The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1880-01-15
Presidents Wives.

European Queens all live in history,
but the wives of American statesmen
pass away almost without record. I'm
ike female rulers in foreign countries,
hey have no political rights, and only
govern by their graces in social and do
nestle life. James Parton has done
more than any man living to freshen the
fading lines in the lives of our lady
That incompatible biogra-
pher, in a volume not often read nova
days, though printed in 1868, "The
Peoples Book of Biography" tells us
that Mrs. Martha Washington was a
plump, pretty, sprightly little woman in
youth, but settled down into a plain, do
nestle wife, who looked sharply after
the servants she was far from an edu-
Gated woman, and though she kept her
own accounts. was a very poor speller.
Parton quotes Mrs. Bremen. the author
ess, who relates a s'curtain lecture of
the great man by Martha, which she
overheard in the sleeping-room. Martha
was angry and scolded q long time The
General listened in silence till she was
done and then mildly closed the scene
with, "Now, good sleep to you, my
dear!" General Washington was very
rich; Mrs. Washington was very
rich, and her three children by
her first husband were heirs of
great wealth. Washington's mother
was plain, illiterate, energetic, strong
willed lady, who preferred her own
broad acres, and declined to 60 and live
with her great son. 81 thank you,
George said she, "but / desire to be
independent. And when General La
fayette called she was at work in her
garden with her old sunbonnet on; SO
she came to him, saying, 81 could not
pay you so poora compliment, Marquis,
as to stay to charge my dress.'' =. .
Thomas Jefferson, like Washington,
married a widow, Mrs. Maria Shelton,
who had considerable property; but
that did not save her great husband,
who died deeply in debt, owing to his
slavish devotion to his country. She
was 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 ard ex.
pressive; auburn hair, and daring
horsewoman and full of talent. She
played, danced and sung well, and had
literary tastes. When Jefferson courted
her he was twenty eight and she was
nineteen. He played the violin and
sung well, and as he had money then
and a high position, he distanced al
rivals. They had a great wedding. She
had an immense responsibility manag
ing her husbands great estate, had 81,
children, of whom only two
survived, and she died before he ros,
to his great renown, mourned by
him to the last. He remained a wild
over for Al years, down to his death. O
course she never saw him in tn,
White House. -. Dolly Payn.
was Quaker, and widow
when she married James Madison, ant
the daughter of a Virginia planter, borr
in South Carolina. Her father anc
mother set their slaves free and moved
to Philadelphia, and there Dolly married
a lawyer named Todd. She was, 20
and he died three years after, leaving
her with son and no wealth. He
mother kept boarders while Congress.
sat here, and she helped her mother tt
keep the establishment. Among these
boarders were Aaron Burr, then a Sen
ator from New York, and James Madi
son, a member of Congress from Wiz
ginia. Dolly was very beautiful ant
accomplished, and when she married
Madison, he was 43 and she was Is
They had no children. When he be
came President, in 1909, the Whit,
House received its lovely mistress, VIII,
enjoyed its attractions for eight years
She died in Washington in 1849
aged 50 years, surviving her hus
band IL years. hav
spoken of Mrs. Andrew jackson NOR
than once. She, was the wife of an
other man, Lewis Robarts of Kentucky
when young jackson saw her and love,
her. Her mother, Mrs. Donelson, wa
keeping boarding house at the time
having returned to Tennessee with Mr.
and Mrs. Robarts, and jackson lived il
her house. Result-a jealous husban,
and separation. A rumor came tina
q divorce had been granted, and the
jackson married the s'grass widow :
but the rumor proving false, they live,
"6OeAOi WV yCho UCAOIO q ulfOTC
could be really granted, and then the
were married again. The first HUSBAND
left early, and these peculiar circum
stances led to many bitter quarrels be
tween Jackson, who grew into grea
reputation, and his enemies. She wa
short and stout, great housekeeper
very religious, very illiterate, kind t
her slaves and full of anecdote and fur
She had no children, and died in De
cember, 1928, just after her husban
was elected President.-Forney' Prog
ress.
j FIFTEEN-ToN loads of lumber, pile
on immense eight-wheeled wagons an
drawn by teams of six to ten horses O
mules, are to be seen on the mountai
roads in California. The driver sits o
a very high seat with one foot on pow
erful brake, and usually handles til
reins and long whip with seemin
careleSSness. The San Francisco Arna.