POTW: Jennie Jerome

Allyson

 

Jennie Jerome, PORT_0293 ; Brooklyn Daily Eagle photographs, Brooklyn Public Library, Center for Brooklyn History.

 

Today's Photo of the Week is from 1864 and features 10 year old Jennie Jerome, the young girl who would grow up to be the mother of Winston Churchill. Jennie was born in Brooklyn in what is now thought to be 426 Henry Street in 1850. The year she was born, Millard Fillmore became President of the United States - and Leonard Jerome, Jennie's father, was appointed U.S. Consul to Trieste. In 1860 the Prince of Wales paid a visit to the U.S. and attended a reception in his honor. Leonard Jerome was a part of the reception committee. When 10 year old Jennie found out she announced, "the Prince comes to dance with me." According the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, when he didn't Jennie cried a little but forgot her disappointment when she attended Mrs. August Belmont's children's party in the costume pictured above. Though there is some debate about where she was buried exactly, there is a marker on Henry Street.

Interested in seeing more photos from CBH’s collections? Visit our online image gallery, which includes a selection of our images, or the digital collections portal at Brooklyn Public Library. We welcome appointments to research our entire collection of images, archives, maps, and special collections. Our reference staff is available to help with your research! You can reach us at cbhreference@bklynlibrary.org.

 

This blog post reflects the opinions of the author and does not necessarily represent the views of Brooklyn Public Library.

 

Tracy Quan

I have been reading Jennie: The Romantic Years, Ralph Martin’s biography of Jennie Jerome aka Winston Churchill’s mum. The book was a hit in the 1960s. I found an old paperback, its cover barely attached, in my apartment, and I’ve been dipping into it. I don't dare bring the book outside as I fear it will disintegrate. Still, it’s a delightful account of New York life in the 1800s. A sliver of society, but a significant one; the story even goes back to the Revolutionary era and the Civil War, the latter being part of Jennie’s childhood, Thank you for this timely item!
Tue, Aug 5 2025 8:32 pm Permalink
Charles

There appears to be a typo in this article. The article states that the photo is from 1864, that she was born in 1850, and that she was 10-years-old in the photo. She seems to be older than 10-years-old
Wed, Aug 6 2025 2:06 pm Permalink
Sasha Baumrind

The debate is definitely where she was born, not died. She was either born on Amity Street or Henry street as her family lived at both addresses around the time of her birth and there is also dispute as to whether she was born in 1850 or 1854. While the plaque on Henry street says 1850, most historians believe she was born in 1854 which would make more sense given the date of her marriage. Additionally, she was one of the earlier American Brides brought to the UK by her mother in order to marry into royalty.
Wed, Aug 6 2025 5:33 pm Permalink

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