Murder, Treason and Dignified Manners

Aden has been over the past two nights and while we were searching for something tonight we found an old copy of "Murder at the National Cathedral", which sure brought back a few interesting memories from my past. (Aden was completely indifferent about the discovery). I never read this book, but I know that I had meant to do so at one time. Sometime back in the 90's, I spent a weekend in Washington and visited the National Cathedral. I also decided at the time that I might as well read the National Bestselling Murder Mystery written by this daughter of an ex-President. During that time, Margaret Truman Daniel was in the process of churning out murder mysteries at about the same periodicity as my child support payments. Obviously I failed to sit down and read this book after I bought it, but I can honestly say that I never missed a child support payment.

I'm not sure how many trips I made to Washington back then, but I can tell you now it was more than enough. However, this city is rich with history and every time I went there I learned something new. That is what is amazing to me about history, no matter how much I read there is always more to learn and somehow I continue to learn every day. (I'm not sure that I retain very much anymore, maybe I'm just relearning things that I have already forgotten.)

Here are a few tidbits of some historical significance from my notebook that just might be of some interest to you. This week, back in 1861, Jefferson Davis was appointed as the President of the Confederacy, an act that would later lead to charges of treason after the war. The former Senator from Mississippi and Secretary of War in the Pierce Administration was also a hero of the Mexican War and served in Illinois and Iowa around the time of the Black Hawk War. At the conclusion of the Black Hawk War, Davis was assigned by his commander, Colonel Zachary Taylor, to escort Chief Black Hawk to prison. A couple of years later, Davis married Taylor's daughter, Sarah Knox Taylor, against the wishes of her father. Within three months of the marriage she had died of malaria.

Zachary Taylor, another hero of the Mexican War, rode the fame of his military success into the White House as our 12th President. Taylor died in office of gastroenteritis just 16 months after his inauguration. (Doesn't it seem rather odd that a man could thrive on military camp food for years and die from something he ate in the White House?) Although Taylor had about as much political experience prior to becoming President as does Ol' Simmons, at least he was a cousin to our 4th President, James Madison. Ol' Simmons, on the other hand, has had zero relatives who have held any elected position higher than that of the Mayor of Loogootee.

James Madison's wife Dolley, who some regard as a bit more famous than her husband, lost her first husband John Todd, as well as a young son, to a yellow fever epidemic in Philadelphia. Dolley was later introduced to James Madison by a friend, Aaron Burr, another public servant who would later be charged with treason. You may not know this, but Dolley's sister Lucy was married to a gentleman by the name of George Steptoe Washington, a nephew of our 1st President. I have a copy of an 1885 New York Times clipping which contains a letter the President sent to his nephew, which is titled "Advice to a Young Man". Here is one quote that would be extremely helpful to all young men, "You have now arrived at that age when you must quit the trifling amusements of a boy, and assume the more dignified manners of a man." I'm sure it is quite obvious to those who know Ol' Simmons that this advice somehow eluded me until much later in life.

Of course everyone knows that our 1st President married the widow, Martha Dandridge Custis. Martha later had a great-granddaughter by the name of Mary Anna Randolph Custis. This Mary later became Mrs. Robert E. Lee and the mother of William Henry Fitzhugh Lee. Known as Rooney Lee, he followed in his father's footsteps and became an Army Officer, fighting in the Utah Mormon War and later serving the Confederacy as a General in the Cavalry. Rooney married twice during his life, the first wife was Charlotte Wickham, granddaughter of John Wickham, who was the lead attorney for Aaron Burr in his treason trial. Rooney later married Mary Tabb Bolling, the granddaughter of Colonel Robert Bolling whose second wife was Jane Rolfe, the granddaughter of Pocahontas (Lady Rebecca Rolfe).

One of Colonel Bolling's descendants' was Edith Bolling, who, after the death of her first husband, became the second Mrs. Woodrow Wilson. At one time, she held the power of the Office of the President, but that's another story that is way too long to be told here. I think that I shall write a story on Edith, Woodrow and his Hoosier Vice President, Thomas Marshall, in the near future.

President Wilson and his first wife Ellen Louise Axson had three daughters, Eleanor, Jessie and Margaret. Margaret never married, moved to India and became a member of an ashram until she died. An ashram is a spiritual community, if you were inclined to wonder.

Eleanor married her father's Secretary of the Treasury, William Gibbs McAdoo and they divorced after 20 years. Three months after the divorce, the 71 year old McAdoo married a 26 year old nurse. (That move ranks high on my life strategy as I approach age 71, but for medicinal purposes only. Come to think of it, I probably should just adopt a 26 year old nurse when I'm 71.)

Wilson's third daughter Jessie, married Francis Bowes Sayre and their son was born in the White House. Later the boy was known as the Very Reverend Francis Bowes Sayre, Jr. He was the Dean of the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. from 1951 through 1978.

If you do get a chance to visit the National Cathedral, I highly recommend taking one of their tours and I don't think you will be disappointed. As you walk around the outside of the Cathedral look up high on the Northwest tower and you might be able to see the carved sculpture head of Darth Vader.

The tomb of President Woodrow Wilson lies within the National Cathedral and within the Columbarium rests the ashes of Helen Keller and Anne Sullivan.

By the way...Helen Keller's mother, Kate Adams Keller, was a cousin of General Robert E. Lee.