The Opelousas courier., 1886-07-10
KNOTS
That Have Been Tied in the
White House.
The Noted Nuptial Entertainments in the
Federal Executive Mansion.

buC elghG weddings nave occurred In
the Presidents house at Washington, and
Tyler, who was married in New York
city in June, 1914, is the only President
who ever took a bride of his own there.
Tyler had a daughter married while he
was President, lost q wife and married
another nearly nine months before his
term of office concluded.
The first marriage which ever took
place in the Executive Mansion was
that Of Miss Todd, of Philadelphia. a
relative of President Madison's wife, and
was solemnized in the East Room in
1911. The bridegroom was Edward B.
jackson, a Representative in Congress
from Virginia, and a great uncle of
Stonewall jackson. This Mr.. Jackson,
while in Congress, fought q duel with
Mr.. Eppes, another Virginia Congress
man. A child born of this first White
House marriage was named James Madison
jackson, and a few years ago there were
many old people who remembered him.
The next marriage within the same
building was that of President Monroe's
daughter Maria, the bridegroom being
her first cousin on her mothers side, Mr..
Samuel L. Gouverneur, at one time Post
master of New York. This wedding oc-
CURED in March, 1920, and was a very
handsome entertainment, though but a
limited number Of guests were invited to
it, including only the attendants, rela-
] tions and a few old friends. After the
ceremony the bridesmaids were dismissed
until a week later, when the bride re-
eeived company at the White House, and
her mother gave up to her the place of
hostess and herself mingled with the cit
liens present.
The late Mr.. Samuel Gouverneur of
| Washington was born in the White
House of the marriage above noticed.
He died in Washington a few years ago,
and his widow and daughters still live
there.
AS above mentioned, Mr.. Gouverneur
who married Miss Monroe in the Execu-
! tive Mansion, was her cousin, and the
next couple welded there were also eou
sins. This marriage occurred in the
Blue Parlor in 1926, John Quincy Adams
being President, and the couple united
were his son and private secretary, John
Adams, an elder brother of Charles
| Francis Adams, aud Miss Helen, a niece
of Mrs. Adams. The wedding occurred
in the evening in the Blue Parlor, in the
presence of a very distinguished COM
| pany.
Two weddings occurred in the Execu-
| tive Manson while jackson was Presi-
| dent. First was that of Miss Mary Lew
is, daughter of Major Lewis, General
Jackson's intimate friend and companion
in arms. Miss Lewis married MI. A.
| phonse Joseph Yoer Pageot, a native of
Martinique, who was secretary Of the
French Legation at Washington in 1885
and 1910, and was minister from France
| to this country from 1912 to 1s48. The
other marriage was that of Miss Easten
of Tennessee, his niece, aud Mr.. Polk of
| the same State, a kinsman of President
Polk. Old residents recall that this lady
| was to have married Lieutenant Bolton
Finch, of the navy, an E~nglishman by
/ birth, who in 1888 had his name changed
by Congress to Bolton and died in 1849
IS Commodore William Compton Bolton,
A wedding reception took place in the
White House also in Jackson's admins
t%ration, when his adopted son, Andrew
jackson, Jr., brought his bride, who
was Miss Yorke of Philadelphia, daugh-
tor Of Peter Yorke of that city, whom he
| had married in her fathers house there,
to visit President Jackson in Washing
| ton.
The next wedding which occurred
there was on January 81, 1912, when
President Tyler's daughter, Elizabeth,
was married TO Mr.. William Waller, of
Williamsburg, Va. Il was q grand we'd
ding in the East Room, and Mrs. Robert
Tyler wrote of t:-sLizzie looked sur
passingly lovely in her wedding dress
and long blonde lace veil her face liter
ally covered with bushes and dimples.n
President Tyler was married at Ascen-
sion Church in New York, but had his
wedding reception in the East Room at
the White House the latter part Of June,
1874 having begun his courtship of Miss
Julia Gardiner, q beautiful young girl not
over twenty years old, in that room the
preceding February at an evening recep-
ton On W~ashington's Birthday. His
wife had died in the White House soon
after their daughter was married in 1912.
At the wedding reception, when all their
Washington friends were present to ten
der their congratulations, Senator John
g. Calhoun escorted the bride te the sup
per table and cut the wedding cake for
her.
No one remembers Q wedding or we'd
ding reception occurring in the Execu-
tive Mansion between this time aud the
wedding in the East Room, May Of, 1871
k&#a 49, N &aS - Z&%Z %E&