Bristol news. [volume] (Bristol, Va. & Tenn.) 1867-189?, 1876-02-01
ANDREW JOHNsOX'S WIFE.
Tho Career of ~ Faithful and
Devoted Wife Who HOnOred
Her Husband.


Washington Cores pondence Of the New Y ork sun
The widow of ex-President Andew
Johnson has survived her husband
but few months. We have not lIv-
lug ex-President at this time, but
there are even yet three surviving
widows of eX-PTesidents-MIs A bra
ham Lincoln, Mrs. John Tyler and
Mrs. James X. Polk, whose husband
was President thirty years ago. Mrs.
johnson, who died at Greeneville,
Tenn, had been a patient sufferer for
many long years, including those
years when she was the Occu-
paut of the White House and since
the death OF her husband, In August
last, she had been gradually sinking
till her life closed on Saturday night.
She was four years younger than her
husband. and had, therefore, just
reached the age of siXty-siX years.
|. Her maiden name was Miss Eliza
McCardle, and sne was an attractive
dansel, when, in her seventeenth
year, she WAS wooed and won in her
mountain home 10y the poor but am
hitiOus young tailor OF Greeneville,
who was not yet twenty-One She
was bright young woman, vino had
obtained such education as was afl0r-
deu 10y the schools of the day in that
part Of the country and there is no
doubt that Andrew Johnson, who felt
the superiority of her requirements,
Was largely indebted to her for that
mental stimulus which led him into
those studies which he pursued with
such assiduity from the period of their
marriage. Ii is stated that the yOath-
ful couple used to study together far
into the night. when all the rest of
the villagers were asleep; that she
was in the habit of reading aloud to
him while he worked away at hIs
trade Of tailoring ]. that she aided him
to learn 10 read tlucntlY, aud that she
guided his hand while he struggled to
acquire the art of writing. 1t is often
said that she taught him the alphabet;
but this is a mistake; for though he
was never at school, he had pushed
! beyond that stage of learning before
he left North Carolina for Tennessee
she was to him a most excellent and
gentle housewife as well as a teacher
of indetatigable zeal, while at the same
time she displayed the best practical
capacity in the ordering of their hum
hle household. In still other ways
she assisted him, and his early popu-
larity III Greeneville was largely Ow-
! ing to the frankness and amiability of
! her intercourse with the people of the
| village. We have heard of her mod
est pride when Mr.. Johnson, IA few
years after marriage, received that
! first public honor upon " Which he him
| self was always so fond of dilating in
| his election TO the Office of Alderman.
| Thor home was gladdenPd by little
children. and her husbands fame in
creased until he wore the laurels of
the Mayoralty, to which Office he was
elected for three terms. During these
| years, as through all the subsequent
| years of her life, she herself was of
the most retiring diI position, and al
ways avoided anything that
might bring her into any sort of pub
| licity, saying to women of more am
| hition tina: her enjOymen ut was In her
! home, with her children, practicing
! the economy rendered necessary by
! her husbands slender means. When
Mr.. Johnson went to Nash Vile as a
member of the Tennessee Legislature,
, she remained in Greeneville in charge
of their household; and even when ne
became Governor of the State, she
continued to maintain that degree of
domestic privacy which was most
tOIktHlhl W icI uutuIcs II tue
spring of 1861, when Mr.. johnson Was
Federal Senator just before the out
break of the war. she removed To
Washington but after a short resi-
dence there with her husband she
had to return to Tennessee OH account
0f her health. She was there. and he
was i'm Washington, when the war
began and, as he could not enter
tennessee, which was then member
OF the Confederacy, and she cIuld not
leave the State 10y reason of i'll health,
they We're separated from each other
for nearly two years. Her eXpeTien-
ces during this period were of n trying
kind. In 1859 the Confederate author
tiles required her to leave the COnfed-
eracy, but they did not enforce the or
der upon learning her condition. -
Some months afIerward she was so
disturbed over the reports about her
husband that she asked permission to
leave, which was granted but IL was
only after many set backs, many tTOu-
hles. and mach journeying, that the
feeble woman at last reached Nash
vile, where her husband was installed
as military Governor of Tennessee
His emotion on meeting his suffering
wife, after their long separation, amid
the stormy scenes of war, OVercAme
him, aud we're relieved by profuse
tears. Ina short time. her mothers
heart was pierced ly the death of her
eldest son, who had just been APP