November, 2009 - Rachel Jackson - Oh Henry!

Rachel Jackson: 

1828 - Born in present-day Halifax County, Virginia, Rachel was the daughter of Colonel John Donelson and Rachel Stockley-Donelson. John Donelson was a surveyor and a member of the Virginia House of Burgesses at the time of Rachel's birth. Her father moved the family to Tennessee, and then later, to Kentucky. Although a dowdy, forlorn figure in middle age, famous for smoking a corncob pipe, Rachel Donelson in her youth was a comely, vivacious woman. She was known for her intelligence and wit. She was clearly able to "hold her own" in any conversation and was popular with the men she met. At 18, Rachel Donelson married Colonel Lewis Robards. Robards's jealousy of a young boarder named Peyton Short, made it impossible for Rachel live with him. They separated in 1790. Despite her pleas of innocence, Robards ordered her to return to her family until he called for her. Soon after she had rejoined her mother, Andrew Jackson arrived as a boarder at the Donelsons. Eventually they fell in love. Nevertheless, when Robards came to Nashville to reclaim his wife, Rachel dutifully returned with him to Kentucky. She soon learned, however, that he had not changed. He had not curbed his rages of jealousy. Told of Rachel's unhappiness, Jackson raced to Kentucky and rescued her. In December 1790, Robards told his wife that he had filed for divorce with the state legislature and the divorce was final; in reality, Robards had actually asked the legislature to pass an enabling act permitting him to sue for a divorce. Andrew Jackson married Rachel Donelson-Robards in August 1791. This marriage was later deemed invalid because Rachel's divorce had not yet become final. They remarried, this time legally, on January 17, 1794. Unfortunately, their remarriage did not end the matter. The charge of adultery was to haunt the couple ever after. Andrew Jackson was devoted to Rachel. He fought 13 duels to protect her honor, and even killed one opponent, Charles Dickinson. On October 1, 1803, he challenged John "Nolichucky Jack" Sevier (the first governor of Tennessee) to a duel after Sevier had dishonored Rachel by saying, "I know of no services you have rendered to this country other than taking a trip to Natchez with another man's wife!" Andrew Jackson ran for President in the especially competitive four-candidate 1824 election. He became the first contender to win the popular vote but lose the electoral vote. During the 1828 presidential campaign, members of the press found out about the Jackson's premature marriage. Rachel was accused of adultery and attacked mercilessly. Jackson tried to keep such reports from his wife, who by then had a history of heart trouble. However, she had heard enough to realize that her past was the target of muckraking by the press throughout the entire nation. Possibly as a result of her anguish, Rachel grew ever more ill.  Rachel Jackson died suddenly of a heart attack on December 22, 1828. The date was just two weeks after Andrew Jackson had won the presidential election, but prior to his inauguration. Over 10,000 people attended the funeral. Rachel Jackson was buried on Christmas Eve in her white inaugural gown

The Drink: 

Oh Henry! 

1 oz bourbon 
1 oz Benedictine 
3/4 oz ginger ale 

Drinkability - 4
Drunkability - 4
Taxic Diversity - 3
Accessibility - 4
Priority of Conservation  -5

From the First Ladies no host given