The Van Buren press., 1873-09-02
The Presidents Marriage.
His Eirss Needing soith Jslia- The We'd
ding--A Sketch Of their Mar
risd Life
Lions Branch Cor. New York Tribune !

who are at this moment ripe in middle
age, looking back over period OF twen.
ty-fvc years Of happy married life--a life
checkered by more vicissisudes than or
dinarilv fall to the lot Of man, life Of
poverty and wealth, of the lowest obscu.
rity and the highest fame, but through
out q life of domestic happiness--the
meeting Of these two was at the house or
Col O'Fallon, in st. Louis. where Miss
Dent was guest. The introduction was
made by Mr.. Hazlett, classmate Of
Grant, Both or whom ~ ,a~s ssmc wcvr
lieusnants in the army. The rest is the
same old story that married people al
ways tell. Gen Grant after his gradua
ton was order to Jefferson barracks, then
several miles outside OF st. Louis, and
but three miles from White Haven, the
country residence of Mr.. Dent. The
farm was very large, the house, rs my in
formant expressed it was full ofrooms"
being large and capacious, and there was
always in those old days Of slavery an
army Of servants abont tie house, 1t
was the most hospitable place in the
whole country around, and was never
without guests. Mr., Dent was in atilu
ent circumstances, for in those yenrs II
was not needed that man should be
worth from one to hundred milliens IN
order to be rich. His wife liked compa,
ny, and was Of the old order Of house
keepers, who knew what was going on,
and had plenty Of leisure There was a
troop of Young men and young girls,
sons and daughters, and 1t was known
everywhere that White Haven Farm was
a good place TO 60 to- Lieut.. Grant sas
frequent visitor, for lie was always wei
come on account OF his intimacy with
Fred Dent, his cassmate, who is now the
lieutenant colonel Of the Fourth artillery,
stationed n, New London. The latter
was never ordered to Fort Jefferson, and
never met Grant from the time OF their
graduation until after his marriage, al
though their close friendship has never
been broken The bctrothal of the young
couple about which this sketch is writ
ten, occurred in 1913, ut this same old
hospitable mansion Mt White Haven
Farm-~a farm which, by the way, now
belongs to Gen Grant, and Is ono o! Tue
most valuable in the country, the whole
extent Of which is about thousand acres.
Soon after the engagement the Young
officer OF infantry was ordered to Match
itoches, La. The Mexican war, during
which Grant won his cpaulsts as captain,
soon followed, and i, did not seem posi-.
bic ror me young couple 10 be married
until 1SiS--nve years of engagement "a
lesson Of constancy rarely taught.
The marriage occurred at Mr. Dents
city residence on Fourth street, st. Lou
is, at about O'Clock in the evening. The
house was commodious for those days, !
and was filed to ovcrflowing with guests
who represented the best people in st, |
Louis The ceremony was performed by |
the Rev DR.. Linn. n Methodist The
groomsmen were Cadmus Wilcox, an
army officer, who, by the way, was after
ward general onlcsr in the confederate
army, and now lives in Baltimore Bcr-
nard Prattc, a citizen Of ST. Lons, who,
strangely enough, also went into the con.
federatc army. now living in Augusta,
and Sidney Smith, who died several years
ago. The bridesmaids were Nellie Dent,
sister of the bride, who Is now Mrs
Sharpe Of Washington; Salla Walker, a
daughter of an old army officer, and Ju-
liza Boggs, n relative Of the family.
After the marriage, Capt Grant was
ordered to Sacketts Halbor, N. T., and
it was here that the young couple began
their housekeeping 1t was modest
enough, this beginning. for the quarters
were furnished by the government, and
the present mistress Of the White House,
whom courtesy calls the first lady OF the
land. began her married life and her
housekeeping in government barracks /
They lived modestly, sometimes with
one servant and sometimes without any ; |
but they were happy for all that for
Gen Grant has always been domestic
man, fond of his own friends, falthful
husband and kind father 1t was here
that he became acquainted with {. w.
Ford, now Of st Louis, and an Intimacy
sprung u2 which has never been broken.
There is probably no man having closer
relations Of affection with the president
than Mr. Ford. lie was once offered the
assistant secreiaryship of the interior,
with the promise Of promotion, and II
Mr.. Delano ever does his country the
service to get out Of the office, there ls
little doubt that Mr.. Ford would Gil his
place. Mr.. and Mrs Grant continued a.
Sackcus harbor over a year, when he
was ordered to California She, on &C
count of delicate health, was unable 10
endure the Isthmrs trip, aud rcturne. 10
her fathers home. 'rhcig nrst child,
Frederick De-. Grant, now second lieut.
enant oflh Fourth cavalry, but tempo
rarly on Gen. Shcrdan's stat as aid'
with the rank Of lieutenant colonel, was
born soon after, in 1850, at the same
house in st. Louis where his parents
were married. Grant remained in Cal
ifornia two years and a half, and then
lcf. the service and came TO ST LOUIS
not having seen his wife in all That time
MFR. Den, at this time gave Grant por-
lion Of White Haven farm, and he began
To live the life OF farmer, living with
bis wire's parents until house could be
built Oh the land ho had SO easily &C
oured. Farming was sealed book 10
him and although he worked bard "he
could not get the hang Of it," as nay in
formant expressed himself. so plain
Mr.. Grant traded off his farm for house
and lot in st Louis, and opened real
estate and collecting business. He found
that he knew less of this than farming.
and lie was again denied success At
this time lie found something detective