Welcome to Henry's Travel Blog!
Although he kept detailed business papers, Missouri Botanical Garden founder Henry Shaw left little personal material for biographers to consider in analyzing his life. One of the few items which remain is a series of five journals. Following his retirement from the hardware business in 1840, Shaw traveled abroad and made notes, recollections, and even sketches in these small bound books. Join us as we chart Henry's journey to Europe and beyond.
 
Shaw's variable spellings, punctuation, and grammar, preserved throughout, are typical even for well-educated gentlemen in the 19th Century. Important note (4/14/09): The entries from March 11, 2009 through April 8, 2009, correspond to recently discovered text from Henry Shaw's journal. They will be posted online under the correct dates to preserve chronological accuracy.
 
   
   

Posted Online Saturday, December 5, 2009

March 13, 1842: A Rainy Sunday

Rainy day - and Sunday the cathedral of Dijon crowded with women. Religion seems to be confined to the sex in France. Dined at the table d'hote at hotel du Pare - a Spanish danseuse at the table a beautiful modest delicate little woman. Went afterward to the Cafe Du Balcon - where to my surprise found enthroned as me manager and proprietor Madame Vergoncey, who left the neighborhood of St. Louis three years ago with her husband and two children, little Missourians. She is now a widow and speaks of the ten years of her best days past in Missouri as lost time -