Anna Eleanor Roosevelt Seagraves (née Dall, born March 25, 1927, in New York City), librarian, educator, historian, editor is a granddaughter of Franklin D. Roosevelt.[1] Her parents are Anna Roosevelt Dall and her first husband Curtis Bean Dall. She is usually known as "Sistie", "Ellie" or "Eleanor".
Sistie, as she was affectionately called in the press during her grandparents' tenure in the White House, was named for her mother and grandmother, Eleanor Roosevelt. When her parents separated in 1933 (they divorced in 1934), she along with her mother and brother Curtis moved into the White House with her grandparents. Her mother would later remarry two more times and a younger half-brother, John Roosevelt Boettiger would join the family in 1939.
In 1948, she married Van H. Seagraves. Together, they had three children (and six grandchildren):
Seagraves is one of the few living Roosevelt family members who witnessed historic events first hand during the White House years and continues to be a reliable source of information regarding the Roosevelt family. She is very insightful regarding the life and times of the Hyde Park and Oyster Bay branches of the Roosevelt family. Seagraves also is one of the few surviving people who witnessed her grandmother's diplomacy. Each year, when Seagraves' grandmother held a picnic at Val-Kill for delinquent boys, she assisted Mrs. Roosevelt with these events. She was remarkably close to Eleanor Roosevelt throughout her life.
Seagraves has enjoyed a career as an educator and librarian. She edited Delano's Voyages of Commerce and Discovery (1994), drawn from the journals of Amasa Delano, as well as The Val-Kill Cookbook (1984). Seagraves concentrated her career on keeping alive many of the causes her grandmother began and supported. She is an active participant in Democratic Party events in her area, and endorsed Barack Obama for the 2008 Presidential campaign. At 84, Seagraves resides in Washington D.C.