Charity Barnum
October 28 1808 – November 19 1873
Charity Hallett (October 28, 1808-November 19, 1873) was a tailoress who became P.T. Barnum's first wife. She was born around Fairfield, Connecticut, in 1808 the daughter of Benjamin and Hannah Hallett. She had six sisters and a brother, and in her teens moved to Bethel, Connecticut, to work as a tailoress. She was known by others as Chairy, and was generally well liked. In 1825, Charity and Barnum met, but distance kept the two apart until 1827 when Barnum was spending more time in Bethel. In 1828, the two began a romance, and they married on 18 November, 1829. She was 21 years old, and he was 19. The wedding was held in New York City to avoid family tensions, as Mrs. Hallett did not approve of her daughter’s choice.
The couple had four children: Caroline (b. May 27, 1833), Helen (b. April 18, 1840), Frances (b. May 1, 1842), and Pauline (b. March 1, 1846). Frances died in April of 1844 just shy of her second birthday. Caroline and Helen lived long lives, but Pauline passed away at age 31 in 1877, four years after her mother’s death.
Barnum and Charity’s marriage was happy for some years, with Barnum writing in his autobiography that “Although I was only little more than nineteen years old when I was married, I have always felt assured that if I had waited twenty years longer I could not have found another woman so well suited to my disposition and so admirable and valuable in every character as a wife, a mother, and a friend”- there were several factors that gradually distanced the relationship. Barnum traveled frequently and for long periods of time, leaving Charity to raise their children. Charity apparently suffered from several unnamed health issues and did not have the energy, nor possibly the inclination, to keep up with her highly energetic husband; Barnum’s business ventures repeatedly put their financial stability at great risk which Charity undoubtedly found distressing. The interests of the two were probably also at odds on topics of theatre and entertainment about which Charity was far more conservative. Also, according to Barnum, Charity was not interested in “style,” so the wealth that allowed him to purchase expensive furnishings for their homes was not necessarily something she cared about. Their differences did not prevent her needs from being provided for, and indeed, Barnum was attentive in his own way and built their third home, a Victorian mansion they called Waldemere, close to Long Island Sound since the doctor recommended the sea air for Charity’s health.
Charity did on a tour or two with her husband, but according to Barnum she did not enjoy them. She had little love of Europe and was quite afraid of Niagara Falls, although her daughters enjoyed these experiences. Little else is written about Charity, and there are no existing personal letters of hers that reveal her character. However, it has been noted that she was an avid fan of flowers, which Barnum acknowledged when the design of the gardens at their second mansion, Lindencroft, was left entirely in her hands.
As Charity grew older, she became more reclusive. Barnum continued to travel abroad in spite of this and concerns about Charity’s health. Barnum was in England when she died on 19 November, 1873. He remained there rather than attend the funeral, a decision which was probably based on the impracticality of transAtlantic travel, which would have taken weeks. Charity was buried in Mountain Grove Cemetery in Bridgeport, Connecticut.
The couple had four children: Caroline (b. May 27, 1833), Helen (b. April 18, 1840), Frances (b. May 1, 1842), and Pauline (b. March 1, 1846). Frances died in April of 1844 just shy of her second birthday. Caroline and Helen lived long lives, but Pauline passed away at age 31 in 1877, four years after her mother’s death.
Barnum and Charity’s marriage was happy for some years, with Barnum writing in his autobiography that “Although I was only little more than nineteen years old when I was married, I have always felt assured that if I had waited twenty years longer I could not have found another woman so well suited to my disposition and so admirable and valuable in every character as a wife, a mother, and a friend”- there were several factors that gradually distanced the relationship. Barnum traveled frequently and for long periods of time, leaving Charity to raise their children. Charity apparently suffered from several unnamed health issues and did not have the energy, nor possibly the inclination, to keep up with her highly energetic husband; Barnum’s business ventures repeatedly put their financial stability at great risk which Charity undoubtedly found distressing. The interests of the two were probably also at odds on topics of theatre and entertainment about which Charity was far more conservative. Also, according to Barnum, Charity was not interested in “style,” so the wealth that allowed him to purchase expensive furnishings for their homes was not necessarily something she cared about. Their differences did not prevent her needs from being provided for, and indeed, Barnum was attentive in his own way and built their third home, a Victorian mansion they called Waldemere, close to Long Island Sound since the doctor recommended the sea air for Charity’s health.
Charity did on a tour or two with her husband, but according to Barnum she did not enjoy them. She had little love of Europe and was quite afraid of Niagara Falls, although her daughters enjoyed these experiences. Little else is written about Charity, and there are no existing personal letters of hers that reveal her character. However, it has been noted that she was an avid fan of flowers, which Barnum acknowledged when the design of the gardens at their second mansion, Lindencroft, was left entirely in her hands.
As Charity grew older, she became more reclusive. Barnum continued to travel abroad in spite of this and concerns about Charity’s health. Barnum was in England when she died on 19 November, 1873. He remained there rather than attend the funeral, a decision which was probably based on the impracticality of transAtlantic travel, which would have taken weeks. Charity was buried in Mountain Grove Cemetery in Bridgeport, Connecticut.
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