The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1902-12-30
THB PRESIDENTS WIVES AND MOTHERS.
BILL Arp Gives More History on This Inter.
eSiing Topic and Other Themes.
tAtlanta constitutional

conway aud not Fanny Taylor. Fan
ny was his grandmother. But th,
good doctor is wrong about Thoma,
Jefferson. He did not marry Mis-
Martha Shelton, for she was a widow
and hor maiden name was Marths
Wales, as l said. Neither did An
drew jackson marry Miss Rache
hobards. She was not q miss, but {
divorced wife and her maiden name
was Rachel Donelson. jackson haG
to marry her twice in different State,
! to comply with the law. Or oours.
George Washington married the
widow Custis. Everybody know.
that. 1t was the typo that made it
Curtis. DR.. Conway says that Mil
lard Fillmore never married. He i,
mistaken. His first wife was Abb.
gail Powers and his second was Car
ollne Mcintosh. 1t ls singular how
many of the Presidents married wild.
ows' Madison's wife, Dolly Payne
was a widow Todd. Her maiden
name was Dorothy Coles. I reckon
we will get this matter Strengthened
out after while. Mr.. Thaxton of
Tennessee, writes me that the full
list OF mothers and wives can be
found in the" World Almanac" for
1894.
Friend Thaxton is not mad, but he
is grieved that l said Johnson's par
ents were too poor and ignorant to
be named in the biography. That
was not my assertion, but WAS a bit
OF sarcasm on the compiler, who
makes special mention of their pov.
erty and lack of education, and re-.
cords that Andrew and his mother
and stepfather moved from Raleigh,
N. O., to Greenville, Tenn, in a
two wheeled cart drawn by blind
pony, but does not give their names.
Mr.. Thaxton says his wife's father
was an own cousin to Andrew John.
son, and Andrews mothers name was
Mary McDonough. Who did Mary
marry the second timer The bio
grsphy in Appleton was written by
James Phelan, editor of The Mem
phis Avalanche, and seems to be
very fair and favorable to johnson
and his wife and children. 1t says
that Johnson's father died when An
drew was only four years old and
Mr.. Thaxton says his mother had
many more children Mr.. Pholan
says tHat Andrew learned his alpha.
bet on the tailor's bench, and his
wife, Elisa McCsrdle, taught him to
read.
My friend Thaxton says that he
did not know that poverty and ig-
norance were tied together. AS a
general rule they are. That second
husband must have been both shift
less and ignorant if he couldn't pro-
vide any better transportation for
his wife and stepson than two.
wheel cart and a blind pony for a
long journey. If Mr.. Thaxton was
to see such oavalcade as that oom.
ing down the big road now he would
say that poverty and ignorance were
tramping along together Bnt thia
much we have learned from Mr..
Thaxton-that Andrew Johnson's
mothers maiden name was Mary Nc.
Donough. All honor to him who
rose from poverty and obscurity and
all honor to his devoted wife and to
his accomplished daughter, Mrs.
Patterson. who presided 80 worthily
in the White House.
And Roosevelt married twice
that's right! He ought to have 4
good woman at his elbow all of the
time. I reckon he must have been 9
widower when he wrote those sland.
ers against Jefferson Davis and the
people Of the South. am still wait
ing for him to retract and to apollo
gize. But now he is q candidate and
is scheming for the solid Northern
vote aud the S )ulhern negroes thrown
in, he won't retract. If he is to bt
elected President, I want Miles to bt
coupled with him on the ticket fol
vice president. The champion chai
ner and the champion defamer ough
to be aired One to work on liv,
men and tho other on dead ones
And here is q latter from Mrs