Hawthornes to be reunited

In life, they could barely stand to be apart. But, in death, an ocean separated them. Now, Nathaniel and Sophia Hawthorne will soon be together again after nearly 150 years.

The remains of Sophia Peabody Hawthorne and their daughter Una will be brought across the Atlantic and reinterred June 26 in the Hawthorne family plot at Sleepy Hollow cemetery in Concord, where the renowned author of ``The Scarlet Letter" and other classics was laid to rest in 1864.

``I once thought that no power on earth should ever induce me to live without thee, and especially thought an ocean should never roll between us," Sophia had written to her beloved during their only prolonged separation in life.

But that is indeed what happened in death.

After Nathaniel Hawthorne died on May 19, 1864, in Plymouth, N.H., Sophia and their three children, Rose, Una, and Julian moved to England, where the family had lived when Hawthorne was in the diplomatic service.

Sophia died there in 1871 at age 62 and Una in 1877 at 33. Both were buried at Kensal Green cemetery in London.

The other two children returned to the United States. Rose started a Catholic order dedicated to caring for cancer patients that became the Dominican Sisters of Hawthorne based in Hawthorne, N.Y.

For decades, the order has paid for the upkeep of the Hawthorne graves in England. A few years ago, cemetery keepers at Kensal Green informed the nuns that the gravesite needed significant repair.

``We thought, `Why don't we just bring them here?' " said Sister Mary de Paul, nursing director for the order. ``We have always considered Nathaniel our community's grandfather. We feel tied to that family."

The order proposed the move to the famous couple's descendants.

``We gave our consent gladly and thought it was an excellent idea," said Joan Deming Ensor, 93, of Redding, Conn., one of Hawthorne's four surviving great-grandchildren.

The order, with the help of private donations, is paying for the transfer to the family plot near the graves of Henry David Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson. Grave markers for Sophia and Una have already been placed in the ground.

A public ceremony will be held June 26 at The Old Manse in Concord, where the Hawthornes lived for a time. Several nuns plan to attend, as do Hawthorne family members. Dozens of literature scholars have been invited. Hawthorne descendants will make remarks, and there will be readings from the letters and journals of Nathaniel, Sophia, and Una.

Hawthorne, considered among the giants of American literature, is known for his searing Puritan-influenced moralism and melancholy tales. But his relationship with Sophia was tender and passionate. The couple spent only a few months apart in 22 years of marriage.

``Even though he was a complicated and difficult man, he enjoyed a terrific marriage with Sophia," said Brenda Wineapple, author of ``Hawthorne: A Life." ``These were two people who were tremendously well-suited to each other."

Nathaniel and Sophia had a rich and voluminous correspondence, a testament to their affection for one another, Wineapple said.

``Their early letters to one another, before marriage, are very passionate," she said. ``You might not expect it from him. He really wanted to be with her, and she with him." After Nathaniel died, ``Sophia's grief was protracted," Wineapple said. Sophia dedicated herself to arranging his papers and literary works.

Robert Derry, a park ranger who tends the house the family owned in Concord and is a member of the Nathaniel Hawthorne Society, said reunification of the couple's remains is entirely appropriate. ``At least on a romantic and philosophical level, it is nice that they are coming home," he said. ``Hawthorne and Sophia were very much in love, and they stayed in love right to the end."