Ellington, George. Married Life in New York. Circa 1869, American Antiquarian Society. Framing American Divorce : From the Revolutionary Generation to the Victorians, by Norma Basch, 1999, p. 146.
Meet the Couple.
To sing about love, or some other such stuff:
Peter Remsen Strong was born February 21st, 1823 to James Strong and Alletta Remsen. Strong attended Columbia College where he graduated from in 1840. Strong was admitted to the New York bar and practiced law in New York (Find a Grave​).
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Figure 1: City Directory featuring Strong's Law Practice
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Figure 2: Strong's Graduation Announcement
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Mary Emeline Stevens was born on September 27th, 1833 to John Austin Stevens and Abby Weld. Her father, John Austin Stevens, was prominent New York banker and was even noted as “the President of the Bank of Commerce” in New York Times coverage on the trial (Find a Grave​).
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Stevens and Strong were married on May 18th, 1853. This matrimony, a seemingly normal marriage among New York elites, would soon unfold into one of the hottest divorce trials of the decade. Cited as a marriage of “mutual desire and mutual affection” in the trial’s opening statements, this quoted desire and affection would soon reveal something much darker (New York Times).
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Family & Lifestyle.
Was a family affair;
The Strong family was one of wealth and when Peter Strong’s father died, this wealth continued to trickle down into the family. A standing symbol of this wealth was the Strong family home located in the Newtown township of Queens, New York. This home remained in the family after the death of Peter Strong’s father and the family lived there with Strong’s widowed mother. At the time of the trial, Strong’s mother was “seventy-six years old, blind, nearly paralytic,” which insinuates that the family may have remained there to take care of her as well (New York Times).
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Figure 3: Census Record from 1860 of the Strong Household, including Edward
This home, pictured below, became a catalyst for a torrid time with the arrival of Edward Strong, Peter Strong’s brother. Edward Strong moved into the family home, where Peter and Mary also resided, following the death of his wife. It is here that a scandal began to unfold.
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The Room Where It Happened
The Scandal.
Perhaps tis' her fate, That's one cause of the hate
The affair between Mary and Edward Strong, Peter’s brother, began sometime in the spring of 1860. However, Edward Strong appeared as a religious man to the public. According to the opening statements of Peter Strong’s counsel, Edward “built a Sunday-school, joined a church, and was one of its officers,” and also wore “religious garb.” Despite this seemingly religious and faithful front, Edward and Mary became quite intimate with one another which resulted in a nearly two-year long affair. This affair unfurled all unbeknownst to Peter Strong, Mary husband and Edward’s brother.
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Peter was described as a simple man who cared for his house and his family, yet despite the attention that he put into his family life, he was oblivious to what was occurring right under his nose. It wasn’t until the end of 1861 when Edward left for the army that Mary confessed everything to Peter. The confession came a few nights after the death of Peter and Mary’s daughter, Edith, who passed away on January 2nd, 1862. On January 5th after hearing her daughter, Mary, read a bible verse on duty and affection to her parents and Peter made a
remark to his wife:
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After the children had left the room, he drew his chair close to his wife's, and took her hand and said, 'I trust that the words which we have heard may teach us both to cultivate more fully than we have done of late, that duty which alone can insure our future happiness.'
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This comment allegedly made Mary confess to her relationship with Edward in which she cried, “Oh! forgive me, forgive me; you could not conceive how guilty I have been. What I have to tell you will separate us forever.”
“The Curiosities in Mr. Strong’s Room At 'Waverly.' Went up to see his curiosities: among the paintings was an old head, a picture by Cropsey, and a 'Conci...'”