Faith's School writes to the girls' aunt that, "Jessie shows a strong character which if rightly guided will help to make her a comfort and blessing to her father and all about her. Little Alice grows more cunning and mingling with the other children has made her more bright, cheerful and unselfish."

In 1893, Alice went to go live with her aunt and uncle Bartow in Astoria, New York, and a year later was adopted by Mr. and Mrs. Ide in Brooklyn. It is evident from the correspondence leading up to the adoption that Alexander W. Habersham was not content with the decision, and struggled intensely with the pressure to give up his youngest daughter. In an unsent letter dated February 2, 1894, he writes to his aunt, Mrs. A.K. Bartow, with whom Alice is residing. "In regard to the adoption of my dear baby Alice (may God shield and protect her a little while longer), I will not consent." The last phrase is underlined, and he spends the remainder of the letter defending his actions and pleading for time. One month later he has clearly relented, as his aunt writes to him on March 28 thatshe respects him "for sacrificing yourself for her sake, and living or dying you will never regret it." Alice Habersham was formally adopted by the Ides in April 1895, and thereafter had little to do with her Baltimore family.

While the issue of Alice's adoption was being considered, Jessie tested her grandmother's patience while living with her in Annapolis. In a letter of June 3, 1894, Mrs. Alexander W. Habersham Sr., wrote to her son, "I will say all this again Wylly, because you must do something to get Jessie to school. St. Faith's is the only place I know, where she would be satisfied to stay, and where we know they are kind, and more than all, where religion is ground work of everything, and Jessie is more ruled and goverened by that, than any other way, and it may make her a self-controlled woman and without it--she will simply be a misery to herself and everyone else--she must be governed now, or she never can be."

Jessie left school in 1902, and spent two years as a travel companion to Miss Cora Hodges, niece of the former mayor of Baltimore. Only two letters from Jessie survive from this period: a Christmas note to her sister in 1904, and a letter to Sister Margaret Mary from Mount St. Agnes College, dated May 1905. After that, her next letter is from 1908, 3 years after she had left home to marry and join a Romani clan.

From 1908-1910, Jessie writes regularly to her father, informing him of her whereabouts and describing the different aspects of her life with the gypsies. On September 26, 1909, she says, “It may sound ridiculous, but I believe more or less in the Occult. I have gotten so that I can read a person’s character at a glance, and often surprise myself more so than the other party by reading their thoughts aloud while telling their fortunes. I have read a good deal of Hindu lore and Oriental literature and am a firm believer in the power of concentrated thought.” In addition to fortune telling, she writes about training a pet raccoon, the design of their wagon and tent, and performing in the towns they visit. She also discusses the sudden publicity she received in April 1910, when the newspapers picked up her story in St. Louis. “I want publicity,” she says. “I want to be written up in the papers. It is free advertising for me, and advertising costs lots of money. It brings lots of people out to my camp to have their fortunes told. Don’t you see I’ve got to make my own money and need it sorely- no one is going to help me but myself.” Money is also a frequent topic of Jessie’s letters, and she often thanks her father for the help he provides.

On July 20, 1910, Jessie informs her father that she is expecting a baby in September. This is the last letter she wrote in her own hand, as her health declined rapidly after the birth of her daughter, Lincka. Between November 1st and 7th, she dictates three letters for Mr. Habersham to Mrs. J. A. Borland, the woman with whom she is boarding in Cincinnati. In these letters she describes how desperately sick she is with a kidney infection, and she asks for money to be checked into a hospital. “I know you are poor and sick and can’t do much but a few dollars may save my life…” Alexander Habersham did send money, and Jessie was admitted to the hospital in Cincinnati on November 7, 1910. Several telegrams survive from the days that followed, documenting Jessie’s transfer to Seton Hospital, an operation, and eventually her death on November 12. The letters and telegrams afterwards include arrangements for Jessie’s burial and transfer to Baltimore, letters of condolence, and a signed statement from Gorgas Michele relinquishing custody of Lincka to Alexander Habersham. The final two letters, dated December 22 and December 26, 1911, are letters of condolence to Mr. Habersham after Lincka’s death, just a few months after her first birthday. Series I concludes with a volume containing transcriptions of the letters, and a second volume containing photocopies of the originals.

Series II, Miscellaneous papers, consists of seven folders of additional manuscripts, mostly related to Alice Steele Habersham Ide. This includes her baptismal certificate, adoption papers, and papers related to Alice’s marriage to Foster Hannaford in 1912. The final items in the series include publications from St. Faith’s School and Mount St. Agnes, a published poem and accompanying music by Alexander W. Habersham, as well as miscellaneous greeting cards. One card contains the initials “AWH” on the back, while a second card has the inscription, “For Papa, from Alice.”

Series III, Oversize newspaper articles, contains three articles about Jessie Habersham’s flight from Baltimore to live with the gypsies. The articles were published in the St. Louis Post Dispatch, the St. Louis Republic, and the American Examiner, in April 1910. As the newspapers were oversized, they are contained in a large folder and housed with the manuscript flat files.

Series IV, Photographs, contains 26 images of members of the Habersham and Ide families. A majority of the photographs are not original, but printed copies. The only photographs in the series that are original are photos of Jessie Habersham and an unknown woman (MS3276.08-.13), and a photo of Alexander Wylly Habersham, Sr., taken at Jeffres Studio in Baltimore (MS3276.01). It is possible that the images of the unknown woman with Jessie are of Cora Hodges, but the identification is not definitive.