The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-02-08

known, Willard Fillmore was the first
of his family to settle in Buffalo. He
was married TO Miss Abigail Powers.
daughter of Rev. Lemuel Powers and
Abigail Newland,, at Moravia, Cayuga
country, Feb. 5. 1926.
1t was the love of Mr.. and Mrs. Fill
more for books that brought about the
establishment of a library in the White
House. When Mr.. Fillmore entered
upon the presidency there was not even
a Bible in the White House, let alone
other books. Mrs. Fillmore urged the
immediate necessity of getting
library. The President applied to Con-
gress for an appropriation and fitted
out as a library the largest and most
cheerful room in the second story.
Washington Irving said Mrs. Fill
more received her death warrant while
standing by her husbands side on the
cold marble terrace of the Capitol list
ening to the inaugural address of Mr..
Fillmore's successor. She died on
March 80, 1858, less than four weeks
after her husband had retired from
the presidency.
The couple had two children, Willard
Powers Fillmore and Miss Mary Abb
gail Fillmore. The daughter was about
IS years old when her parents, entered
the White House and, as her mother
was i'll part of the time, the daughter,
even at that age, took a prominent
part in entertaining her fathers guests.
Scarcely a year after her mother had
died the daughter followed her to the
grave. This double blow fell heavily
upon the former President.
After the death of his daughter Mr..
Fillmore decided to leave his lonely
home for a ng-contemplated trip
abroad. He received many tlattering
cabinet ministers.
On Feb. 10, 1858. after having been
a widower for five years, Mr.. Fillmore
married Mrs. Caroline C. Mcintosh, of
Albany. n. Y, She. like himself. was
rich. The marriage was held in the
home of Mrs. Mcintosh, the old Schuy-
Ter mansion, nlled with historic asso-
Citations connected with the Revolu-
tionary struggle. A few intimate
friends of the former President and
his son went from Buffalo to attend the
ceremony.
Mr.. Fillmore brought his bride to the
later Fillmore mansion, the one facing
Niagara Square. He had bought that
fine building, especially for her. 1t
was elegantly fitted up and was as
beautiful a mansion as existed in Buff
falo in those days. There the former
President spent the remainder of his
days. After living a long, useful life
the former President succumbed to a
stroke of apopleXy on March 8, 1874.
He was "a years old. The widow con-
tinued to occupy the mansion with the
former Presidents son up to the time
of her death in 1881.
Following her death came the litiga-
ton between the son and the heirs over
the wording of an ante-nuDtial con-
tract signed by the former President
and herself. Mrs. Fillmore sought to
will among other things Mr.. Fillmore's
library solid-silver set of great value
and a quantity of wine that had an
interesting history. The son contested
the dead woman's right to dispose of
this property. The courts gave the son
possession of the silver Service, the
library and the wines.
Practically all of the contents of the
Fillmore mansion were auctioned off
following the death of the widow.
Willard Powers Fillmore. or Powers
Fillmore, as he was more generally
known, was a familiar figure on the
streets of Buffalo up to the time of his
death on Nov. Is. 1899. He was the
last of the Buffalo F'illmores.