The age-herald., 1901-10-06
FAMILIES OF PRESIDENTS
 OF THE UNITED STATES The Chief Magistrates Usually Men Advanced in Years-Pres ident Roosevelt the Youngest-White House Seldom
 Gladdened by Presence OfYoung Children

I Jackson and the incoming of the adopted son with his bride, two marriages were l celebrated in the house, those of the niece, Miss Eustice with a relative of MT. 1 Polk, and the daughter of Major Lewis, with M Pageot, afterward in Folks day, the minister plenipotentiary from France. 1 The houshold including the President, worshiped in church of the Presbyter- ian faith, and when entering on his duties | General Jackson took a pew in the Sec ond church, now the New York avenue church. but after the social war against Mrs. Eaton he went to the. church of which Rev. Dr. Laurin was pastor, then known as the Old School Presbyterian | church, which occupied the site of the l Union Trust Company building in F street west of Fourteenth street. He was. however, to be found at times in the Methodist churches. the Foundry and l Wesley.
 MT. Van Buren, who had served as Sec- retary of State and minister to England, under General Jackson, stepped into the White House in 1884, and he was the first man of Dutch descent and of the Dutch Reform faith to fill the position now oc- cupied by MT. Roosevelt who Is of the same descent and religious faith. MT. Van Buren had, after a married life of ten years been widower for thirty years, and his children, four sons, were grown up." There was then no Reformed church here.
 I One of the sons, l1ajor Abraham Van Buren. was his private secretary, and it was not long after the family took pos session of the White House that Mrs | Madison. her cousin, Miss Singleton of | South Carolina, to the President and fam l fly Miss Singleton in a few months be. | came the wife of Major Van Buren, and after bridal trip she was made the permanent hostess of the White House, Mrs. Madison and the ladies of the cabi- 1 net having previously, at the request of the President, filled that position. The l family having no church of their faith here worshiped in the nearby churches l at St. Johns usually.
 Old Tippecanoe.
 Gen. William Henry Harrison when in- 1 augurated in 1S41 had been married forty | six years but his family had not left | North Bend, O.. to take up their abode | in the White House before he died. His | was the largest family of any of the | Presidents, consisting of six sons and l four daughters, most of them married,
 with families of their own. Some of | these came on and were in the house | when the President died He had se-
 lected place of worship for himself and | family before his death, and it was his | chosen rector, Rev. William Hawley, D. | D., of St. Johns, who officiated and con
 
 | funeral.
 When President John Tyler took the | house vacated by his chief in April, 1S41, | he had been a married man for nearly
 thirty years, and was a communicant o1
 the Episcopal church, worshiping at St.
 Johns, the nearest church to the White
 House. There were three sons-Robert,
 William and John-and three daughters
 Mrs. Semple, who still survives Mrs
 Jones and Miss Lizzie Tyler, the latter
 soon after, by ceremony performed in
 the White House. becoming the wife of
 Mr. William Waller, a lawyer of Virgin | ia. Mrs Tyler, the first lady in the land
 was ill-fitted for that position on ac-
 count of her health, and but twice be-
 fore her death, which occurred in Sep
 tember, 1S42-at the wedding above noticed
 and at a chlldrens fancy ball at Christ mas time-did she appear at a public Junction. the wives of the sons and her daughters doing the honors The death of Mrs. Tyler ended the festivities for time, and before the days of the mourn
 ing were over, in February, 1S43 by the
 bursting of a gun the United States steamer Princeton near Alexandria, the;
 White House was again made house of.
 mourning. Two of the cabinet secretaries.
 Upshur and Gilmer, Commodore Kennon. and others were the victims, and the fun, eral services took place in the east room.
 In June 18H, MT. Tyler went to New
 York and married again, his bride being Miss Julia Gardiner of that city, daughter,
 of victim of the explosion. She was
 installed as the mistress of the Whit9. House, but her reign was snort-but one. season, ending in March, 1854 #
 The family of President Polk was small one when he became the nations
 tenant of the premses-in 1S45-being composed of Mrs. Polk an adopted son Ca nephew), Col J. K. Walker, a son of, let xrrlnN hCA l,s, tary. and Mrs. walker. The social duties were performed by Mrs. Polk, assisted by, Mrs. Walker and in those days of much
 aspersion on the motives of the leaders of the parties in countenancing of op- posing the war with Mexico, Mrs. Polk
 was given the credit or bringing about
 good feeling between many of the op- posing politicians. The surprise of the
 day was her entertainment of Henry Clay (Mr. Folks opponenD at dinner, The family was of the Presbyterian faith
 and attended at times the First church, In Four and half street. the Second New York avenue, and the F street church Gen. TayIor's Incumbency. r
 Gen. Zachary Taylor came to the White
 House in 1s49. with his wife son and
 two daughters-Mrs. W. w. Bliss and
 Mrs Wood. One daughter. the first wife
 of Col. Jefferson Davis afterward Presi-
 dent of the Southern Cohfederacy, had
 died several years before.
 General Taylor had been married nearly
 forty years. He and his wife were of the
 Episcopal faith. Mrs. Taylor was averse
 to leaving the quiet of her home for the society of Washington. Consequently oth- CTS had to do the honors Of the house. and the blushing Miss betty" as Mrs Bliss was known, filled that role for the short period which ended with the death of her father in July. 1850. Coupled with the sorrow on the death of the old hero was the regret felt that Washington
 would lose the presence of Mrs Bliss l Mrs. Taylor who had lived quietly in the
 housekeeping portion of the building. left
 immediately after the funeral
 Willard Fillmore, the Vive President 3 took the oath of office as President .Julv 10. 1s50 but the family, consisting of Mrs Fillmore and her daughter, was unable