Abigail Fillmore
| Abigail Fillmore | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| First Lady of the United States | |
|
In role July 9, 1850 – March 4, 1853 |
|
| President | Millard Fillmore |
| Preceded by | Margaret Taylor |
| Succeeded by | Jane Pierce |
| Second Lady of the United States | |
|
In role March 4, 1849 – July 9, 1850 |
|
| President | Zachary Taylor |
| Preceded by | Sophia Dallas |
| Succeeded by | Mary Breckinridge (1857) |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Abigail Powers March 13, 1798 Stillwater, New York, U.S. |
| Died | March 30, 1853 (aged 55) Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Spouse(s) | Millard Fillmore (1826–1853) |
| Children |
Millard Mary |
| Signature |  |
Abigail Powers Fillmore (March 13, 1798 – March 30, 1853), wife of Millard Fillmore, was First Lady of the United States from 1850 to 1853.
Abigail was born in Stillwater, New York, 1798, in Saratoga County, New York. She was the daughter of the Reverend Lemuel Powers, a Baptist minister, and Abigail Newland-Powers. Abigail grew up in Moravia, New York, not far from the Fillmore farm. Her father died shortly after her birth. Her mother moved the family westward, thinking her scanty funds would go further in a less settled region, and ably educated her small son and daughter beyond the usual frontier level with the help of her late husband's library.
In 1819, she took a teaching post at the new academy in New Hope, where her oldest pupil was 19-year-old Millard Fillmore. The world of knowledge and Fillmore's steady progress in it drew them together, and gradually the relationship of teacher and student evolved into romantic attachment.
After a long courtship, Millard, aged 26, and Abigail, aged 27, were married on February 5, 1826, by the Reverend Orasius H. Smith at the home of the bride's brother Judge Powers in Moravia, New York. Without a honeymoon, they settled at East Aurora, New York. Mrs. Fillmore continued to teach school until the birth of her first son and maintained a lifelong interest in education. She shared her husband's love of books and helped build their personal library.
The Fillmores had a son and a daughter:
Attaining prosperity at last, Fillmore bought his family a six-room house in Buffalo, New York. Enjoying comparative luxury, Abigail learned the ways of society as the wife of a Congressman. She cultivated a noted flower garden; but much of her time, as always, she spent reading. In 1847 when Fillmore was elected New York State Comptroller the family temporarily moved to Albany, New York; their children were away in boarding school and college.
In 1849, Abigail Fillmore came to Washington, D.C. as wife of the Vice President. She thereby became the Second Lady of the United States.
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Wikipedia