Evening star., 1938-01-30
Tyler's Daughter, Oldest Living
Presidents Child, Visits Here
Mrs. Ellis Tells of Long
Life, but Won't
Reveal Age.
BY JESSIE, FAINT EVANS.

odlu 10 De LNe Ol0eSC living Cn1lQ OF
any President Of the United States,
Mrs. Pearl Tyler Ellis is here visiting
a daughter, Mrs. Y. E. Booker of
4517 Hawthorne street. Wesley Heights.
Mrs. Ellis is the fourteenth child
of John Tyler of Virginia, who was
elected Vice President under Presi-
dent William Henry Harrison in the
"Tippecanoe and Tyler too" cam
palgn of l840. He succeeded to the
presidency when Harrison died one
month after their joint accession to
Office. to become the first Chief
Executive not chosen by the electoral
college.
In company with two daughters,
Mrs. Booker and her namesake, Miss
Pearl Tyler Ellis, United States Army
nurse stationed at Fort Meade but
on leave, the writer one afternoon
this week heard Mrs. Ellis turn the
clock backward in fascinating fashion
on every conceivable phase of a long,
varied and graciously lived life. She
told everything except how old she
VIII be her next birthday.
Its been many years" she said
with touch of delightful coquetry.
since 1 have seen any use in birth
days, so now I just ignore them alto
gether."
With the graciousness of the pro-
verbal daughter of the old South and
It's traditions, she Immediately puts
one entirely at ease with a welcom-
ing smile from eyes of azure blue,
Tyler Had IA Children.
BY a previous marriage to Miss
letltla Christian. Mr.. Tyler had seven
children before his first wife's death.
Mrs. Ellis, is the youngest of seven
additional children born to him by
his second wife, the beautiful Julia
Gardiner Of GARDENERS Island, N. Y.
welded to President Tyler when she
was 2l and he was 81. Over 10 when
Mrs. Ellis was born to this union at
Hampton, Va. her father survived
only a few months.
with an administration noted for
the negotiation of the Wehster-As-
burton treaty with Great Britain. the
discovery OF copper in Michigan,
MorseS invention of the telegraph,
ana the admission of Florida to the
Union, her father also goes down in
history, Mrs. Ellis reminds you, for
having the largest family of any
President OF the United States"
Her mothers romance had its origin
III the tragedy which developed on
board the S. S. Princeton on its gala
expedition down the Potomac River
with President Tyler, his cabinet and
group of distinguished visitors on
board for the try-out of a much
heralded cannon, The Peacemaker, :"
During the course of salute there
was an explosion which killed her
grandfather, David Gardiner, a guest
on board with his lovely daughter
Julia.
President Tyler's attempts to COM
tort the grief-stricken young visitor,
50 years his junior, developed into the
romance which eliminated in their
wedding at the White House.
A charming likeness of Mrs. Ellis
mother as White House bride hangs
on the walls of the Executive Mansion
That of her father is featured in the
private dining room of the White
House. where, 50 the story goes; sew
eral Chief Executives have gained
inspiration from its reminder to them
OF the stalwart independence with
which President Tyler confronted party
leaders when he was convinced their
counsels conficted with public in
terest.
Mrs. Ellis has always been led to
believe, too, that the two portraits of
her father and mother, painted when
they were occupants of the White
House, now to be seen at Sherwood
Forest, on the James River in
Charles City County, Va, home to
winch President Tyler retired after
completing his term of presidential Of
flce, are exceptionally fine likenesses,
Her nephew, Alfred Tyler now oc-
cupies this homestead which con-
talns many other treasured mementoes
OF President Tyler.
Life on the Plantation,
A part of Mrs. Ellis colorful earlv
childhood was spent at Sherwood
Forest. Here she rode in OK carts, GAL
loped ponies down its long lane to the
river landing and led the typical life
OF q little girl on Virginia planta-
ton before the Civil War.
Between her sixth and seventh year
her mother ran the blockade with her
in the midst of the war in order to
reach relatives at East Hampton,
Long Island. where they took refuge
for time with Scottish born grand
mother, Mrs. Julia MacLachlen Gard
iner
There were also wartime visits to