The Idaho Springs siftings-news., 1908-12-05
OIGNIFIED In NAME
AVE BEEN THE MlSTRESSEs OF
THE WHITE HOUSE.
But One Woman Has Had High Honor
Of Being the Wife Of One and
the Mother Of Another
President.

Fame is neeting enough In the case
OF men. but when 1t comes to women
the goddess is twice as tickle. Almost
any public school pupil more than ten
years old can repeat the names of the
presidents OF the United States. but
how many know the presidents wives
doubtless 80 per cent. of the adult
population is unable to name or
hahd more than n half dozen women
whose husbands occupied the White
House.
Everybody knows Martha Washing.
ton was Mrs. Custis when she was
married to the Father of His Country,
but how many remember her maiden
name was cambridge? There are
dozens Of families throughout the coun-
try which, II heraldry obtain in Amer
lea. would be entitled to emblazon the
nations shield on their coat-of-arms
by reason OF having been connected
with presidents through their ances-
tresses. They represent the names of
cambridge. Custis. Smith. Wayles.
Skelton, Payne. Todd, KortwriGht.
Johnson. Donelson. Robards, Hoes.
Symmes. Christian. Gardiner Chill
dress. Powers. Carmichael. Mcintosh,
Appleton, McCardle. Dent. Webb. Ru-
dolph. Herndon. Folsom, Scott, Lord.
Dimmick, Saxon, Lee and Carow.
And those are only names OF presi-
dents wives. The mothers of the
presidents, beginning with Washing
tons. originally bore the surnames
Ball. Boylston. Randolph. Conway.
Jones, Smith, Hutchinson. Hoes. Bas-
sett. Armistead, Knox. Stroller, Mil
lard. Hendricks. Speer. Hanks, McDon-
ough, Simpson, Birchard. Ballou,
Stone. Neal. Irwin. Allison and Bull
lock.
Only one woman had the honor of
being both the wife and the mother
OF presidents. She was Abigail Smith.
second president, and whose Son.
John Quincy Adams. became the sixth
president Another woman. Eliza
beth Bassett, was wife and grand
mother Of presidents. Her husband
was William Henry Harrison. ninth
occupant OF the White House, her
grandson. Benjamin Harrison. the
twenty-third In line.
That all the presidents have been
dignified men from their early years
is shown by the Christian names Of
! their helpmeets Among the wives of
| the presidents there never has been
| q Flossie. a Babette. = Tessie. 4 Kitty.
nor even . Gwendolyn. Hortense OF
Mabel. The only woman whose given
name approached frivolity was Dolly
| Madison, and she no doubt was chris
tened Dorothy or Dorothea, unless q
mistake was made at the baptismal
font There were two Marthas and
as many Abigails. Carolines. Marys.
Elizas and Julias.
The other presidents' wives have
been, respectively, Dolly, Louisa.
Rachel Hannah. Anna. Letitia,
Sarah. Margaret, Jane. Lucy. Lucretia
Ellen, Frances, Ida, Alice and Edith
Equally staid were the names of the
presidents mothers. There have been
two each of Jane, Eliza, Anna and
Nancy; three Marys and four Elizabe
The other mothers OF the presidents
| divide the names Susanna. Nelly. Abb
gail. Maria, Sarah. Phoebe. Harriet
Sophia, Malvina and Martha. The
| wife Of the frst president and the
mother of the latest were named
Martha. It IL hard to conceive of any
Of those women being addressed by
undignined diminutives.