Caroline Berryman Spencer


Caroline Suydam Berryman Spencer was a New York City and Newport, Rhode Island socialite and the editor of Illustrated American.

Early life

She was born as Caroline Suydam Berryman on December 28, 1861 in New Haven, Connecticut to a very wealthy and socially prominent family. She was a daughter of Charles Henry Berryman and Harriett Berryman. Among her siblings was Henry Whitney Berryman and Georgiana Louise Berryman.
His paternal grandparents were Edwin Upshur Berryman and Maria Berryman, who both died young. Her maternal grandparents were Hannah Whitney and Henry Whitney. Among her extended family were aunts Cornelia Lawrence Whitney, Maria Whitney, and Caroline Suydam Whitney.

Personal life

On October 3, 1882, She married Lorillard Spencer Jr., a son of Lorillard Spencer and Sarah Spencer. His paternal grandparents were Eleanora Eliza Spencer and William Augustus Spencer. Among his siblings was sister, Eleanor Spencer and brother William Augustus Spencer, who died aboard the RMS Titanic. Together, they were the parents of several daughters who died in infancy, and a son:
They had a home in Newport known as Chastellux, "one of the most beautiful places in that city."
After the death of her husband, who owned the Illustrated American, she became a missionary in the Philippines.
She died on April 6, 1948 at her home, Blue Bird Cottage, in Newport, Rhode Island. She was buried in Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn, New York.