The Indianapolis sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1880-1904, 1885-01-11
PRESIDENTS WIVES.
They All Loved Wisely and Well.
1h~ First Three Presidents Married Wild
oss-some Romantic Courfshfps-A
U~rasIsInuder Caused tho DEATH
Of Sfrs jackson
Wash ington Correspondence

dad nineteen years before her husband was
elected President. Rachel DOrelsoR, the
wife If the hot headed but courtly ia, kson,
had her dresses made to take her place rs
m-s.rt IS OF the executive mansion. bat died
three nonths before Old Hickory wss insug-
u,aied. Hannah Hoes, the consort of the
foxy Miss Nancy Van Buren,, lay in her
grave seventeen years bsfore Jackson made
Van Buren, his successor. and President. Bar
rison died in cfice before his wife came to
Washington.
The Presidents wives now living are Mrs.
Polk, at Nashville; Mrs. Grant, in New Jer-
sey Mrs. Hayes, in Fremont, and Mrs. Gar
field, in Cleveland. OF these the widows
Mrs. Polk, Mrs. Tyler and Mrs. Garfield
draw from the Government pensions OF 3d.
O00 q year.
Mrs. Zach Taylor died in Louisiana during
the same administration for which her hus-
band was elected. She opposed her hus-
bands being a candidate, and would have
nothing to do with the social life of the cap
itoI. Abigail Fillmore died at Wizards
Hotel here abont one month after her hus-
baud finished his term. The bard work OF
the White House FASTENED her decease.
Mrs. Lincoln lay i'll at the White House for
a long time after her husbands death.
sud Andrew Johnson did much of his
first executive business at the Treasuary De-
partment. Mrs. Letitis Chr istian Tyler is
the only Presidents wife who has diedin the
White House. Martha Washington died two
wears after the death of her husband at
Nnnnf Narpnn Uhara WHGpinUtnN dad IN
1879. She shut herself up ia an attic cham
Der and cut a hole IN the door for her cat.
she saw no one and lived without a tire, and
had she lived to-day she would have been
deemed slightly crazy. Abigail Adams
health failed her after she bad lived about
foOt months in the White House. She lett
il and went back 90 Massachusetts, and died
there sgeh n. Dolls Madison was driven
iTum Washington when the British Burned
The Capitol Ia lSl4, but the shock did 40.
Kill her. She %retarued here to- live after nSr
t,ususnd's death. and che died At n, ia lSi9
Me-. Johu Quincy Adams elS0 lived 10 Do a
Sic WAS - arr,s.; ri - aud was oDro, ed
csteo end Harrlec III L0Udon JOhn q 1tucv
Acsn Sas engaged 10 her thfes years osfore
he nsrri.d Der, sId her hr~s t0nr afssr mar
welding was to h~riin, where Mr. Ada!us
vent 10 ser - ss Minister.
u g a curious lart nat fhh FIRST t,ree
Presidents married widows. The stories Of
h[Nf S11tN E%Nf
v astins ton Was a Colonel on his way To
Williamsburg. the uld capital of Fir<inis
g ne he xaa stopped BY an old ylNa'sr
Fr'eI q end asked 10 stay over night. He
replied his hnsiness was urSaut aud = stop
ps2e OF sny kind sss ina possible. His frIend
then ciIta Inr virtnss aR0 bearties 4 hea0Ii.
fui widow OF q yea 8 III such gio vins ter MS
that CoioneI Washington decided tn take
dinner and see the paragon. lie Vas 80 de.
lighted that he Sta, Cd all night, and on tee
way back became engaged 10 her. This was
Nine Curtis, whose maiden name was Martha
Dsndridse.
Jsferson's wife had been q widow for four
yeas when she married him, snd she was
Only thirty seven years old at the time. Sne
wss ten years JefferSon's wife, aud in that
period had six children by him. 1t is said
that she was much courted, and two of JEFF
ferson's rivals met on her doorstep a dav or
two before the latter's engagement. The
heard sounds OF music within, and soon
found that Jefferson was singing - love SONG
to the young widow while she played an &C.
compartment on the harp. They concluded
not to press their suit, and left witt their
love untold.
Dolly Madison's parents were Virginia
Quakers, vino freed their Slaves aud went to
Philadelphia TO live. Here, at ninsteen
years, Dolly. 3 deInure Quakeress, married
John Todd, q quaker lawyer. who died When
she wss t~wenty.three years cid, and left her
q pretty widow. In less than a year she mar
ri.d again. and this time AFR Madison, who
vas d member of Congress. She was thirty
seven years old when her husband became
President.
Andrew JscksoD's wite's 6rst husbands
name Was Richards, and she was only sixteen
years old when she married him. Robards
was q jealous fellow, and OF an exceedingly
ugly disposition. Rachel Robsrds separated
from him, and got what both Jackson and
she thought a valid divorce before she was
married to Jackson. She was about twenty
two years old at this time, and the clrcum.
stances of their union created no general re-
mark over the country. Nevertheless, al
most forty years later, during the campaign
| 1vr The Presidency, the matter was dug up,
and it wss charged tina. Jackson had mar
ried her before she vas legally divorced fr1m
. Captain Richards. Th story ls too long I'd
! reD eat here. Ii is enough TO say that Mrs
Jecssou was cruelty slaOaered, and that this
was one of the causes OF her death. Sac was
| not anxious to come 10 Washington, aud
once said ~ q Z lend: : ! assure yoa [ wolld
| Tsiher be y doorkeepsr in the house OF nus
God than dwell in that palace in Washing
ten" Andrew Jackson dearly loved his wife,
RJd there IS II tfsdit'o ! ut the hiio HODSe
ibst lie never WenG 70 bed gilhoat tsktns 4
IOCbei boidiug tier picture 1fom bis oosIm
gho pT0piDg &C no against his Bible 81 thsttt
would he the first ObIect Oh which his syts
~UUId resi- III the mOrnlng Andtsx laek-
! sou WIS the second widoSer President y-f-
feIson cSms teiOrs ria. and after hini O. DC
Mar in Vsn Barren, JOHN Tyler AMI Coesser
a Arthur.
! the only "a obelor PiesiSent tbs cn10trY
has ever bad IS James B1chshsn, wno re-.
sltcitd the woman WIN iut-d him when ne
| s~ass!oun usn too m.ch 10 eyeF marry
another.
Marian Van BUcen was u green law el
When be msrried his wife. hsnnah. 5hs
! VAS OF good family and eAs a few month.
10 scho9i together as cnildrsn. and their on.
fsgetneDt was n long one. They wece rsar
RED as soon 80 Van BGren's is@ ptactiss
would warrant it. Their married life, iiSs
tbsi Of the Je. srsons, lasted only ten years.
! Wien John Tyler married his drst wife he
Uss t~wenty-three years old and size was
twenty-five. He had long been in love with
Der, and had courted her for five wears
still, y says his con. General Tyler, "hc
never veniured 10 even kiss her hand unit
three weeks before the msrriags. Oh his last
visit to her prior to the wedding y0hr
Tyler was IS this time q young lawyer, anC
he bad already served q term or two In the
Legislature. He was Governor Tyler's son
and his wife was one OF the flowers Of the +
4. Us. She was IN E~piscopalian and was
beautiful woman President Tyler's second
wife was S Catholic. She lived with Presi
dent Tyler seventeen years aud had sous anC
daughters
President Fillmore was q w~ooI-carder and