Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1886-04-24

| Century OF Bright WOmen-FrOm
Martha Washington to Rose Cleveland
and the Possible Bride.
From the Philadelphia Times
The semi-authentic announcement, through
| the correspondence of the lady concerned, that
/ the President will marry Miss Frances Folsom,
of Buffalo, in June, recalls the historic series OF
! White House nuptuals and love affairs of the
| uncrowned kings of America in that stately
| mansion. Washingto ton it is well known, married
| long before he became President or even
| General of the army. He met the lovely
certainly lovely if Wollaston"s picture of her
| in youth does justice-Widow Gusts at Will
| liamsburg during his service q member OF
| the Virginia legislature. People who deride
| the law-making bodies forget that the Father
| of his Country served fifteen successive years
as legislator. 1t was at this old Virginia
| town Washington met and married "My
| Dear Patsy"-as he calls the widow in his
| letters both before and after the union.
| Mrs. Washington before marrying Planter
CustIs was a Miss cambridge, a descendant
of a Welsh clergyman by the commonplace
name of Jones. History tells us she WAS one of
young girls in the capital society of the old
province in the days when Governor Dinwiddie
| served the royal will and the maidens OF the
Old Dominion were carefully and virtuOusly
trained to be matrons in new nation. Mrs.
Washington presided over the Executive house
| hold at the seat OF government, first In New
York, then in this city, with a good deal OF
| formality, some say aristocracy, tor both she
and her distinguished husband were F. F. VS..
| Their house in this city one rented from
| Robert Morris, on Market street, between Fifth
| and Sixth. 1t was here the Friday levees were
| held and the rules were very rigorous. A GER
tain dress was required at court and dfgni-
fed statelinesS reigned. The President never
| offered his hand TO the visitors and Mrs. Wash
| ington always received sitting, surrounded by
her 1ntimates, the nearest Of whom was Mrs.
Morris.
| This was while the federal city was being laid
| out and the White House was building. 1t may
not be generally known that Pennsylvania tried
hard to keep the capital here, but the influence
OF this state appropriated sum to build house
| for the President, hoping TO keep the seat OF
erected - the old University building - but
Washington wouldn't live in it. AprOpos to this
IL may also be related that the little inland town
| OF Columbia, in this state, during the discus
sions in the Continental congress as to the loca-
ton of capital, came within one vote OF being
| the site, and Germantown - where General
Wagner thinks all the great men of this country
| hve-was actually decided on by majority OF
one vote, but the decision was afterwards re-
versed in favor OF the present place.
| ABIGAIL ADAMS.
The first Presidents wife was born Jones.
| that of the second, a Smith-Abigail Smith-so
| the republic, far as the domestic head of 1t
| was concerned, was ushered in with a certain
| democratic simplicity. John Adams married
| who was a clergyman, preached a sermon on
| the Sunday after the wedding-SO historic old
| chestnut relateS-frOm the text John came
neither eating bread nor drinking wine and we
| say he hath devil" During Adams term of
office, in 1900, the government was removed to
| Washington. Mrs. Adams was the first lady OF
the White House, but she never liked it and
| lived there altogether but four months. Her
picture, by Gilbert Stuart, represents her as a
| cheerful and not unhandSOme looking woman
of fifty with cap and ringlets of curls wreathing
the edge. She and her distinguished husband
correspondence Of the pretty sort after their
| marriage as before, and they sleep side by side
| In the Congregational churchyard at Quincy.
Jefferson went into the White House wild
over of nineteen years standing and his diary,
| lately published by John BigelOw, shows he
| understood thoroughly the domestic economies
which were necessary In the matter OF prOvid-
ing for the wants of the mansion and its hOspi-
| talities. His wife was the widow of Bathurst
| ter of John Wayles, of Charles City county,
/ Virginia. She was said to be beautiful
| woman and Jefferson to have won her over
other suitors through his musical voice and
ability to play the violin. That jefferson
| loved her is attested by fact related in Sena-
| tor Voorhees, lecture on the great Virginian,
for, although he lived nearly half century
after, yet, in little secret drawer of his cab
met on his death was found a lock of his wife's
| hair, which some endearlng verses,
written shortly before his last illness.
DOLLY MADISON.
Dolly Madison was one of the most popular o
the White House women, If We believe tradi-
ton. and yet she certainly was not pretty, If
Prud homme's engraving from the picture OF
| ban profusiOn of ringlets, large nose and posi-
| tive mouth. There is, however, a glimpse OF q
TSsnded arm and Classic
| may have combined with her well-attested tact
and vivacity TO have given her the reputation
wiz wives She was an +. Dorothy Payne.
although born in the Pine Tree state, and in
| early life her parents lived here ana Dolly act
ually joined the Society of Friends in this city,
| although no doubt a rising young Quaker law
yer, one John Todd, whom she aiterward mar
| ried, had something to do with this. Todd died
and left her widow with one son, so Dolly set
| her cap for some of the hne-loOking young
members of the Congress then wont to come to
/ and i'll 1894 married James Madison, one OF
/ the most talented OF the body.
As is well remembered, Mrs. Madison occu-
pied the White House during the British cap
| ture OF 1914, and she saved with her own
| hands Stuart's painting of Washington by cut
| ting it from the frame. The official home of the
| President after the burning was in Pennsylva-
mia avenue, and the levees after the treaty OF
| Client are said TO have been on a magnificent
| scale. Madison lived until 1886, and his charm
/ ing helpmeet until 1S49, some of the people of
| the present day remembering both, especially
| the widow, who for many years lived at the
| capital in a house what is now Madison
| Place, occupied after Mrs. MadisOn's death by
| the late Capt. Wilkes, of the United States
navy. She and her husband lie buried at Mont
/ pelier, Va, which is only short distance from
Monticello, where Jefferson and wife also await
/ the last great summons.
| MRS. MONROE.
MIS- hOuTOc was Tue OduSnter OF q br1tfSl
| army officer named Cartwright, distant rela-
| tions of the Philadelphia Cartwrights who set
| tied in New York after the peace of 1888 She
was one of four girls. One of these married Mr..
Heyliger, grand chamberlain to the King of
Denmark; another MIR. Knox, of New York
city, the only daughter of whom was the wife
| of the late Alexander Hamilton, son of Ale KAN
der Hamilton. the first Secretary of the Treas
ury; a third married Nicholas Gouveneur. of
New York, and the fourth Senator James Mon
roe OF Virginia. afterwards President.
The first White House wedding was that of
President Monroes youngest daughter, who
married her cousin, Samuel l.. Convenient In
1920. II took place in the East Room, and
was "A knickerbocker affair, stylish and high
toned tor the day. A number of brilliant re-
ceptions in Washington were rendered to the
bridal couple, and the cards were out for a very
swell one by Commodore Essex" Porter and
wife, when IL had to be given up, owing 10 the
untlmeiy death of Commodore Decatur, killed
| by Barron in a duel. The dead officer had given
the young couple brilliant party but y few
days before at his own home. An older daugh-
| ter OF President Madison married Judge George
Hay, of Richmond. Hortensia Hay, beauti-
| tul girl, daughter of this match was the wife of
Lord Rogers, OF Baltimore, whom old society
| people of this city Will well remember Lady
| Rogers died in Paris and Is buried In Pere La
| Chaise.
| MRS. JOHN QUINCY ADAMS
| Most persons who have read the voluminous
diary OF the ''old man eloquent" know more or
| less OF Louisa Catharine Adams, his wife. She
was the daughter of Marylander named John.
son, who lived in London during the reyOln.
| ton, where she born. Charles Francis
Adams was her third son. She accompaDied