The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 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,
they have no political rights, and only
govern by their graces in social and do
mestic life James Parton has done
more than any man living to freshen the
fading lines in the lives of our lady
Presidents. That incompatible biogra-
pher, in a volume not often read noW-a-
days, though printed in 1868, :" The
Peoples Book of Biography" tells us
that Mrs Martha Washington was
plump, pretty, sprightly little woman in
youth, but settled down into plain, do
mestic wife, who looked sharply after
the servants she was far from an edu-
Gated woman, and though she kept her
own accounts, was very poor speller.
Parton quotes Mrs. Bremen, the author
ess, who relates ''curtain lecture" of
the great man by Martha, which she
overheard in the sleeping-room. Martha
was angry and scolded a long time The
General listened in silence till she was
done and then mildly closed the scene
with, g 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, iiliterate, energetic, strong
willed lady, who preferred her own
broad acres, and declined to go and live
with her great son. 50 thank you,
George - said she, g but I desire to be
fayette called she was at work in her
garden with her old sunbonnet On; so
she came to him, saying, +" 1 could not
pay you SO poor Il compliment, Marquis,
as to stay to charge my dress"
Thomas jefferson, like Washington,
married Il widow. Mrs. Maria SHELTON,
who had considerable property; but
that did not save her great husband,
who died deeply in debt, owing to his
siavish devotion to his country. She
was lady of extraordinary beauty of
face and form and singularly competent
20 adorn and conduct a great household.
A little above the medium height, fair
complexion, ewes large, dark and eX-
pressive, auburn hair, and a 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 high position, he disJanced all
rivals. They had a great wedding. She
had an immense responsibility manag-
ing her husbands great estate, had six
children, of whom only two
survived, and she died before he rose
to his great renOwn, mourned by
him to the last. He remained a wild
over for AZ years, down to his death. OF
course she never saw him in the
White House. Dolly Payne
was Quaker, and a widow
when she married James Madison, and
the daughter of a Virginia planter, born
in South Carolina. Her father and
mother set their slaves free and moved
to Philadelphia, and there Dolly married
Il lawyer named Todd. She was 20,
and he died three years after, leaving
her with a son and no wealth. Her
mother kept boarderS while Congress
sat here, and she helped her mother to
keep the establishment. Among these
bOarders were Aaron Burr, then a Sen
ator from New York, and James Madi-
son, member of Congress from Vir-
ginia. Dolly was very beautiful and
accomplished, and when she married
Madison, he was 43 and she was %.
They had no children. When he be-
CdllEt IIColNlGuLy III lCOJ3 l4it w nlIB
House received its lovely mistress, who
enjoyed its attractions for eight years.
She died in Washington in 1S49,
aged 81 years, surviving her hus-
band Is years. L have
spoken of Mrs. Andrew jackson more
than once. She was the wife of an
other man, Lewis RObarts of Kentucky,
when young jackson saw her and loved
her. Her mother, Mrs. Donelson, was
keeping boarding house at the time,
having returned to Tennessee with Mr..
and Mrs. RObarts, and Jackson lived in
her house. Result jealous husband
and q separation. A rumor came that
a divorce had been granted, and then
jackson married the Z" grass widow"
but the rumOr proving false, they lived
together two years before a divorce
could be really granted, and then they
were married again. The first husband
left early, and these peculiar circum-
stances led to many bitter quarrels be-
tween Jackson, who grew into a great
reputation, and his enemies. She was
short and stout, great hOusekeeper,
very religious, very illiterate, kind to
her slaves and full of anecdOte and fun.
She had no children, and died in De-
cember, 1928, just after her husband
was elected President FO77sey'S Prog
resS.