The first book she read was on the First Ladies of the United States. The item that caught Ms. Edwards attention the families of the presidents.
Martha Dandridge Curtis Washington - She married twice. Her first husband was Daniel Parke Custis and they had four children. Two died in infancy and the other two survived and were raised by Martha and George Washington. (John Parke Custis and Martha Parke Custis)
Abigail Smith Adams - She married John Adams. They had three sons and two daughters. (Abigail, John Quincy, Susanna, Charles, Thomas Boylston and Elizabeth (stillborn)
Martha Wayles Skelton Jefferson - She was married twice. Her first husband was Bathurst Skelton and they had one son. Their son, John Wayles Skelton died as a child. She married Thomas Jefferson and they had six children. Only two lived to adulthood. (Martha and Maria) Their other children were Jane Randolph, unnamed son, Lucy Elizabeth, and Lucy Elizabeth.
Dolley Payne Todd Madison - She married twice. Her first husband was John Todd Jr. He died three years later from a yellow fever epidemic. They had two son (John Payne and William Temple) John lived to adulthood. Dolley married James Madison and they had no children together.
Elizabeth Kortright Monroe - She married James Monroe and they had three children together. They had two daughters and a son who died as an infant. (Eliza Korthright, James Spence, and Maria Hester)
Louisa Catherine Johnson Adams - She married John Q. Adams and they had four children together. (George Washington, John, Charles Francis, and Louisa (died as a child)
Rachel Donelson Jackson - She was married twice. Her first marriage to Lewis Robards ended in divorce. Her marriage to Andrew Jackson took place before her divorce was final. They had to remarry. They had no children together. They did take care of two nephews of Rachels.
Hannah Hoes Van Buren - She married Martin Van Buren and they had five sons. One of their children died in infancy.
Anna Tuthill Symmes Harrison - She married William Henry Harrison and they had six sons and four daughters. (Elizabeth, John Cleves, Lucy, William Henry Jr, John Scott, Benjamin, Mary, Carter Bassett, Anna Tuthill, and James (died in infancy)
Letitia Christian Tyler - She married John Tyler and they had eight children. Seven survived to adulthood. (Mary, Robert, John, Letitia, Elizabeth, Anne Contesse, Alice, Tazewell). Anne Contesse died in infancy.
Julia Gardiner Tyler - She was the second wife of John Tyler and they had seven children. (David Gardiner, John Alexander, Julia Gardiner, Lachlan, Lyon Gardiner, Robert Fitzwalter, and Pearl)
Sarah Childress Polk - She married John Polk and they had no children.
Margaret Mackall Smith Taylor - She married Zachary Taylor and they had one son and five daughters. Two daughters died as children (Octavia and Mary) Their other children were Ann, Sarah, Mary, and Richard)
Abigail Powers Fillmore - She married Millard Fillmore and they had two children. (Mary Abigail and Millard Powers.
Jan Means Appleton Pierce - She married Franklin Pierce and they had three children. Franklin Pierce Jr. and Frank Robert died before their fourth birthdays. Benjamin Pierce died at the age of 11 in a railway accident.
Mary Todd Lincoln - She married Abraham Lincoln and they had four children. (Robert Todd, Edward Baker, William Wallace, and Thomas) Edward and William died before adulthood
Eliza McCardle Johnson - She married Andrew Johnson and they had five children. (Martha, Charles, Mary, Robert, and Andrew Jr.)
Julia Dent Grant - She married Ulyssess S. Grant and they had four children. (Jesse, Ulysses, Jr., Nellie and Frederick).
Lucy Ware Webb Hayes - She married Rutherford B. Hayes and they had eight children. (Birchard Austin, James Webb Cook, Rutherford Platt, Fanny, Scott Russell all lived to adulthood) (Joseph Thompson, Manning Force, died before adulthood)
Lucretia Rudolph Garfield - She married James A. Garfield and they had seven children. Harry Augustus, James Rudolph, Mary, Irvin, and Abram - lived to adulthood. Eliza Arbella and Edward died before the age of four.
Ellen Lewis Herndon Arthur - She married Chester Arthur and had three children. William Lewis Herndon died at the age of two. Chester Alan Arthur II and Ellen Hansbrough Herndon live to adulthood.
Francis Folsom Cleveland - She married Grover Cleveland while he was President of the United States. She was 21 years old when they married and the youngest first lady. They had five children. (Ruth, Ester, Marion, Richard Folsom, and Francis Grover.
Caroline Lavinia Scott Harrison - She married Benjamin Harrison and they had two children. (Russell Benjamin and Mary Scott)
Ida Saxton McKinley - She married William McKinley and they had two children that both died at young ages. (Katherine and Ida)
Alice Hathaway Lee Roosevelt - She was married to Theodore Roosevelt and she died after giving birth to their only daughter Alice.
Edith Kermit Carow Roosevelt - She was the second wife of Theodore Roosevelt and they had five children. (Theodore Jr., Kermit, Ethel Carow, Archibald Bulloch, and Quentin.
Helen Herron Taft - She was married to William Howard Taft and they had three children. (Robert, Helen Taft, and Charles Phelps Taft II).
Ellen Louise Axson Wilson - She was the first wife of Woodrow Wilson. They had three children together. (Margaret, Jessie, and Eleanor)
Edith Bolling Galt Wilson - Her first husband was Norman Galt. They had one son together that only lived for three days. Their 12 year marriage ended with his unexpected death. She married Woodrow Wilson while he was in his first term as President. They had no children together.
Florence Kling Harding - Her first husband was Henry De Wolfe. They had one son, Marshall Eugene DeWolfe. She divorced her husband. She married Warren G. Harding. They had no children.
Grace Anna Goodhue Coolidge - She married John Coolidge and they had two sons. (John and Calvin Jr.)
Lou Henry Hoover - She married Hebert Hoover and they had two sons. (Herbert Charles and Allan Henry)
Anna Eleanor Roosevelt Roosevelt - She married Franklin D. Roosevelt and they had six children. Anna Eleanor, James, Elliott Franklin Delano, and John Aspinwall all survived to adulthood. Franklin Delano Jr. died in infancy.
Elizabeth Virginia Wallace Truman - She was married to Harry S. Truman and they had one daughter named Mary Margaret.
Mamie Geneva Doud Eisenhower - She was married to Dwight D. Eisenhower and they had two sons, Doud Dwight who died at a young age and John Sheldon Doud.
Jacqueline Lee Bouvier Kennedy Onassis - She was married to John Kennedy and they had four children. (Arabella - stillborn, Caroline Bouvier, John Fitzgerald, and Patrick Bouvier - died in infancy). She married Aristotle Onassis in 1968.
Claudia Taylor Johnson (Lady Bird) - She was married Lyndon B. Johnson and they had two children. (Lynda Bird, and Luci Baines)
Patricia Ryan Nixon - She was married to Richard Nixon and they had two daughters. (Tricia and Julie)
Elizabeth Bloomer Ford - She is the widow of Gereld R. Ford and they had four children. (Michael, Jack, Steven, and Susan)
Rosalynn Smith Carter - She is the wife of Jimmy Carter and they have four children. (John William, James Earl III, Donald Jeffrey, and Amy.)
Nancy Davis Reagan - She is the widow and second wife of Ronald Reagan. They had three children together. (Patricia Ann Reagan and Ronald Prescott). She is stepmother to Ronald Reagan's two children from his first marriage. (Maureen and Michael).
Barbara Pierce Bush - She is the wife of George H.W. Bush and the mother of six children. (George W., Pauline Robinson (died 4 years old), John Ellis, Neil Mallon, Marvin Pierce, and Dorothy Bush)
Hillary Rodham Clinton - She is the wife of William Clinton and the mother of Chelsea.
Laura Lane Welch Bush - She is the wife of George W. Bush and the mother of Barbara and Jenna.
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It is interesting to look at the children that these individuals had. It really shows the history of the time periods and the fact that many children died to all classes of people. Even Presidents lost children to illnesses.
