Years later, Emeline died alone in her home from starvation and was given a simple funeral. The man was forced by his family to abandon Emeline, who was shunned by her community due to her illegitimate child and her incestuous marriage. When the man's parents came to visit the couple, they soon discovered that Emeline was his biological mother. The pair fell in love and married shortly after meeting. Years after she returned, she married a younger man who worked for the railroad and had gone to Fayette for work. The couple supported Emeline financially throughout her pregnancy and paid for her to be brought back to Fayette. Emeline confided in her aunt and uncle, who found a couple who agreed to adopt her child after it was born. There she was impregnated by the factory owner's son. Mitchell claimed that Emeline was sent to work in Lowell, Massachusetts, when she was fourteen to help support her family. Emeline gained notoriety after death, with her life story inspiring a documentary, then a book and a play.Įmeline's story was recorded by Nettie Mitchell, a lifelong resident of Fayette, in a documentary directed by David Hoffman. Emeline Bachelder Gurney (1816–1897) was a woman from Fayette, Maine, who was shunned by her family and community.
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