Mary Whitney Phelps

Mary Whitney Phelps (1812-1878) was a notable figure associated with the Missouri's Unions during the Civil War and the wife of John S. Phelps.

Early life Mary Whitney was born to a sea captain in Portland, Maine, in 1812 and was orphaned at a young age. The redhead soon married a man in an attempt to escape poverty but divorced when she found that they weren't a good match. She published a booklet around this time about the differences between a perfect society woman with no domestic skills and a woman who had housekeeping skills. Mary later moved to Hartford, Connecticut where she met her lifelong husband, John Smith Phelps. They got married in 1837 in Simsbury, Connecticut Instead of fleeing the area, Mary stayed in Springfield to order a casket to bury Lyon until his family could claim the body. His family came all the way from Connecticut to claim the body later. The memoir is missing at least 3 pages that talk about the Battle of Wilson's Creek. It discusses events before the war, Mary's role in it, the burial of General Lyon, and a collection of letters shared between Mary, her husband, and their daughter Mary Phelps Montgomery.