Friday, December 19, 2014

Veblen House Connections--Eve Hatch Holmes

A little searching on the internet yielded the existence of a grandaughter of the first owners of the Veblen House, the Whiton-Stuarts. Their daughter, Sylvia, eloped at an early age with the writer Eric Hatch, and to their brief marriage was born Evelyn Hatch, who was still around until three years ago. If only I had listened to John McPhee, who is said to have said, "You cannot interview the dead.", we might have learned something of Evelyn and her mother Sylvia, who apparently lived at what is now the Veblen House in the 1930s.

A June 29, 2011 obituary for Eve (Evelyn) Hatch Holmes:


HOLMES--Eve (Evelyn) Hatch, of New York City, Cedarhurst, New York and Palm Beach, Florida died at New York Hospital on June 24, 2011 following brief illness. Adored wife of the late E. Williams Homes. Loving stepmother of E. Williams Holmes, Jr., Peter B. Holmes and Jay H. Holmes. Eve was the daughter of novelist and screenwriter Eric Hatch and Sylvia Whiton-Stuart Hatch and cherished granddaughter of Frederick H. Hatch and May Daly Hatch. She had a long and distinguished career in the world of fashion and was for many years fashion editor of Town & Country magazine. Eve was an active member of the Lawrence Beach Club, Rockaway Hunt Club and the Colonial Dames of America. To her galaxy of dear friends worldwide, Eve was especially loved for her loyalty, razor-sharp mind and rollicking wit. She will be missed. Funeral service and burial: Trinity-St. John's Church, 1142 Broadway, Hewlett, New York, Wednesday, June 29, at 11:00am. In lieu of flowers, a contribution to the charity of your choice will be appreciated.
Eric Hatch was a writer for the New Yorker, but the following description suggests some interesting connections to recurring themes of the Veblen House and farmstead. One is his service on a State Historical Commission. The other is his passion for horses, which was shared by Sylvia's father Jesse and also apparently by Veblen, who is said to have kept a number of horses on the property. It may be that Sylvia and Eric met in the horse world.

Eric Hatch (31 October 1901 - 4 July 1973) lived in Connecticut, and was an immensely productive, and busy, man. He owned a radio station (WBIS in Bristol), wrote screenplays and plays, fiction, non fiction and magazine articles. He was also a member of the State Historical Commission, an expert horseman, director of the Connecticut Horse Shows Association, a judge and steward of the American Horse Shows Association....

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