PRESIDENTS' WIFES - DOLLEY MADISON

PRESIDENTS’ WIVES
DOLLEY MADISON
Dolley Madison, the wife of the fourth president of the United States, James Madison, was one of the bravest of the wives, and a very interesting woman.

She was born Dolley Payne in North Carolina on May 20, 1768 to Quaker parents. Her family moved from North Carolina to a plantation in Scotchtown, Hanover County, Virginia when she was an infant. At age 15, she again relocated with her family to Philadelphia.

According to Women in History,

“Of the early First Ladies in the United States, Dolley Madison, wife of James Madison, fourth President of the United States, has been considered the most colorful. In her eight years in Washington, D.C. (1809-1817), she made the White House a most delightful place to visit. Beautiful gregarious, buoyant, and cheerful, the regular social gatherings she hosted were lively events at which anyone would feel welcome. Through her special inviting manner the often tense political, as well as social, atmosphere of Washington could become wonderfully calm.”

TRAGEDY LEADS TO A SECOND MARRIAGE
Though raised as a Quaker, Dolley had a sparkling personality, along with a kind heart. On January 7, 1790 she married John Todd, Jr., a Philidelphia lawyer and also a Quaker. Two sons were born of the marriage: John Todd, Jr., and William Temple. Sadly, tragedy struck the family when the 1793 yellow fever epidemic took both William and her husband. An optimist, Dollety got through this difficult time and lived life to its fullest, attending social functions in Philadelphia and then in the capital of the United States. Through Senator Aaron Burr of New York, she met Representative James Madison of Virginia, who was renowned as the architect of the United States Constitution. Though he was seventeen years her senior, they married on September 15, 1794. He, however, was an Episcopalean and Dolley was then ostracized from the Society of Friends (Quakers) for marrying outside her faith.

A NEW DOLLEY
According to Women in History,
“Freed of the quaintness of Quaker doctrine, Dolley's liveliness began to manifest itself in her appearance as well as her personality. She began taking snuff, and wearing bright clothing and turbans adorned with jewelry or feathers. In particular Dolley discovered she enjoyed giving large formal dinner parties and entertaining her guests at Montpelier, the Madison family estate in Orange County, Virginia. Her receptions soon attracted attention throughout the state, and this proved favorable to her husband's political career. In 1801, the newly inaugurated President Thomas Jefferson appointed James, a friend and fellow Democratic-Republican, as Secretary of State.
Dolley took to Washington, D.C., society like a duck takes to water, and she was given a golden opportunity when Thomas Jefferson, a widower, asked her to serve as his hostess at White House social functions. Her extroversion served to enliven the often austere atmosphere of the Jefferson administration, in addition to providing the harmony needed to quell the political tensions. The first eight years Dolley was in Washington, her influence fomented the role she would assume after James was elected president in 1808.”
AS THE WIFE OF THE PRESIDENT
With her vivaciousness and ability to remember names and make everyone feel at home in the White House, she became a central figure of Washington society. Her lavish dinner parties, noted for surprise delicacies, attracted guests. She began holding “drawing rooms” on Wednesday evenings and they became quite popular with politicians, diplomats and citizenry. In addition to her charm, Dolley was noted for her knowledge of both politics and current events. Her outgoing demeanor complimented President Madison’s reserved and stonefaced disposition and her insight into politics influenced his decision-making. His reelection in 1812 was attributed to Dolley.

SERVICE DURING THE WAR OF 1812
According to Women in History
“During the War of 1812, Dolley's role as first lady was tested when British troops invaded Washington in August 1814. Courageously, she stayed behind until vital state documents and, most notably, the famous portrait of George Washington by Gilbert Stuart were removed to safety. Fleeing Washington with James, they returned three days later to find the White House burned down. While the reconstruction process was underway, James and Dolley resided at the Octagon House for the remainder of his presidency. Nonetheless, Dolley made the most of the situation and the gaiety of Washington society, through her entertaining, returned as potent as always.”
FOLLOWING THE PRESIDENCY
According to Women in History
“With the conclusion of his second term in 1817, James and Dolley retired to Montpelier. Life on the plantation proved vibrant as Dolley continued to entertain guests as before. However, the prodigality of her son John, with whom both she and James were always too lenient, brought them financial problems. On June 28, 1836, James Madison died at the age of 85. Though childless, their 42-year marriage had been a remarkably blissful and happy one. Unfortunately, John Payne Todd's spending habits soon reduced his mother almost to poverty. This forced Dolley to sell both James's Continental Papers and Montpelier to pay the creditors. In 1837, Dolley returned to Washington and resumed her former status in the social life there. Dolley frequented numerous social and political events and was beloved by all. On July 12, 1849, Dolley Madison died in Washington at age 81. She was buried in the Congressional Cemetery with all the Washington dignitaries attending. Later her remains were moved to Montpelier next to her husband's.”
To me, Dolley Madison remains one of the more interesting First Ladies. I greatly admire her courage, her indomitable will, and her abilities as the First Lady. She was very much of an asset to James Madison.

Conversation Between Two Heroes

Hello out there, all you mystery lovers and lovers of heroes. First I'd like to thank Anna Kathryn for inviting me to appear on her blog.

My name is Joan K. Maze, and I'm going to talk about my cozy series involving my lead charactger, Mollie Fenwick. The first book in the series is Murder By Mistake, available from R
ed Rose Publishing. The second book, Murder For Kicks, is not yet out.

Mollie Fenwick is a thirty-something wdow who acquired psychic abilities upon her husband's death. This has led her to have visions, including that of a murder in her apartment (Murder By Mistake). In the second book, Murder For Kicks, she views a kidnapping and becomes a target of a murderer.

Unable to ignore these visions, Mollie begins chasing down clues, finds murderers, and lands in a considerable amount of hot water.

Two heroes from Murder By Mistake, who continue on in Murder For Kicks, are Detective Bradley Bartholomew and Natve American Artist/ex-special forces Jack Wolf. They discuss Mollie and what they should do about her.

"I suppose you have the perfect solution." Bartholomew glared at Wolf, his arms crossed. "You did a great job at the lake, letting her fall in the water and come close to drowning."

"Yeah right," Wolf said, a smirk on his face as he recalled the situation. Remembering the minnow caught in her bra, it took superhuman effort to keep from laughing out loud.

"I wasn't there. She went on her own."

Bartholomew relaxed his arms. "Yeah, she does that a lot."

Wolf pointed a finger at Bartholomew. "If you'd answered the phone when she called about her former neighbor, she wouldn't have gotten tied up and left in the woods. And don't forget, you called me for help."

Bartholomew rolled down Wolf's passenger side window, letting in a blast of snow and wind. Unable to see much beyond the vehicle next to Wolf's truck, he shut the window again.

"God knows what she's gotten into this time." Bartholomew checked his watch. "An hour late. She didn't give you any clue where she was going?"

Wolf activated the wipers and peered through the windshield. "I've answered that three-four times already." He shifted to face Bartholomew. "You could solve this real easy."

"How?"

"She's got the hots for you. A caveman tactic might work, or, the knight on a white horse deal."

"unh unh, Wolf. I'm sure that indepenent woman would fight tooth and nail. If she didn't do that, she'd start thinking about you before we got half a block away."

"What in hell does that mean?" Wolf asked.

"I've seen her look at you." Bartholomew blew out a breath. "You know what they say about two's company, three's a crowd."

"Unh unh, not any more." Wo,lf fiddled with the heat controls. "I think Jackson's in on this now."

"Shit," Bartholomew said, thinking of all the times he'd assigned Jackson to guard Mollie, among other things. "When he went to the zoo with her she ended up in the dolphin pool." He pointed atWolf. "I thought you were going to help her get rid of this psychic crap,."

Wolf shook his head. "If she'd ignore them, they'd lessen. That's the best I can do. You see her doing that?"

Bartholomew signed. "No." Then he whooped. "There she is. This time I'm gonna get out of her what she's been up to."

Wolf laughed. "Wanna bet?"

Coming soon: Murder For Kicks, book 2 in th Mollie Fenwick Mystery Series

What's next? I'm currently working on book 3 in the series, Murder By Spook, where Mollie becomes entangled with the CIA.

Joan K. Maze
writing as J. K. Maze
www.joanmaze.com

The big day is Thursday, March 26, 2009. That is when my first mystery, Murder By Mistake, will be released by Red Rose Publishing as an ebook. There are no words to describe how excited I feel about this, or of the wonderful treatment my submission and I received from Red Rose Publishing. They're wonderful to work with.

Murder By Mistake is the first in a cozy series featuring Mollie Fenwick, an artist and part-time bus driver who has recently acquired a psychic gift. She sees visions of things to come. She doesn't, however, think much of it as a gift, and before she can begin to figure out how to rid herself of the problem, she must both elude and find a killer - one who is targeting her.

To purchase this ebook, go to http://www.redrosepublishing.com/.

The month of March represents new ventures for me. My first book, Murder By Mistake, will be out as an ebook from Red Rose Publishing, and I've become active in promoting my book. Being a complete dud as a salesperson, I was certain I'd bomb. I didn't. I found it really easy to talk about the book and will do so until someone shuts me up.

Murder By Mistake has been termed both a cozy and a chicklit. What it is, is the first in a mystery series about a young widow who is both an artist and a part time bus driver. An added gift from her late husband is that of being psychic. She has visions of things to come and when she sees a murder in her apartment, it begins her first attempt at investigating. She knows she should tell the homicide cop what she saw, but would he believe it?

I'm not telling more. You'll have to buy the book.

I've finished the first draft of the second book in the series, Murder For Kicks, and have planned (mentally) the third, Murder By Spook.