Jackie Kennedy's Aunt and Cousin Lived With Raccoons in a Ruined Mansion: The Beales

In 1971, a party of health inspectors climbed the drive of a 26-room mansion one block from the Atlantic and found two women living among dozens of cats and a colony of raccoons, with no running water in much of the house. Their name was Bouvier. They were the aunt and first cousin of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, and the county was preparing to evict them. In the summer of 1972, Jackie herself paid roughly $32,000 to clean the place, and around 1,000 bags of rubbish were carted away. Big Edie had once trained to sing; her daughter had been a debutante presented at the Pierre in 1936. This is how two women born to one of America's great names ended up in the ruin the world would come to know as Grey Gardens. Subscribe to the channel: @velvetsociety-s7l In this video, we talk about the slow fall of the two Ediths of Grey Gardens, including the invented Bouvier pedigree, Big Edie's forbidden singing career, her 1917 marriage to the lawyer Phelan Beale and his departure, the divorce delivered by telegram, Little Edie's years at the Barbizon and the alopecia that changed her life, the cats and raccoons that filled the mansion, the 1971 health raid, the 1972 rescue funded by Jacqueline Onassis and Lee Radziwill, the Maysles documentary that made them famous, Little Edie's cabaret debut at 60, and the 1979 sale of the house to Ben Bradlee and Sally Quinn. 🔔 Subscribe so you never miss another story of gilded names and quiet ruin. 💬 Comment where you're watching from and tell me whether you think the two Ediths were trapped in that house or chose it. 📢 Share this with someone who loves the Gilded Age, on Facebook, Reddit, or in your group chats. You are the reason this channel exists. DISCLAIMER: This video is based on real historical events and figures, drawn from primary archives, biographies, court records, period press, and leading historical scholarship. While every video is heavily researched, occasional minor inaccuracies in dates, quotes, or specific details may occur — historical sources sometimes disagree, and interpretation is sometimes required where the historical record is silent. Any errors are unintentional. #GreyGardens #TheBeales #EdithBouvierBeale #LittleEdie #BigEdie #JackieKennedy #JacquelineOnassis #Bouvier #GildedAge #EastHampton #Hamptons #AmericanHistory #Documentary #History #OldMoney #FadedGlamour #Socialite #TrueStory #VelvetSociety #FallenFortunes