August 09, 2015

Is The Scarlet Letter A True Story?

I was on vacation last week, and what book is better for beach reading than Nathaniel Hawthorne's 1850 novel The Scarlet Letter? Secret sins, illegitimate children, adultery, repressive Puritans, and possible supernatural shenanigans - it has everything you want in a summer book.

I hadn't read The Scarlet Letter in many years, and one thing I had forgotten is that the first chapter is a really long autobiographical essay about the time Hawthorne spent working at the Salem Customs House. Unless you are into the office dynamics of 19th century bureaucracy (and don't be ashamed if you are), this chapter is pretty dry.

Demi Moore in The Scarlet Letter.

However, it ends with Hawthorne describing how he found an embroidered letter "A" wrapped in an old document in the Customs House. Hawthorne learns the letter was placed there by a previous employee, Surveyor Pue, who had died suddenly before the Revolution. The document contains the story of Hester Prynne and her scarlet letter, and Hawthorne claims his novel is merely an expanded version of it.

In short, he claims The Scarlet Letter is a true story:

...it should be borne carefully in mind, that the main facts of that story are authorized and authenticated by the document of Mr. Surveyor Pue. The original papers, together with the scarlet letter itself, - a most curious relic, - are still in my possession, and shall be freely exhibited to whomsoever, induced by the great interest of the narrative, may desire a sight of them.

Unfortunately, this isn't true. Hawthorne never found a scarlet letter at the Customs House, so I am not sure what he told people who asked to see it. He simply used this literary device to make his story seem more authentic, just as he incorporated real people (such as Governor Bellingham and the accused witch Anne Hibbens) into the narrative.

But...

There is a nugget of truth behind The Scarlet Letter. Hester Prynne and her illegitimate daughter Pearl never existed but Hawthorne, who read extensively about Puritan history, may have based his novel on the story of Mary Bailey Beadle.

Mary Bailey emigrated to Kittery, Maine in the 1600s. She married a local fisherman named Robert Beadle and had two children with him. Robert died five years after their marriage, and Mary took a position as a live-in housekeeper with Stephen Batchelder, a retired minister in his 80s. (Mary was only in her 20s at the time.) Batchelder was a somewhat controversial figure. He had left England for religious freedom, but found the Puritans in New England even more repressive than the British king. He made many enemies among the local Puritans with his liberal approach to theology, and they were determined to make his life miserable.

Although there was no romantic relationship between Mary and the minister, gossip spread that they were living in sin, and the local authorities fined them 10 pounds for living together unmarried. To quell the rumors Batchelder said that he and Mary had been secretly married. This doesn't really seem like a good plan, and unsurprisingly it didn't quite work out. They were instead ordered to pay a fine of 5 pounds (for not recording their marriage) but Mary was to pay a much greater price.

While working for Batchelder, she began a secret affair with George Rogers, a neighbor nearer her age. The affair became public in 1651 when Mary became pregnant with his child. The court at York, Maine delivered the following verdict:

We do present George Rogers and Mary Batcheller, the wife of Mr. Stephen Batcheller, minister, for adultery. It is ordered that Mrs. Batcheller, for her adultery, shall receive forty stripes save one, at the first town meeting held at Kittery, 6 weeks after her delivery, and be branded with the letter A.

Rogers was also flogged. Their affair ended, and Mary and Batchelder tried repeatedly to divorce, but for many years the local court vindictively would not allow it. Their divorce was only granted when Mary traveled to Boston to plead her case. Batchelder by this time had returned to England, and died seventeen days after the divorce announcement.

Despite the scandal and being branded, in 1657 she married a man named Thomas Turner. The rest of her life was relatively peaceful, and she died in 1685 at the age of sixty-three.

So there's the story that may have inspired Hawthorne to write The Scarlet Letter. The Puritans in his novel seem cruel, but the punishment that was inflicted on Mary Bailey Beadle was actually much crueler than the one inflicted on Hestery Prynne. Hester merely had to wear an embroidered letter A, while Mary had one branded into her flesh. Sometimes truth is even grimmer than fiction.

I found a lot of my information about Mary Bailey Beadle on this site and this site

31 comments:

Heather Wilkinson Rojo said...

I love "The Scarlett Letter" because Reverend Stephen Batchelder is my 11th great grandfather, and my 2nd great grandfather, Abijah Franklin Hitchings, was the deputy customs collector at the Salem Custom House. How cool is that? The first chapter was one of my favorites (although I can see that to anyone else it would be pretty boring).

Peter Muise said...

Hi Heather! Thanks for the comment. That is amazing that you have two personal connections to The Scarlet Letter! Sorry for dissing your favorite chapter of the book :)

I'm really enjoying re-reading it. Hawthorne is mostly concerned with sin and redemption, but he throws in a lot of cool stuff about witchcraft, alchemy and folklore as well. And in your case, the book is tied to genealogy!

Sharon said...

Could you clarify, Peter. You wrote "Mary Bailey......married ....Robert Beadle and had two children with him. John died five years after their marriage." Was John one of the children, or was that an error & you meant to say "Robert" died 2 years after their marriage.?

Karen K said...

What an awesome story, completely unfamiliar until now! Rev. Stephen Batchelder was my 10th and 11th great grandfather through three of his daughters-- Theodore, Joanna, and Anne. I'm going to link to this on my blog and on Facebook. Great blog, Peter.

Peter Muise said...

Hi Sharon!

Thanks for catching that error. Her husband Robert died two years after their marriage. Sorry for the confusion!

Peter Muise said...

Hi Karen,

I'm glad you liked the post. When I started to write this post I assumed that Hawthorne made up everything in THE SCARLET LETTER, and was surprised to find this story instead. Very cool that you are also related to Stephen Batchelder!

Erin | Bygone Living said...

Interesting... Thank you for sharing!

VigilAnnie said...

I wonder if Karen and Heather realize they are related....hmmm small world indeed...ha

VigilAnnie said...

Can't stop reading your blog...thank you

VigilAnnie said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Peter Muise said...

Hi A. Hughes! I'm glad you enjoy the blog!

Unknown said...

Rev. Stphen Bacheller was also my husband's 11th great grandfather.
His 1st son Nathaniel Batcheller, born in 1590, a son from his 1st wife Ann Baates is my husband's 10th great-grandfather.
There's no relation to Stephen's 4th wife Mary Batcheller.

Unknown said...

I am 11th generation in the Wing Family. Stephen Wing. Stephen Wing's mother was Deborah Batchelder.
I have not read the book but I am going to now!
Thank you for the information!

Marianne said...

Hi Peter! Mary Bailey Beadle Bacheller Turner is my 11th Great Grandmother; her daughter Elizabeth Beadle is my 10th Great Grandmother.

Unknown said...

That's so cool that so many of you are connected. I recently looked into my ancestry and Stephen's daughter Anne is my 10th or 11th great grandmother.

Melbern11 said...

Wow this is amazing. Stephen is my 13th great grandfather.

Patti Cappy said...

Stephen is my 10th great grandfather. Saw this reference on Ancestry.com. Looking forward to the book

S. Darby said...

Me too! Wing family dependent here!

S. Darby said...

Lol... descendant. (Autocorrect struck. Lol)

Unknown said...

I have recently heard through searching my ancesters was told that the subjects of the book would be the Rev. Stephen Bachelor and his wifeand that my 11 ggmother Anne Bachelor was thier daughter. . Apparently they auther knew them. first time I have ever of the story just revealed.

Unknown said...

My 10th great-grandfather is John Sanborn 1596 to 16:30 he was the husband of Stephen bachelor's daughter Anne

Unknown said...

My 10th grade grandfather John Sanborn married Anne, she is my 10th great-grandmother

Unknown said...

My 10th great-grandfather John Sanborn married the daughter Anne

Unknown said...

My 10th great-grandfather John Sanborn was married to Anne

Shelley Saunders said...

Mine too! She is my 11 gg by her daughter Elizabeth

Unknown said...

Stephen Batchelder/Bachiler, the Reverand, (1561-1656) was my 11 Great Grandfather, thru his son Nathaniel (1590-1645)

Anonymous said...

hester prynne is my thirteen great grandmother

Rita Richter said...

Stephen Bachiler is my 11th great grandfather through his daughter Anne!

Anonymous said...

Mary Bailey Beadle….. is my 10th great grandmother via Beedle-Hill-Remick-Dixon
My Great grandma was a Dixon

Anonymous said...

stephen batchelder (rev) is suppose to be my 13th grandfather through Anne his daughter.

Debra Carmona said...

Rev. Steven Bachiler is my 9th great grandfather who lived near the Hathorne family in Salem. That is how Nathaniel Hawthorne also from Salem first learned of the Mary (Bailey) Beedle Bachiler Turner story. The Rev. Bachiler was present when Salem voted to ban the first Baptist preacher Roger Williams when the people were given a choice to keep the Marblehead beach or keep the preacher Roger Williams. Rev. Bachiler was the ONLY desenting vote NOT to ban the preacher. Bachiler and Williams were like minded in their beliefs. The Massachusetts Bay Colony did not like either of the two men because they would not conform to "their" ways. And it was for that reason "they" refused to grant a divorce between Mary and Steven. Any way the Massachusetts Bay Colony leadership could stand in the way of Bachiler they did. I question if any marriage at all ever truly existed between the couple since there is no written record, the supposed ceremony was done in secret (done by Bachiler himself) and he was charged with "A marriage without bands." But I suppose they were because she did file for a divorce. I contend that her marriage to Bachiler was an unconsumated marriage simply a legal one forced upon the two of them because of the town gossip. Nobody believes the child that came from that time was Bachiler's child but from the affair with George Rogers. I found a book titled "A Genealogical Dictionary of the First Settlers of New England" showing three generations of those who came before May 1692 on the basis of Farmers Register by James Savage. Volumne 1 which goes from A to C in genealogies. Even in it it mentions the adultery pages 88 - 89. Was the "A" truly burned on her skin? I have been researching and had not come upon that bit of info. I would like to know your sources on that point. Your links to where you say got most of your information are faulty.

I see you write about Witches. I am also related to one who was accused, tried, and convicted in the Salem Witch Trials Mary Perkins Bradbury. Her sentence was never carried out, she escaped jail no one knows how and fled to Maine. Have you any sources on that story?