The citizen. [volume] (Berea, Ky.) 1899-1958, 1908-12-03
DlGNIFIED In NAME
HAVE BEEN THE MIsTREssEs 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 fleeting enough in the case
OF men, but when II 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 on
hand more than half dozen women
whose husbands occupied the White
House.
Everybody knows Martha Washing.
ton was Mrs. Custis when she was
married 20 the Father OF His Country.
but how :nany remember her maiden
name was cambridge? There are
dozens OF families throughout the coun-
try which. n heraldry obtain in Amer
lea, would be entitled TO emblazon the
nations shield on their coat-ofarms
by reason of having heen connected
with presidents through their ances-
tresses. They represent the names OF
cambridge. Custis. Smith. Wayles.
SHELTON, 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.
Dlmmick. Saxon. Lee and Carow.
And those are only names 81 presi.
dents wives. The mothers OF the
presidents. beginning with Washing
tons. originally bore the surnames
BAH. Boylslon. Randolph. Conway.
Jones. Smith. Hutchinson. Hoes, Bias
sett. Armistead, Knox. Stroller. Nil.
lard. Hendricks, speer. Hanks. Melon.
ough. simpson. Orchard. Ballou.
Stone. Neal. Irwin. Allison and Bul-
lock
Only one woman had 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 ~ INC W ultt ttNuaft n'f
grandson BENJAMIN Harrison. the
twoaty-thlrd In line.
That all the presidents have been
dignihed men from their early years
Is shown by the Christian names Of
their helpmoets, Among the wives OF
the presidents there never has been
A Flossie. a Babette. a Tessie. a Kitty.
nor even a Gwendolyn. Hortense or
Mabel. The only woman whose given
name approached frivollty was Dolly
Madison. and she no doubt was chris
tened Dorothy or Dorothea. unless a
mistake vas made al the baptismai
font There were two Marthas and
As many Abigails. CarolInes. Marys.
ELIAS and Julias.
The other presidents wives have
been. respectively. Dolly. Louisa.
Rachel. Hannah. Anna, Leitia.
Sarah. Margaret. Jane. Lucy. Lucretla.
Ellen. Frances. Ida. Alice and Edith.
Equally staid we're the names OF the
presidents mothers. There have been
two each OF Jane. Eliza. Anna and
Nancy; three Marys and four Eiizabeths.
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 the
mother OF the latest were named
Martha. II is hard TO conceive OF any
OF those women being addressed by
undignified diminutlyes.