Maria White Lowell - Mt. Auburn Cemetery - Watertown, MA - Grave of a Famous Person on Waymarking.com

In Watertown, within Mt. Auburn Cemetery, is this grave site for Maria White Lowell.

The cemetery entrance is located off Mt. Auburn Street, near the intersection with Belmont Street. From there, stop at the Stone Chapel and buy ($1) a map of Mt. Auburn Cemetery that has notable landmarks and graves on it. The grave site is located off Fountain Avenue, on the way to Halcyon Pond and is among other graves for the Lowell family. This headstone is near the back.

The headstone is made of slate and has the following text:

"Sacred to the memory of
James Russell Lowell
born 1819 died 1891
and of his wife
Mary White
born 1821 died 1853..."

The other name is James Russell's second wife.

Maria White Lowell was born in Watertown to middle class parents. Her father was Abijah White, a wealth merchant. Her mother was Ann Maria Howell White.

Maria White became involved in the temperance movement and the abolitionist movement. She was also a supporter of women's rights, attending a meeting organized by Margaret Fuller in 1839.

She met James Russell Lowell via her brother who was a classmate of his at Harvard College. They were married in 1844 - after he had published a collection of previously published works to show to her father he had means to support them.

Maria Lowell joined the Boston Female Anti-Slavery Society, and convinced her husband to become an abolitionist (his views waffled over time, previously). Her health deteriorated, and the family moved to Philadelphia in hopes that the new location would heal her ailment. They returned shortly after, however, to live in the home that James Lowell grew up in. They had four children, though only one would survive past infancy.

Her health continued to get worse, and she died in 1853. James collected her works and had them printed in a single volume posthumously in a small printing run.

It is said that when Emily Dickenson was introduced to Maria Lowell's poems, she became very interested in them and may have inspired her in her poetry. It is said that Lowell's poem, "The Sick Room," was 'Dickensonian.' Another poem, "The Grave of Keats," was included in an anthology assembled by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.

Other Sources:

Findagrave.com (Maria White Lowell):
(visit link)

Internet Archive (Poems of Maria Lowell):
(visit link)

Description: Maria White Lowell was the first wife of James Russell Lowell, and was involved in abolitionist and temperance societies. She also wrote poetry that was acclaimed by fellow poet Emily Dickenson. Date of birth: 07/28/1821 Date of death: 10/27/1853 Area of notoriety: Literature Marker Type: Headstone Setting: Outdoor Visiting Hours/Restrictions: Cemetery hours - generally daylight hours. Fee required?: No Web site: [Web Link]

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