The weekly herald. [volume] (Cleveland, Tenn.) 1876-1888, 1879-12-11
Wives Of our Presidents.

James Parton, in his book, tells the
story OF the lives of Presidents wives.
He says Thomas Jefferson, like Wash.
ington, married a widow, Mrs. Maria
Shelton who had considerable property;
but that did not save her great husband,
who died greatly in debt, ewing TO his
slavish devotion to his country. She
was a lady Of extraordinary beauty of
face and form, and singularly competent
TO adorn and conduct great household.
A little above the medium height, fair
complexion, eyes large, dark and ex-
pressiye, auburn hair and a daring
horsewoman, aud full OF talent. She
played, danced and sung well, and had
literary tastes.
When Jefferson courted her he was
twenty. eight and she nineteen. he
played the violin and sung well, and, as
he bad money then and a high position,
he distanced all rivals. They had
great wedding. She had a great respon-
sibility managing her husbands i'm
mense estate, had six children, Of whom
two only survived, and died before he
rose to his great renown, mourned by
him TO the last. He remained n wid-
over forty-four years, down to his death.
OF course she never saw him in the
White House.
Dolly Payne was Quaker and a wild
ow when she married James Madison,
and the daughter of a Virginia planter,
born in North Carolina. Her father
and mother set their slaves free and
moved to Philadelphia, and there Dolly
married o lawyer named Todd. She
was twenty, and he died three years
after, leaving her with "a son and 70
wealth. Her mother kept boarders while
Congress sat there, and she helped her
mother TO keep the establishment
Among these boarders we're Aaron Burr,
then o Senator from New York, and
James Madison, member of Congress
from Virginia. Dolly was very beauti-
full and accomplished, and when she
married Madison he was forty-three and
she twenty-five. They had no children.
When he became President, in 1909, the
White House received its lovely mis-
tress, who enjoyed its attractions for
eight years. She died in Washington
in 1919, aged eighty.two years, surviv-
ing her husband thirteen years.
Daniel Webster was twice married,
but his first wife was the mother of all
his children. She was a clergyman's
daughter, one year older than himself,
quite accomplished, not beautiful, but
much esteemed; and when she came to
Washington, not more than fifty years
ago, made many friends. She died in
New York, aged forty.six, in 1927,
whittier she had been taken from the
national capital by her husband. If she
never saw him in his splendid prime she
did not witness his sad decline.
l have spoken of Mrs. Andrew jack
son more than once. She was the wife
of another man, Lewis Robards, Of
Kentucky, when young Jackson saw and
loved her. Her mother, Mrs. Donelson,
was keeping boarding house at the
time, having returned to Tennessee with
Mr.. and Mrs. Robards, and Jackson
lived in her house. Result, a jealous
husband and separation. A rumor
came that divorce had been granted,
and then Jackson married the grass
widow but the rumor proving false,
they lived together two years before q
divorce could be really granted, and
then they were married again. The
husband left early, and these peculiar
circumstances led TO many quarrels
between Jackson, who grew into great
reputation, and his many enemies. She
was short end stout, great housekeeper
and manager, very religious, very Hitter
ate, kind to her slaves and full of anec-
dote and fun. She had no children, and
died in December, 1928.