Five U.S. presidents' wives died before they could become America's First Lady. One of these women was Hannah "Jannetje" (Hoes) Van Buren, wife of Martin. Hannah has been all but forgotten by history, primarily because she died at a very young age after having lived a life of obscurity. Nevertheless, she did impact the life of her husband, whom many historians consider the most capable-- albeit underrated-- man to call the White House home.
Humble Beginnings
Hannah, the daughter of John Dirchsen Hoes and Maria (Quachenboss) Hoes, was born on March 8, 1783, in Kinderhook, New York. She was one of several children, and her parents belonged to the Dutch Reformed Church, an Old World Christian sect that believed in extreme piety and frugality. Kinderhook, an insular Upstate New York village whose name means "children's corner" in Dutch, retained all the customs of the Netherlands. For instance, Hannah spoke Dutch almost exclusively. When she did speak English, her heavy accent betrayed her heritage. (Interestingly enough, Hannah was the first presidential wife to be born an American citizen. Her predecessors were all born British subjects.)
Childhood Sweethearts
Kinderhook was named for its large youth population. In Hannah's time, people lived there their entire lives, and everybody knew everybody. One of the other children Hannah grew up with was one Martin Van Buren. Hannah and Martin were especially close in that Hannah was a distant cousin of Martin's mother. Thus, Hannah and Martin knew each other since infancy. Since everyone knew everyone else, children who grew up together in Kinderhook more often than not married one another. This would eventually be the case with Martin and Hannah, but it would be a long time coming. Martin, a consummate politician, had to deliberate every decision and its consequences or rewards. When Martin finally decided to marry Hannah, he was 25, and Hannah was 24. According to the customs of her community, this put Hannah on the doorstep of spinsterhood.
Martin and Hannah's wedding took place on February 21, 1807. Instead of marrying in the couple's hometown amongst family and friends and marking the occasion with a long, boisterous Dutch celebration, Martin, fatigued from the contentious New York political scene, insisted that he and his sweetheart travel 12 miles to Catskill, New York, to make their union official. Only the couple's immediate families and close friends attended the ceremony.
AdjustmentsShortly after their marriage, Martin uprooted the painfully shy Hannah from the only place and people she had ever known. The Van Burens moved to Hudson, New York, a town thirty miles south of Albany, the state capital. The young couple experienced major "culture shock," for Hudson was not a Dutch community. Rather, it had been founded by New England Quakers, who were actually far more worldly than members of the Dutch Reformed Church. (Hannah eventually joined the First Presbyterian Church, whose services were conducted in English.) This was a difficult period for Hannah, but a very happy event would make the transition smoother.
Wifely Duties
Being extremely religious and proper, Hannah gracefully and quietly accepted her traditional role as the wife of a rising political star. This role would soon be expanded to include that of mother. The first of Martin and Hannah's five sons-- four of whom would survive to adulthood-- was born on November 27, 1807. He was named Abraham. Second son John was born on February 18, 1810. Martin Van Buren, Jr. came along on December 20, 1812. In 1814, Hannah gave birth to a fourth boy, named Winfield Scott in honor of the Mexican War hero. Winfield Scott Van Buren died in infancy. Finally, Smith Thompson Van Buren, born on January 16, 1817, rounded out the family.
The End of an Era
The births of her five sons, combined with her lifelong physical frailty, caused Hannah to become seriously ill. To make matters worse, Martin, called "The Red Fox of Kinderhook" on account of his shrewdness and fiery temperament, was hardly ever home and seemed to care more about his career than domestic issues. He was characteristically away from Albany, where the family had moved in 1816, a great deal during the winter of 1818-19. On February 5, 1819, Hannah took a turn for the worse and died of a condition now known as tuberculosis. She was a month shy of her thirty-sixth birthday and just 16 days short of celebrating her twelfth wedding anniversary.
Following his beloved Jannetje's passing, Martin retreated into a week-long period of deep mourning and then resumed his flourishing career. He never spoke of his wife publicly, and he did not even mention her once in his autobiography. Martin did not remarry-- those who knew him believed that no other woman could measure up to Hannah. While she is the most obscure of all first ladies, Hannah Van Buren did do one thing to leave her mark on American history: She was a calming, stabiliizing influence on one of the most turbulent men who ever ascended to the U.S. presidency.
Sources:
1) Barzman, Sol. The First Ladies, p. 68-75. New York: Cowles Book Company, Inc., 1970.
2) Harris, Bill. The First Ladies Fact Book: The Stories of the Women of the White House from Martha Washington to Laura Bush, p. 135-43. New York: Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers, Inc., 2005.
Ashley Waggoner - Hi! My name is Ashley Breanne Waggoner. I'm an English teacher and writer from Olney, IL. I teach communications at Olney Central College. ...
