Mary Longfellow Greenleaf

Biography

Mary Longfellow Greenleaf, eldest sister of poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, spent her years in the Cambridge household that nurtured much of the family's literary and civic life. She welcomed neighbors and visitors with a gracious spirit and kept close watch over the comforts of family members and friends alike.

Her steady presence and generous hospitality were a quiet blessing to the city, and many remembered her as someone who cherished tradition while encouraging the new generations in Cambridge.