- United States First Lady. Rachel Jackson, as the wife of the 7th President of the United States Andrew Jackson, should have served as the nation's First Lady, except she died between her husband's election and his March 4, 1829 inauguration. The role of First Lady was assumed by Emily Donelson, her niece. Born Rachel Donelson, the fourth daughter of a total of twelve children, her formal education consisted of learning to read the Bible or poetry. A Presbyterian, she had a humble Christian character and never wanted to be in the spotlight, though she was considered very beautiful gaining attention with her dark eyes and hair. Her father was well-known and the co-founder of Nashville, Tennessee. In 1784 she married Capt. Lewis Robards of Kentucky. The marriage had problems with the couple separating by 1790, with her returning to her mother's home in Nashville. She met Jackson while he was a lodger at her widowed mother's house. Thinking that a divorce was final, she eloped to Mississippi with Jackson in 1791, but later learned that the divorce was not final, hence the couple legally remarried in 1794. The divorce was granted on the grounds of her abandoning the marriage and adultery. The fact that the territory of Mississippi was under Spanish control, and only Roman Catholic marriages were recognized played a role as the couple was Protestants. Although not intentional, she was guilty of bigamy, the act of entering into a marriage with one person while still legally married to another. This provided fuel for scandal for her husband's political oppositions, especially John Quincy Adams during the 1828 Presidential election. Her husband believed that the bitter stress of his election for the office of President led to her death, but grieving the death of her son and her long-standing frail heart condition played a major role in her death as did the fact she was a heavy smoker of a pipe. She was an anxious person, especially when her husband was away for long periods in the military fighting in the War of 1812 and the First Seminole War. The couple did not have any biological children, but adopted in 1817 her great-nephew, Andrew Jackson Hutchings. His name was changed Andrew Jackson, Jr. They also adopted a Native American boy from the Creek tribe, Lyncoya, who was found, as a child, on a battlefield with his dead mother; Lyncoya died in 1828. Her husband served as guardian for the orphaned children of her brother Samuel Donelson and Captain Edward Butler, who lived with them parttime. She and Jackson made their home at The Hermitage. Located about ten miles east of Nashville, The Hermitage was a 1,000+ acre plantation, which was worked by African slaves. Andrew Jackson, Jr. inherited The Hermitage and began to sell portions of the property. After Jackson, Jr.'s death, Andrew Jackson, III became the owner of The Hermitage, but was unable to maintain the property, thus in 1893 left the estate, which was in a state of great disrepair, and eventually becoming under the State of Tennessee's ownership. On Christmas Eve, she was buried in a garden of The Hermitage in the white gown that she had planned to wear to her husband's United States Presidential inauguration. Later her husband built a permanent temple made of limestone resembling a Greek styled gazebo over her grave. Her husband would find his final resting place next to her. The Hermitage is a National Historical Landmark in the 21st century. A home for Confederate veterans was established on the grounds in 1892 and 480 veterans have been buried in an onsite cemetery. Irving Stone's 1951 book, "The President's Lady," tells the saga of her life with Andrew Jackson. Two movies have been made with the plot being her life story, one received an Academy Award nomination.
Bio by: Linda Davis [3]
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The Duttons of New England
1767 - 1828 (61 years)
Has no ancestors and no descendants in this family tree.
[1] 
JACKSON, President Andrew
