Mary Storer Potter Longfellow was born 12 May 1812 in Portland, Cumberland County, Maine, United States to Barrett Potter (1776-1865) and Ann Storer (1781-1821) and died 29 November 1835 Rotterdam, Zuid-Holland, Netherlands of unspecified causes. She married Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882) 14 September 1831 in Portland, Cumberland County, Maine, United States.
Biography
On September 14, 1831, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882) married Mary Storer Potter, a childhood friend from Portland, Maine. The couple settled in Brunswick, though the two were not happy there. Longfellow published several nonfiction and fiction prose pieces inspired by Irving, including "The Indian Summer" and "The Bald Eagle" in 1833.
Death in Germany
In December 1834, Longfellow received a letter from Josiah Quincy III, president of Harvard College, offering him the Smith Professorship of Modern Languages with the stipulation that he spend a year or so abroad. There, he further studied German as well as Dutch, Danish, Swedish, Finnish, and Icelandic.
While on this trip in Germany, in October 1835, Mary had a miscarriage about six months into her pregnancy. She did not recover and died after several weeks of illness at the age of 22 on November 29, 1835.
Burial in Massachusetts
Longfellow had her body embalmed immediately and placed in a lead coffin inside an oak coffin which was then shipped to Mount Auburn Cemetery near Boston. He was deeply saddened by her death, writing "One thought occupies me night and day... She is dead — She is dead! All day I am weary and sad".[38] Three years later, he was inspired to write the poem "Footsteps of Angels" about her.
Children
| Name | Birth | Death | Joined with |
| Baby Longfellow (1835-1835) | 5 October 1835 Rotterdam, Zuid-Holland, Netherlands | 5 October 1835 Rotterdam, Zuid-Holland, Netherlands | |
Siblings
Residences
Footnotes (including sources)
| ‡ General |