Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1922-10-03
LITTLE SUNSHINE"
WAS NATIONS TOAST
General Grant Not Pleased
When Daughter Fell In Love
With an Engiishman.


Nellie Grant 10 dead. Tho little
woman who was once tho toast OF the
Nation. whose smile once radiAted
through the White House at Washing
ton, and whose life ran tho whole ga
NUT OF romance with its full share OF
happiness and tears. has passed away
Quietly. almost forgotten in the last
ten years beyond the Immediate circle
OF her family in Chicago.
But in the few lines that told OF the
death OF Mrs. Franklin Hatch Jones,
wife Of q Chicago banker. her second
husband, Q whole cycle OF memories
can be revived. For seven years Mrs.
Jones. once the vivacious. laughing
Nellie Grant. the only daughter OF tho
hero OF the Civil War who afterward
became a grateful Nations Chief
Executive lay a helpless and hopeless
invalid. a victim Of paralysis
Mental happiness had come to her
arAin late In life but with II physical
suffering. For half century fate
seemed set against the Little Sun
shine" OF her girlhood years.
Tho~e years Of her girlhood were the
manifest Nellie Grant ever knew until
ehe was a woman fast approaching the
sixt,es. She was just blooming into
womanhood when the Civil War came
70 4 close and her father. relieved OF
the cares Of battle. could once more
turn his attention to his family
For n time General Grant had con-
sadered making Philadelphia his home.
A house had been bought for him but
ne never really occupied it. Circum-
stances arose which called the General
away, finally to take his seat as Tres
ident
II was in the White House Nellie
Grant became beloved OF the whole
Nation. Small IN stature, with bright.
sperkling eyes. q wealth OF brown hair
and q never failing smile for all, she
won her name OF Little sunshine
bestowed upon her by all ofhcial Wash
inrton and taken up by the country
at large.
While still in her teens she MADE
A trip abroad. Returning just as she
was turning twenty, she took passage
on one OF the most famous ocean I'm
err. OF the day. the Russia
Sartor,s, the son of an English coun-
try gentlemen Of means. who owned
extensive property In Wisconsin. rain
or and son were coming TO inspect
these holdings and the young. wealthy
and handsome Englishman met ano
feu I'm love with Nellie Grant.
II was Nellie's first love. The CIR
who had been born in a log cabin In
Missouri and had spent her chilonooo
as a Younger member OF a large family
of a impecunious army ofncer' wak
thrilled by the attentions OF gaiiah'
AlSernon Sartoris. She returned TO the
White House and TO her father, nheo
with happiness.
General Grant was not 90 pleased
American through and through. ne
could not share his daughters enthus'
iasr for a foreigner" especially one
whose. country had 90 lately sym
pathized strongly with the enemies o.
the Union. But he loved Nellie ana N
allowed this love to sway his oette'
judgment. ~,
The betrothal was announced- tn'
wedding was arranged. Tho Nation
looking askance at the internauona
marriage. accepted It as did the Gen
eral and President .,
on May "a. 1874. the wedding toot
place in the East Room Of the White
House. Nothing was spared. 1t was
che social event Of the season and
manv seasons at Washington. Hel
position as the only daughter OK tn'
President brought many, her smile
won them.
Back 10 England Algernon Sartari
took his bride. It was sad partint
IN the Presidents family but all hoped
for the best. Unfortunately thos
hopes were never realized. For
time Nellie's letters home were fllle'
with happiness. Then between tn
lines appeared something else. tn
dAshing young Englishman was no
proving the loving husband He ha'
inherited q romantic impulse from hi
mother. q sister of Fanny Kemble
famous az an English actress. Nelli
was being neglected.
Yelled hints of unhappiness in he
letters to her father were borne GU
IN other reports and gossip from acros
the seas. These bowed the Genera
with grief Too far away for him t
lend her the paternal comfort she un
doubtedly craved, he held OF fror
more active interference. hopin
against hope with the years going b
Nellie would ind happiness.
But II remained for the death {
Agernon Sartoris TO break the tie
Nellie Grant had pledged herself I
keep for better or for worse. He
father -in-law had died leaving her a
income OF some $4,000 a year. Wit
this she was able to raise her childre,
Algsrnon. Jr., Vivian and Rosemary
Two years before her husband
death In Capri. Italy. she had paid be
first visit TO her old home In Americ
since her marriage. This was in 1S9
Old friends who saw her for the frs
time since they had bid her good-by
as q bride. were shocked at her ev
dences OF long suffering. And 1t wa
these same friends. who after he
fa!thless husbands death. induced he
10 return TO this country and resunl
something Of the rounds Of gaieties G
early interrupted by her marriage, IL
stead OF burying herself In Englan,
- aoAns of 10 much of her unhapp
ness.
Mr.. Sartoris, with abundant mean
wa able to establish herself conlfor'
ably. even uxuriously, for those day
She had a home at Clermont, in Or
tar1o. and spent much time In trave
Five years after she had become
widow she was reported engaged |
General Henry Kyd Douglas, but
waa QUICKLY denied