Maria Mitchell in Her Own Words

Jascin N. Leonardo Finger • July 29, 2013

July 15 {1863}


My dear Sally,


I am very glad to have the pattern for the drawers. I shall return the specimen by Mitchell {Sally’s son William Mitchell Barney} as I understand how to make them.


{Niece} Maria’s little dress fits nicely and I tell Kate the two children won’t suffer, if they have no other dress for the winter. All that Maria’s is wrong, is in being too large around the waist. I am sorry to hear that Aunt Maria’s cough has not gone. Father thinks he has the whooping cough. He coughs incessantly, but is pretty well. He has been to Boston today.


Tell Aunt Maria to stick to the doctor’s medicine and use a plenty of it. I am ready to pay the bill. I wish I could send you some currants as I have a great many. We have very few cherries . . . .


I think Mitchell is alright in his algebra. He can’t stand an examination in Trig but I don’t believe he will have a rigorous one. Father has seen the Prof. and will give him a letter to them.

When this letter was written by Maria Mitchell to her eldest sister, Sally Mitchell Barney, William and Maria Mitchell were now living in Lynn, Massachusetts near the youngest Mitchell child, Eliza Katherine Mitchell Dame or Kate as she was called. Sally still lived on Nantucket and she and her husband had sent their son, William Mitchell Barney, to visit his grandfather and aunt. Maria also talks about the price of cherries, other family members suffering from whooping cough, and the fact that she and her father plan to attend the Harvard College commencement. “Aunt Maria” was Maria Coleman, Lydia Mitchell’s sister whom she and William named Maria after. I myself remember trying on winter clothes that my grandmother was making for me in the summer – oh that itchy wool! I am sure that Maria’s two nieces felt very much the same.


If you have been enjoying these posts, I am now also writing for “Nantucket Chronicle,” an online magazine − http://www.nantucketchronicle.com. My column will be about Nantucket history – with a focus on island women – and the column is called “Nation of Nantucket.”


JNLF


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July 7, 2026
NANTUCKET, MA— The Nantucket Maria Mitchell Association (MMA) is excited to announce the return of its Fourth Annual MMA Pop-Up Shopping Event, taking place July 13–15, 2026, at 33 Washington Street . The three-day event will bring together more than fifteen thoughtfully curated, female-founded brands for an elevated shopping experience, with 15% of vendor sales benefiting the Maria Mitchell Association's new Discovery Center & Aquarium Project. The annual pop-up has quickly become a summer tradition, offering island residents and visitors the opportunity to discover unique fashion, home décor, accessories, art, jewelry, gourmet foods, and lifestyle brands while supporting one of Nantucket's most beloved nonprofit organizations. This year’s vendors include Center & Spring, CJW, Classic & Curious Podcast with Anne Kokoskie, Dress More with Less, Haute Energy, Hibiscus Linens, Leigh Brown, Line in the Sand, Love All Tennis, Lulu Powers, Marfa Stance, MDVII, Michela Bruni Reichlin, Neelah Cashmere, The Preppy Stitch, Those Carls Girls, and Wendy Loves This. The event kicks off with an opening party on Monday, July 13, featuring the second annual Summer Games: Mahjong & Backgammon Tournament, presented by the Nantucket Mahjong Club . Guests will enjoy a late afternoon of friendly competition, shopping, Château Sainte Marguerite rosé, a Triple 8 cocktail by Tinker’s Bar , Caviar Nantucket , Shells Angels Raw Bar, Nantucket Nosh, and entertainment by DJ Garrett Justice . One hundred percent of tournament proceeds from the tournament will benefit the MMA Discovery Center & Aquarium Project. The shopping event will continue on Tuesday, July 14 and Wednesday, July 15 with fifteen percent of all vendor sales to benefit the Maria Mitchell Association's Discovery Center & Aquarium Project. Three-Day Event Details at 33 Washington Street: MMA Opening Party with Summer Games: Mahjong & Backgammon Tournament Monday, July 13 4:00–7:00 p.m. MMA Pop-Up Shopping Event Tuesday, July 14 & Wednesday, July 15 10:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m. For vendor information, and additional details, visit https://www.mariamitchell.org/2026-summer-pop-up About the Maria Mitchell Association: The Maria Mitchell Association is a private non-profit organization. Founded in 1902, the MMA works to preserve the legacy of Nantucket native astronomer, naturalist, librarian, and educator, Maria Mitchell. The Maria Mitchell Association operates two observatories, a natural science museum, an aquarium, a research center, and preserves the historic birthplace of Maria Mitchell. A wide variety of science and history-related programming is offered throughout the year for people of all ages. ###
By Jascin N. Leonardo Finger July 6, 2026
July 15. {1863} My dear Sally . . . I think Mitchell is all right in his algebra. He can’t stand an examination in Trig but I don’t believe he will have a rigorous one. Father has seen the Prof. and will give him a letter to them.  If you can’t be honest with your sibling, who can you be honest with? Apparently, Sally Mitchell Barney’s son, William Mitchell Barney – known as Mitchell as his cousin William Mitchell Barney was known as Willie (how is that for honoring your father?!) – was visiting his aunt Maria and his grandfather, William Mitchell, at their home in Lynn, MA. Sally still lived on Nantucket and I suspect Mitchell was not only visiting but getting some much needed help with his mathematics by his aunt Maria. As always, she is brutally honest – he won’t pass a test in trigonometry (but, neither would I!). JNLF
July 1, 2026
“If you don’t look, you don’t see. You have to go and look.” -Edith Andrews
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