Illustrations PAGE Walt Whitman Frontispiece Etched by Jacques Reich from the photograph by Walt Whitman, 1855 From a steel engraving by Samuel Hollyer after the 34 Walt Whitman, 1849 This is the earliest portrait of Whitman. Walt Whitman, 1877 From a sketch by G. W. Waters. 80 202 Owned by J. Introduction "BORN here of parents born here from parents the same, and their parents the same." Such is Walt Whitman's pithy and picturesque reference to the subject of his lineage. We might for purposes of biography make the same broad statement, emphasizing it with a certain perhaps dry and yet significant particularity. It is considered consistent with the object of this, the first definite edition of Whitman's writings, .to survey briefly and statistically his antecedent stock and contemplate its bearing upon his career. Back of Whitman's grandparents the trail is vague. A chart made up from all accessible facts. takes us on his father's side to the name of Abijah Whitman, who was born about 1560. From this Abijah descended a son, Zachariah, who was born in 1595. From Zachariah came Joseph Whitman, who lived in Huntington, Long Island, from 1660 to 1690. Following Joseph was the male heir through whom we trace the Whitman descent. But the name of this individual is lost, though his grandson is known to have been Nehemiah Whitman, who was born about 1705. Nehemiah married Sarah White, whose life was a hale one, making a span from 1713 to 1803. From this couple came Jesse Whitman, the grandfather of Walt Whitman, who was born January 29, 1749, was married to Hannah Brush, April 22, 1755, and died February 12, 1803. Hannah Brush was the daughter of Tredwell Brush, and lived from October 6, 1753, to January 6, 1834. The son of Jesse and Hannah was Walter Whitman, father of Walt. Walter Whitman was born July 14, 1789, married June 8, 1816, and died July 11, 1855. The lineage of Whitman's mother cannot be traced with any certainty to a period earlier than 1742. A suggestion of moment is contained in Walt's reference to "Dutch Kossabone, old salt, related on my mother's side, far back." The earliest reliable record discovers the name of Garrett Van Velsor, 1742 to 1812. Garrett married Mary Kossabone (presumably a granddaughter of Old Salt "), who lived from about 1745 to 1792. A son by this match was Major Cornelius Van Velsor (1768 to 1837). Cornelius's wife was Naomi or Amy Williams, who died in February, 1826. Naomi was the daughter of Captain John Williams, whose wife was Mary Woolley. Thence came the most potent personality in the list of the poet's forbears, the girl-child of Naomi and Cornelius, Louisa Van Velsor, the mother of Walt Whitman. Louisa was born September 22, 1795, was married to Walter Whitman, June 8, 1816, and died May 23, 1873. Walt Whitman was born May 31, 1819, and died March 26, 1892. This catalogue presents in dry root the material from which the career of Walt Whitman finds itself an issue. We assume that there are spiritual integers implied in this recital which no reiteration of dates could display. But it may be seen, nevertheless, that this reversion to Walt's pedigree is imperative. On his father's side Walt was of English Quaker stock. His mother's strain was half Dutch and half Welsh. Louisa Whitman was in reality much more Dutch than Welsh. Hence, the union of his father and mother left the Hollander element prepotent. It is therefore correct to say that, while remaining largely English with a Welsh blend, Walt Whitman was, as pointed out by Kennedy, predominantly indebted to the Netherlandish influence for his make-up. Any such union and concentration of qualities so diverse, from an ancestry so strongly charactered, is bound to produce momentous effects. And to this convergence of racial attributes we have to add a rare complex of personal qualities not ancestrally to be accounted for. It must be remembered, too, that the Whitmans were largely farmers and mechanics or genuine producers of one sort or another. The poet's father was a house-builder, the Van Velsors were farmers and stock-raisers, the Williamses and Kossabones were sailors, and Hannah |