We visited the Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site in Saint Louis, Missouri the other day. The name of the farm/estate is White Haven even though the main house is painted a deep green with dark green shutters. This home is where his wife, Julia, grew up. Julia grew up wealthy and her father had a large number of slaves. Her father was pro-slavery. Ulysses was anti-slavery. Her family did not treat Ulysses well and his family did not treat Julia well. But Ulysses and Julia had a deep and abiding love for each other. Ulysses was a trusting man which is how he lost his fortune to a sleaze ball employee. At the end of his life, in an effort to financially support his life, he decided (with the assistance of Mark Twain) to write his memoir. Despite the pain of esophagus cancer, he wrote two volumes and finished a few days before his death.
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