Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER III. THE WIVES OF THE PRESIDENTS. Martha Washington— Abigail Adams — Martha Jefferson—Dolly P. Madison — Mrs. Monroe—Louisa Catherine Adams — Rachel Jackson — Hannah Van Buren— Anna Harrison—Let ilia Christian Tyler —Julia Gardner Tyler —Sarah Polk —Margaret Taylor — Abigail Fillmore — Jane Appleton Pierce — Mary Todd Lincoln — Eliza Johnson — Julia Grant — Lncy Hayes — Lucrctia R. Garfield — Ella L. Arthur. "Fame hath a voice whose thrilling tone Can bid the life-pulse beat; As when a trumpet's note hath blown, Warning the hosts to meet; But, allI let mine, a woman's breast, With words of home-born love be blessed." 51ns. Hkm.vxs. "Her husband is known in the gates, when he sitteth among the elders of the land." — Pkov. xxxi. 23. FT must be acknowledged that some of the women -L whom this chapter places prominent among the Women of the Century are mainly known and honored because connected with their illustrious husbands ; yet it is not true of them all, that their position in thenation, as the wives of our chief magistrates, was theii only claim to recognition or remembrance. They were nearly all women of intellectual power and moral worth; and some of them were eminently fit to be regarded, when occupying the White House, as " the first lady of the nation." Mrs. Laura C. Holloway, in her very interesting book, " The Ladies of the White House," has made the path smooth for the writer of this chapter; and the reader who would know more of those women who were the wives of our Presidents are urged to peruse her glowing pages, assured that they will have all the flavor of romance, and the value of truth. Martha Washington was the first who was honored as a President's wife, and her history is perhaps as familiar to us as any; for histori...