Presidents In Her Lifetime

The recent election made me wonder which presidents were serving or elected to office during the lifetime of my great-grandmother, Nancy Caylor.  She was born on May 10, 1840 in Wayne County, indiana.  She married Emanuel Bushong Stern, son of Christian and Margaret (Bushong) Stern, on Feb. 6, 1857 at the age of 16.  Between May 1858 and Dec. 1874 the couple had eight children – 4 daughters and 4 sons.  Nancy and Emanuel were divorced before 1900, and Nancy died 4 days before Christmas 1910 at the age of 60 years 7 months 11 days.

Nancy would have been alive through 18 Presidents.

1. 1837-1871: Martin Van Buren was the President when Nancy was born
2. March 4 – April 4, 1841: William Henry Harrison was elected President; First President to die in office
3. 1841-1845: John Tyler succeeded Harrison as President
4. 1845-1849: James Polk elected President
5. 1849-1850: Zachary Taylor elected President; died of acute gastroenteritis 16 months into his term.
6. 1850-1853: Vice President Millard Fillmore succeeded Zachary Taylor upon his death.
7. 1853-1857: Franklin Pierce was the only President elected from the state of New Hampshire.
8. 1857-1861: James Buchanan elected President and was the only President to never marry.
9. 1861-1865: Abraham Lincoln served as President during the Civil War and was the first president to be assassinated while in office.
10. 1865-1869: Andrew Johnson succeeded to the Presidency after Lincoln’s assassination and was the first president to be impeached.
11. 1869-1877: Ulysses S. Grant was the first President to serve two full terms since Andrew Jackson.
12. 1877-1881: Rutherford B. Hayes won the Presidency by one electoral vote.
13. March 4, 1881-Sep. 19, 1881: James Garfield was assassinated just a few months after taking office.
14. 1881-1885: Chester Arthur succeeded Garfield
15. 1885-1889 : Grover Cleveland is the only President to serve two non-consecutive terms.
16. 1889-1893: Benjamin Harrison is the only President from Indiana.
17. 1893-1897: Grover Cleveland served his second term as President.
18. 1897-1901: William McKinley was the President serving when Nancy Caylor died.

As of this time of my life, I have been alive through nine presidents (4 Democrats and 5 Republicans)and and one President-Elect (Democrat).  One President, John F. Kennedy, was assassinated in office; one President, Richard M. Nixon, resigned before the end of his second term; one President, Gerald R. Ford, was never elected; and one President, Bill Clinton, was impeached but not removed from office.  Four presidents  were “war” time Presidents. 

 

I often wonder – especially at this time of year when we go to the polls to elect the leaders of our community, city, state, and national government – what opinion my ancestors had of their elected leaders and what they would think about our latest historic campaign and election.

Source for President Information and Pictures: Wikipedia