Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1871-11-28
THE WIVES OF GREAT MEN.
Fifteen Remarkable Instances.


Robert Burns married girl with whom he
fell In love while they worked together in the
plow field. He was irregular in his life, and
committed the most serious mistakes In con-
Quoting his domestic affairs.
Milton married the daughter of country
squire, but lived with her only short time. =
He was austere, exacting literary recuse
while she was rosy romping lass that could
not endure the restraint imposed upon her; so
they separated. Subsequently, however, she
returned, and they lived toerably happy.
Queen Victoria and Prince Albert were cous-
ins and about the only example in the long line
of English monarchs wherein the marital vows
were sacredly observed and sincere affection ex-
listed.
Shakespeare loved and welded farmer s
daughter. She proved faithful to her vows,
but we could hardly say the same of the great
bard himself. Like most of the great poets,
he showed too little discrimination in bestow-
ing his affections on the other sex.
Byron married Miss Millbank to get money
to pay his debts 1t turned out bad shift.
Benjamin Franklin married the girl who
stood in her father door and laughed at him
as he wandered through the streets of Phila-
delphia with a roll of bread under his arm and
his pockets filed with dirty clothes. She had
occasion to be happy when she found herself
the wife of such good and great man.
Washington married widow with two chill
dren. 1t is enough to say of her that she was
worthy of him, aud that they lived as married
folks should i've in perfect harmony.
John Adams married the daughter of a
Presbyterian clergyman. Her father objected
on account of Johns being lawyer; he had
a bad opinion of the morals of his profession.
Thomas Jefferson married Mrs. Martha
Skelton, childless widow but she brought
him large fortune in real estate. After the
ceremony she mounted the horse behind him
and they rode home together 1t was late in
the evening and they found the fire, out. But
the great statesman hurried about and rebuilt
it, while she seized the broom and soon put
things in order. 1t is needless to say that they
were happy, though Jefferson died poor man
on account of his extreme liberality and hospi-
tality.
John Howard, the great philanthropist, mar
ried his nurse She was altogether beneath
him in social life and intellectual capacity and
besides this she was ifty-two years old while be
was but twenty FIVE. He would not take mo"
for an answer, and they were married and lived
happily together until her death, which occur
red about two years afterwards.
Peter the Great, of Prussia. married peas
ant girl She made an excellent wife and sage
empress,
Humboldt married poor girl because he low
ed her. Of course they were happy.
1t is not generally known that Andrew Jack
son married a lady whose husband was still
living. She was an uneducated but amiable
woman. and was most deVotedly attached to
the old warrior.
John Calhoun married his cousin, and their
children fortunately were neither diseased nor
idiotc, but they do not evince the talent of the
great Estate Rights advocate.
Edward Lytton Bulwer, the English states
man and novelist, married girl much his In
ferior in position, and got shrew for wife
| She is now insane