Sally Ward Lawrence Hunt Armstrong Downs, also known as Sallie Ward, (September 29, 1827July 8, 1896) was a "
Southern belle
Southern belle () is a colloquialism for a debutante in the planter class of the Antebellum South.
Characteristics
The image of a Southern belle is often characterized by fashion elements such as a hoop skirt, a corset, pantalettes, a wide-b ...
."
Born into the Southern aristocracy of
Kentucky
Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...
in the Antebellum South, she married four times. After a failed marriage into the
Boston Brahmin
The Boston Brahmins or Boston elite are members of Boston's traditional upper class. They are often associated with Harvard University; Anglicanism; and traditional Anglo-American customs and clothing. Descendants of the earliest English colonis ...
elite, she married three more times and became a socialite in
and
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border ...
. She was one of the first women in the United States to wear cosmetics, and she wore daring outfits. She embodied "an old Kentucky way of life."
[
]
Early life
Sally Ward was born on September 29, 1827 in Scott County, Kentucky
Scott County is a county located in the central part of the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2020 census, the population was 57,155. Scott County is part of the Lexington–Fayette, Kentucky Metropolitan Statistical Area.
History
Native Amer ...
. Her father, Col. Robert Johnson Ward, was a planter and lawyer who served as the Speaker of the Assembly of Kentucky.[ Her mother, Emily Flournoy, was a native of ]Georgetown, Kentucky
Georgetown is a home rule-class city in Scott County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 37,086 at the 2020 census. It is the 6th-largest city by population in the U.S. state of Kentucky. It is the seat of its county. It was originall ...
.[
Her paternal grandfather, William Ward, married Sally Johnson, a sister of Vice President ]Richard Mentor Johnson
Richard Mentor Johnson (October 17, 1780 – November 19, 1850) was an American lawyer, military officer and politician who served as the ninth vice president of the United States, serving from 1837 to 1841 under President Martin Van Buren ...
. Her paternal uncle, Junius Richard Ward, resided at Ward Hall Ward Hall may refer to:
* Ward Hall (Georgetown, Kentucky), listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP)
* Ward Hall (Ward, South Dakota), listed on the National Register of Historic Places in Moody County
* Ward Memorial Hall, Wood, ...
in Georgetown, Kentucky,[ as well as the Junius R. Ward House in ]Erwin, Mississippi
Erwin is an unincorporated community in Washington County, Mississippi, United States.
It is located on the north shore of Lake Washington.
The Erwin House is located there, and dates back to 1830. It is the oldest extant structure in Washing ...
. On her maternal side, she was of Huguenot
The Huguenots ( , also , ) were a religious group of French Protestants who held to the Reformed, or Calvinist, tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss political leader, the Genevan burgomaster Be ...
descent.[ Her maternal grandfather, Major Matthew Flournoy, served in the ]American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...
.[
Ward grew up in ]Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border ...
with her seven siblings.[ She was educated in a French ]finishing school
A finishing school focuses on teaching young women social graces and upper-class cultural rites as a preparation for entry into society. The name reflects that it follows on from ordinary school and is intended to complete the education, wit ...
in Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
, graduating in 1844.[
]
Adult life
Ward was a Southern belle and socialite.[ She spoke French and played several instruments.][ She became one of the first women in the United States to wear ]cosmetics
Cosmetics are constituted mixtures of chemical compounds derived from either natural sources, or synthetically created ones. Cosmetics have various purposes. Those designed for personal care and skin care can be used to cleanse or protect ...
and wore daring outfits.[ She organized one of the first proper-style dress balls in Kentucky.][ She paved the way for wearing several types of dresses during a given society ball.][ She married several times, a trend which later became widespread.]
Ward married her first husband, Timothy Bigelow Lawrence, the son of Abbott Lawrence
Abbott Lawrence (December 16, 1792, Groton, Massachusetts – August 18, 1855) was a prominent American businessman, politician, and philanthropist. He was among the group of industrialists that founded a settlement on the Merrimack River that w ...
, on December 5, 1849.[ The wedding was attended by governors ]Robert P. Letcher
Robert Perkins Letcher (February 10, 1788 – January 24, 1861) was a politician and lawyer from the US state of Kentucky. He served as a U.S. Representative, Minister to Mexico, and the 15th Governor of Kentucky. He also served in the Kentuck ...
, John J. Crittenden
John Jordan Crittenden (September 10, 1787 July 26, 1863) was an American statesman and politician from the U.S. state of Kentucky. He represented the state in the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate and twice served as United ...
and Lazarus W. Powell
Lazarus Whitehead Powell (October 6, 1812 – July 3, 1867) was the 19th Governor of Kentucky, serving from 1851 to 1855. He was later elected to represent Kentucky in the U.S. Senate from 1859 to 1865.
The reforms enacted during Powell's term ...
, as well as George D. Prentice
George Dennison Prentice (December 18, 1802 – January 22, 1870) was an American newspaper editor, writer and poet who built the ''Louisville Journal'' into a major newspaper in Louisville, Kentucky, and the Ohio River Valley, in part by the vir ...
, the editor of the ''Louisville Journal''.[ They resided in ]Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
, Massachusetts, where she attended society balls.[ They divorced in 1850 due to cultural differences.][ In one last incident, she wore a dress resembling ]Amelia Bloomer
Amelia Jenks Bloomer (May 27, 1818 – December 30, 1894) was an American newspaper editor, women's rights and temperance advocate. Even though she did not create the women's clothing reform style known as bloomers, her name became associate ...
's outfit at a ball in jest; but, her in-laws were not amused.[
Ward married Dr Robert P. Hunt, a Kentucky native, in 1852.][ They resided in , where they threw parties at the ]French Opera House
The French Opera House, or ''Théâtre de l'Opéra'', was an opera house in New Orleans. It was one of the city's landmarks from its opening in 1859 until it was destroyed by fire in 1919. It stood in the French Quarter at the uptown lake corner o ...
.[ They had two sons, Robert and John Wesley, and one daughter, Emily.][ Their son John Wesley survived to adulthood.][ Meanwhile, her husband served in the ]Confederate States Army
The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighting ...
during the American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...
, and he was killed in combat.[ They separated when he joined the army, as she supported ]Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...
.[
Ward married Vene P. Armstrong, a merchant, in the postbellum era.][ After his death, she married her fourth husband, Major George F. Downs, a Kentucky native.][ They resided at the ]Galt House
The Galt House Hotel is a 25-story, 1,300-room hotel in Louisville, Kentucky, established in 1972. It is named for a nearby historic hotel erected in 1835 and demolished in 1921. The Galt House is the city's only hotel on the Ohio River.
Origi ...
, a hotel in Louisville.[
Her portrait was done by ]George Peter Alexander Healy
George Peter Alexander Healy (July 15, 1813 – June 24, 1894) was an American portrait painter. He was one of the most prolific and popular painters of his day, and his sitters included many of the eminent personages of his time. Born in Boston ...
. It is now at the Speed Art Museum
The Speed Art Museum, originally known as the J.B. Speed Memorial Museum, now colloquially referred to as the Speed by locals, is the oldest and largest art museum in Kentucky. It was established in 1927 in Louisville, Kentucky on Third Street ...
in Louisville, Kentucky.
Death
Ward died of a ruptured stomach ulcer
The stomach is a muscular, hollow organ in the gastrointestinal tract of humans and many other animals, including several invertebrates. The stomach has a dilated structure and functions as a vital organ in the digestive system. The stomach is ...
on July 8, 1896 at the Galt House Hotel in Louisville, Kentucky.[ ] She was buried at the Cave Hill Cemetery
Cave Hill Cemetery is a Victorian era National Cemetery and arboretum located at Louisville, Kentucky. Its main entrance is on Baxter Avenue and there is a secondary one on Grinstead Drive. It is the largest cemetery by area and number of buria ...
.[ Her son, John Wesley Hunt, worked as the night editor of the '']New York World
The ''New York World'' was a newspaper published in New York City from 1860 until 1931. The paper played a major role in the history of American newspapers. It was a leading national voice of the Democratic Party. From 1883 to 1911 under publi ...
''.[
]
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ward Lawrence Hunt Armstrong Downs, Sally
1827 births
1896 deaths
People from Scott County, Kentucky
People from Louisville, Kentucky
People from Boston
People from New Orleans
American socialites
Burials at Cave Hill Cemetery