Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1884-12-04

thCtt lOtc QutOlQ.
Dolly Madison's folks were Virginia
Quakers, who freed their slaves and went
to Philadelphia to live. Here, at nineteen
Dolly, demure Quakeress, married
John Todd, Quaker lawyer, who died
when she was twenty three, and left her
pretty widow. In less than year she
married again, and this time Mr.. Madi-
son, who was member of Congress.
She was thirty ty-seven years old when her
husband became president.
Andrew Jackson's wife's husbands
name was Robards, and she was only
sixteen when she married him. Robards
was jealous fellow, and of an exceed
ingly ugly disposition. Rachel Robards
separated from him, and got what both
she and Jackson thought was valid di-
vorce before she was married TO jack
son. She was about twenty-five years
old at this time, and the circumstances
OF their union created no general remark
over the country Nevertheless, almost
forty years later, during the campaign
of the presidency, the matter was dug
up and it was charged that jackson had
married her before she was legally
divorced from Captain Robards. The
story is too long to repeat here. 1t is
enough to say that Mrs. jackson was
cruelty slandered, and that this
was one of the causes of her death. She
was not anxious to come to Washington,
and once said to friend: II assure you
would rather be doorkeeper in the
house of my God than dwell in that
palace in Washington. Andrew jack
son dearly loved his wife, and there is a
tradition at the White House that he
never went to bed without taking a
locket holding her picture from his
bosom and propping it up against his
Bible so that it would be the first object
upon which his eyes would rest in the
morning. Andrew jackson was the
second widower President. jefferson
came before him, and after him came
Martin Van Buren, John Tyler and
Chester A. Arthur.
The only bachelor President the coua-
try has had is James Buchanan, who re-
spected the women who Tilted him when
he was a young man too much to
ever marry another.
Martin Van Buren was green lawyer
when he married his wife Hannah. She
was of good family, and was a few
months older than her husband. The
two had gone to school together as chill
dren, and their engagement was long
one. They were married as soon as Van
Buren's law practice would warrant it.
Their married life, like that of the JEFF
fersons, lasted only ten years.
When John Tyler married his first
wife ho was twenty-three years old and
she was twenty-five. He had long been
in love with her and had courted hel
for five years. "Still, 2 says his son,
General Tyler, che never ventured to
even kiss her hand until three weeks
before the marriage, on his last visit to
her prior to the wedding. John Tyler
was at;this time young lawyer, and he
had already served term or two in the
Legislature. He was Governor Tyler's
son, and his wife was an Episcopalian
and a beautiful woman. President
TyIer's second wife. was Catholic. She
lived with President Tyler seventeen
years and had sons and daughters.
President Fillmore was wool carder
and his wife was school-teacher when
they fell in love. Both were poor, and
Fillmore, after studying law and moving
to Buffalo, did not see his affianced wife
for three years, because he was too
poor to pay the fare of the one hundr ed
and fifty miles which lay between them.
Mrs. Fillmore was two years older than
her husband. and she was twenty eight
years old when their marriage took
place. She died in 1858. President
Fillmore survived her twenty-one years,
and married the woman who it is said
became insane before she died. Mrs.
Fillmore was preachers daughter, and
SO were Abigail Adams and Mrs. Frank
Pierce. She was the same age as Mrs.
Fillmore at the time of her marriage,
and her groom was member Of Con
gress when he married her. Mrs. Pierce
was somewhat like Mrs. Hayes in tht
rigid piety with which she observed Sun
day at the White House. 1t was hel
custom to ask the employees to go tC
church. She did not like society, and
she made the Executive Mansion as far a.
possible a Christian home for her family
Mrs. Lincoln wore a wedding ring
given her by the President, in which wai
engraved, "Love is eternal" She was
Kentucky girl, who had gone to live
with her sister at Springfield, III. Here
she met Lincoln, then young lawyer
and the two were married, and begar
life as boarders, paying for their accom-
mediation $4 week.
Eliza McCardie was seventeen year.
old when she married young NORTH
Carolina tailor who had settled in Green
vile, Tenn. His name was Andrew
johnson, and he was Just of age She
possessed more learning than her hus
band, and the two worked together
though she did not, as reported, teacf
him his letters. When, after many
years, he became President, she was toc
i'll to do the honors of the White House