Julia Gardiner Tyler
Born: May 4, 1820
Birthplace: Gardiner’s Island, New York
Father: David Gardiner 1784 – 1844
(Buried: South End Cemetery, East Hampton, New York)
Mother: Juliana MacLachlan 1799 – 1864
(Buried: South End Cemetery, East Hampton, New York)
Husband: U.S. President John Tyler 1790 – 1862
(Buried: Hollywood Cemetery, Richmond, Virginia)
Married: June 26, 1844 at Church of the Ascension, New York City, New York
Children:
U.S. Congressman David Gardiner Tyler 1846 – 1927
(Buried: Hollywood Cemetery, Richmond, Virginia)
John Alexander “Alex” Tyler 1848 – 1883
(Buried: South End Cemetery, East Hampton, New York)
Julia Gardiner Tyler Spencer 1849 – 1871
(Buried: Hollywood Cemetery, Richmond, Virginia)
Dr. Lachlan Gardiner Tyler 1851 – 1902
(Buried: Hollywood Cemetery, Richmond, Virginia)
Lyon Gardiner Tyler Sr. 1853 – 1935
(Buried: Hollywood Cemetery, Richmond, Virginia)
Robert Fitzwalter Tyler 1856 – 1927
(Buried: Hollywood Cemetery Richmond Virginia)
Margaret Pearl Tyler Ellis 1860 – 1947
(Buried: Hollywood Cemetery, Richmond, Virginia)
Stepchildren:
Mary Tyler Jones 1815 – 1847
(Buried: Cedar Grove Plantation Cemetery, Roxbury, Virginia)
Robert Tyler 1816 – 1877
(Buried: Oakwood Cemetery, Montgomery, Alabama)
Colonel John Tyler Jr. 1819 – 1896
(Buried: Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia)
Letitia Christian Tyler Semple 1821 – 1907
(Buried: Bruton Parish Episcopal Church, Williamsburg, Virginia)
Elizabeth Tyler Waller 1823 – 1850
(Buried: Waller Cemetery, Williamsburg, Virginia)
Alice Tyler Denison 1828 – 1854
(Buried: Cedar Grove Plantation Cemetery, Roxbury, Virginia)
Dr. Tazewell Tyler 1830 – 1874
(Buried: Olivet Memorial Park, Colma, California)
Education:
1835 – 1837: Attended Madame ND Chagaray Institute for Young Ladies
1835: Marked her Social Debut in New York City, New York
Life Events before War:
1822: Birth of her sister Margaret Gardiner Beeckman
1839: Shocked polite society by posing with an unidentified man and identified as “The Rose of Long Island” in Newspaper advertisement.
1840 – 1841: She visited England, Frances, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Holland, Belgium, Ireland and Scotland.
1842: Lived with her family in Washington, D.C. during Social Season.
1842: Introduced to President John Tyler at White House Reception.
1842 – 1843: Lived with her family in Washington, D.C. during Social Season.
1843: President Tyler proposed to her at White House Masquerade Ball she refused his proposals and later proposals he made.
1844: Aboard “The Peacemaker” When it exploded. Her father was part of those killed on “The Peacemaker”
1844: Her father’s body laid in state at the White House and his funeral was held at the U.S. Capitol.
1844: President Tyler comforted her during this time.
1844: President Tyler proposed to her at the George Washington Ball.
1844: Married her husband at Church of the Ascension in New York.
1844 – 1845: First Lady of United States of America.
1844: Spent her honeymoon at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania then a White House reception followed by a brief stay at Sherwood Plantation.
Became the First Lady who ordered “Hail to the Chief” to announce the President’s arrival.
Second Youngest Presidential wife to serve as First Lady.
First known First lady to sought newspaper coverage.
Permitted an engraving to be made of her based on an oil painting.
She gave permission for her name to be used on sheet music used for a dance polka called “The Julia Waltzes”
Known to have been the 1st First Lady to publicly dance during her time in the White House.
She drove a regal coach with eight matching White Arabian Horses.
She changed the Public Presidential ceremony. She directed the President be removed from more direct access to the public when received.
1844 – 1845: Served as intermediary between President Tyler and her brother Alex Gardiner who wanted control of Suffolk County, New York appointments
1845: Hostess of a grand White House Ball for 3,000 guests.
1845 – 1862: Lived with her husband at Sherwood Plantation.
1846: Birth of her son David Gardiner Tyler.
1846: There was a misunderstanding of a possible divorce by the New York Morning News Newspaper. It was the President’s son who was getting divorced not the President.
1847: Death of her stepdaughter Mary Tyler Jones.
1848: Birth of her son John Alexander Tyler.
1848: She wanted her husband to run for President.
1849: Birth of her daughter Julia Gardiner Tyler Semple.
1850: She met President Zachary Taylor at a Reception.
1850: Death of her stepdaughter Elizabeth Tyler Waller.
1851: Birth of her son Lachlan Gardiner Tyler
1851: Death of her brother Alexander Gardiner.
1853: Birth of her son Lyon Gardiner Tyler
1854: Death of her stepdaughter Alice Tyler Denison
1855: Death of her sister-in-law Martha Jefferson Tyler Waggaman
1856: Birth of her son Robert Fitzwalter Tyler
Wrote a defense of Slavery titled “The Women of England VS. The Women of America”
1860: Birth of her daughter Margaret Pearl Tyler Ellis.
Civil War Life Events:
1861: Her husband was Chairman of Washington Peace Conference.
1861: Supporter of her husband’s stand on Secession.
1861: Her husband presided over Opening of Virginia Convention
1861: Her husband was elected to Confederate Provisional Congress.
1862: Death of her husband on January 18th at Exchange Hotel.
1862 – 1889: Widow of U.S. President John Tyler.
1862: Her husband’s casket was covered with a Confederate flag.
1862 – 1865: Able to obtain a pass to travel from South to North.
She would spend part of the Civil War in Bermuda attempting a profitable cotton trade scheme.
There is some rumor she was received by Mary Todd Lincoln at the White House in Washington, D.C.
Lost her 60 slaves and 1,100 acres of land due to military events.
Moved north to Staten Island New York with her children.
Her brother David Gardiner refused to travel to Virginia to escort her to New York and moved out of his mother’s house once Julia settled in.
Her home was almost burned down by Union Veterans when it was discovered she was flying a Confederate flag.
Life events after War:
1865: Her brother sued her for inheriting their mother’s estate valued at $180,000.00 the court
Accepted her brother’s claim and refused to accept the will.
1867: After two appeals David Gardiner won the will case.
The New York Times felt Julia was treated unfairly.
1868 – 1874: She resided at the Gardiner – Tyler House in New York.
1871: Death of her daughter Julia Gardiner Tyler Spencer.
1872: Mrs. Tyler converted to Roman Catholicism
1872: Resumed here residency in Washington, D.C. living at a rental apartment on Fayette Street in the Georgetown Section of D.C.
1872: She visited Julia Dent Grant at the White House.
1873: The Panic of 1873 depleted her finances.
1874: Death of her step son Dr. Tazewell Tyler in San Francisco.
1876: Left Washington D.C. due to financial due to financial hardship.
1877: Death of her step son Robert Tyler in Montgomery, Alabama.
Returned to Virginia and lived with her children in Virginia.
1880: U.S. Congress granted her a monthly allowance after lobbying for a pension.
1881: U.S. Congress granted an annual pension of $5,000.00 to widows of Presidents.
She would often write First Lady Lucretia Garfield.
1881: She received $1,200.00 less than half of what Mrs. Lincoln received.
1882: Leased a home in Richmond, Virginia
She would often visit Washington, D.C.
1883: She is listed as Living in Hamilton County, Tennessee
1883: Death of her son John Alexander Tyler in New Mexico.
Died: July 10, 1889
Place of Death: Exchange Hotel, Richmond, Virginia
Cause of Death: Congestive Chill and Effects of a Stroke
Age at time of Death: 68 years old
Burial Place: Hollywood Cemetery, Richmond, Virginia
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