The Utah County Democrat. [volume] (Provo City, Utah) 1898-1909, 1908-12-12
DIGNIFIED In NAME
HAVE BEEN THE MlsTRessEs OF
THE WHITE HOUSE. y
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 II comes to women
the goddess is twice MS 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 wives7
Doubtless 80 per cent of the adult
population is unable to name on
hand more than a 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,
SHELTON, Payne. Todd. Kortwright.
Johnson, Donelson, Richards, Hoes,
Symmes, Christian, Gardiner. Chill.
dress, Powers. Carmichael, Mcintosh,
Appleton, McCardle. Dent, Webb. Ru.
dolph, Herndon. Folsom. Scott. Lord.
Dimmick, Saxon, Lee and Carow.
AID those are only names Of presi-
beats wives. The mothers Of the
presidents. beginning with Washing.
toms, originally bore the surnames
Ball. Boy lston, Randolph, Conway,
Jones. Smith. Hutchinson. Hoes. Bias.
sett, Armistead Knox, Stroller, Mil
lard, Hendricks. Speer, Hanks, Melon.
ough. Simpson, Birchard, Ballou,
Stone, Neal. Irwin, Allison and Bull
lock.
Only one woman bad the honor OF
being both the wife and the mother
OF presidents She was Abigail Smith.
who was married to John Adams, the
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
dlgnified men from their early years
is shown by the Christian names OF
their helpmeets. Among the wives OF
the presidents there never has been
a Flossie. Babette Tessie, Kitty
nor even a Gwendolyn, Hortense OF
Mabel. The only woman whose given
name approached frivolty 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 Ablgails. Carolines, Marys
Elias 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 beer
two each OF Jane, Eliza, Anna ant
Nancy; three Marys and four Elizabeths
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 first president and thu
mother of the latest were named
Martha. II is hard to conceive of an!
of those women being addressed b!
undisnified diminutives.