Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-02-19
The Way Our Presidents Courted
Their Wives.
THE PRETTY YOUNG WIDOW GUSTS
Martha Jefferson's Harpsichord and
Certain Violin.
JACKSON'S STORMY WOOING

when he first met Mrs. Custis. He was
On his way TO Williamsburg to see the gov
ernor. when he was met by a Mr.. Cham
berlayne. who owned plantation along
the way. and was asked to stop and dine
with him. Washington replied that his
business was urgent and he was only per-
suaded when Chamberlayne told him that
he had young widow visiting him who
was rich and fair TO look upon. He finally
accepted. saying that it could be only for
dinner. and that. the meal over. he must
hasten 10 Williamsburg by moonlight
He then threw the reins of his horse to
Bishop. his body servant. and told him to
wait for his return. Dinner being over. the
Virginia colonel was SO pleased with his
company that he was in no hurry to so.
He forgot all about poor Bishop and his
horse, and accepted an invitation to re-
main over night 1t was. 1t may be said.
q case of love at first sight. Washington
went on TO Williamsburg the next day, and
on his return he called at the house of
Mrs Gusts and asked her hand in mar
riage- She accepted and they were mar
Tied in great style at her home on the Pa
munkey river on the 9Th of January, 1852
a honeymoon Of several months was spent
here. and then the couple took a wedding
tour TO Mount Vernon.
Mrs CuStis twenty-six years old at
the time. and Washington was three
months her senior. Her maiden name was
Martha cambridge. She had been married
al seventeen to Col. Daniel p. Custis the
son of John Custis of Arlington, who was
one of the grandees of early Virginia. John
Custis had objected to this marriage, and
had told Daniel that he would cut him off
with a shilling if he persisted in CARVING
II out He had arranged. he said, a mar
rage for him with the daughter Of Colonel
Byrd Byrd OF Westover. and the contract had
been made when the two children were
babies in their cradles. Colonel Byrd was
one of the wealthiest and most influential
men In the state. and John Custis wanted
TO see the two fortunes united by marriage
Colonel Daniel Parke Gusts persisted in
his preference for Martha cambridge. and
his father finally consented to the matcn
IT was happy one while il lasted and
Martha Gusts had four children two of
whom were living at the time she married
Washington By the death of her first hus-
Dand she was left wealthy. and she brought
10 her new husband about hundred
thousand dollars in money and a large
amount of real estate.
Martha Custls was a belle at seventeen
and at twenty-six she was blooming wild
2w She was under middle size and had
dark brown eyes and hair. Washington is
SAID 10 nave been Il homely young man and
very fine-looking old one. Martha WASH
mston was a very pretty girl. but not
very good-iooking old woman. As she ma
tureo she grew stout, and, though her pic
lures represent her as beauty. the cur
rent history OF the times says she was a
plainly dressed, robust old woman who
looked older than her husband She was
not noted Tor her social or her intellectual
qualities. She could not SPELL and prob
ably did not read "a book from one end of
the year to the other. She was a sort of
soody-S0edy woman, who almost always
mao emitting needles in her hands. and who
thought she did great thing when she
saved the rawlings of lot of old black
SILK stockings and WORKOUT chair covers
anu woye them into a dress for herself
She was very proud OF her husband and
they show the little room in the second
story of the home at Mount Vernon i'm
which she secluded herself after his death,
only cat to enter the room through a
hole which was cut under the door
eso..s s-,t -sy -
Thsrnss- Jefferson had rivals in his co,,,,-
snip. with Martha Shelton but he wooed
her tong. and married her one cold January
night, while the snow was the ground
one night curing his courtship two of his
rivals happened to meet on Mrs Shelton's
door-stone. They stopped a moment as
they heard the sound of music. and when
oiiey iouia the young widows voice,
comnanied by her harpsichord. Joined with
that Oh Jefferson and his violin, in a love
song, they concluded MOI to enter and gave
up all hope Immediately after the mar
rage. Jefferson and his bride started out
by carriage for Monticello. which lay one
hundred miles away through the forests
Ihey arrived late at night and found the
fires all out, no wood at hand and nor a
servant in the mansion. half-bottIe of
Wine made UP their wedding supper, and
they sang and laughed till morning JEFF
Iersol1 at this time had an income of about
IlVe thousand dollars a year. and his wife
Drought him in a considerable estate The
Incense bond to their marriage to the
amoant of two hundred and fifty pounds.
was written by Jefferson himself and it
now hangs among the curiosities in the
State Library of Virginia. in the capitol
at Richmond.
Andrew Jacksons courtshp was stormy
one Mrs. JacksoHs maiden name was
Rachel Donelson- She was married very
young 10 Captain Lewis Robards a man
or good family, but of bad habits and a
very jealous disposition. Richards suspect
eu every man who came in contact with his
Wie. and he at one time wrote home to his
mo'her-in- law requesting her to take her
GauShter home, as he didn't intend to live
with her any longer Mrs. Robards mother
was at TINS time a widow. keeping board
ing house in Nashville. and Andrew Jack-
son was one of her boarders. Some wears
later the quarrel was made I'D and Can
tam Richards came to live with his wife at
MIS- DoneisonS- He at once became ieaI-
Gus OF Jackson. quarreled with him and
the result was that Jackson left the family
Shortly after this Captain Robards again
left his wife. and when Mrs Robards an
nouneed her intention of going to Natchez
TO visit some of her friends in order to
Keep out of her husbands way Jackson
went with her. Al Natchez he heard that
by the Virginia legislature and he mar
ried her He brought her back to Tenpes-
see and then found that the Virginia
legislature had not granted the divorce.
Out had left II to the court to do So In the
meantime Robards had gotten a divorce in
Kentucky. and jackson, in order to make
his marriage absolutely safe. bought a new
license and had the ceremony performed
over again.
During Jackson's presidential campaign
this question of his marriage made great
scandal. and jackson was probably think
ing OF this when he put the testimonial of
his wifes great worth in the epitaph which
ne wrote for her tombstone. Mrs jackson
was not an educated woman. Her speech
was ungrammatical. and full OF frontier
idIoHs She smoked pipe and what read
ing she did was confined TO the Bible She
was twenty-three years old whe. jackson
married her. and he was about one year
older. '
Van Burens wife died seventeen wears
before he became President. Her name was
Hanna Hoes, and she was Instantly related
TO him. He was engaged to her for long
time. but was not married until he could
support her comfortably. They were of the