Posted on 03/12/2009 8:47:00 AM PDT by Edit35
As a boy, Harrison Tyler never gave much thought to his grandfather, John Tyler, the 10th president of the United States. "I grew up during World War II," he told Subaru Drive Magazine in 2002, "and surviving the war and the shortages was what was on everybody's mind. Being related to a president was never a thought."
Such a view may seem astonishing, but President Tyler died in 1862, 66 years before his grandson was born. In fact, Harrison Tyler's father, Lyon Gardiner Tyler, was born in 1853 and died in 1935, so there were very few first-hand accounts of the president to inspire Harrison.
(Excerpt) Read more at vtmagazine.vt.edu ...
John Tyler was President 20 years BEFORE Lincoln!!!
For those into presidential trivia, Tyler was the first president elected by succession.
He was vice-president to William Henry Harrison, who died 32 days into office from a cold that turned into pneumonia and pleurisy.
Tyler was only 1 of 4 presidents who never ran for the office. He was 1 one of 3 to get married while he was President (his first wife died halfway through his term). Between his two wives he had 15 children--a record for Presidents!
Amazing.
I'm flabbergasted!
WHH is one of my more notable ancestors, probably due to that fact alone. The two Benjamin Harrisons, did us proud.
that and $3.95 will get me a cup of coffee, and the priveledge to pay my taxes, some jackass born in Kenya becomes telepromter in chief, a mexican illegal alien gets a discount on his electric bill
Do the math. This grandson must be older than dirt, or his old man is the poster boy for some forgoten natural organic viagra!
He’s around 81
Grandmother must have been Julia Gardner then (Tyler’s 2nd wife). His great-grandfather was Congressman David Gardner of N.Y. who was killed (1844) when Tyler took him, his fiance (Julia), the Secretary of State (Apel Upchur who was also killed), and Secrtary of Navy (also killed) Thomas Gilmer on a boat excursion down the Potomac to see a new Navy gun (it exploded).
A Google search showed he's donated to the Virginia Republican Party in the past.
If true that is amazing. I think we are not so far removed in time as we perceive with relatively recent history.
A friend of mine is the grandson of a black Civil War soldier who had been a slave. His aunt, the soldier’s daughter is still alive. She just turned 100 last year. There were two girls born to this soldier from a second marriage. The aunt was the youngest, and was just a baby when her mother died.
One was grandson of WHH the other (his great-grandfather) was governor of and among the first families of Va. I must say, I wouldn't be so "proud" of the former as I would be of the latter. President Benjamin Harrison was a YANKEE who fought against his family roots here in the Old Dominion...I doubt if his grandfather and great-grandfather would have thought much of him.
The math says John Tyler (born 1790) was 63 when he sired Lyon Gardiner Taylor (born 1853). Lyon Gardiner Tyler was 75 when he sired Harrison Tyler (born 1928). Harrison is 80 or 81 years old (not sure of date, but year stated on Wiki was 1928. There must be some good longevity genes in that family.
I think there are still a handful of Civil War widows out there.
Oops, I have a Taylor where it should be a Tyler.
Yeah, I remenber that. The previous President died in a boating accident ..... Something about his canoe tipping over. ;-)
LOL!
I'll betcha more than “evity” is long in that family!
They must be able to attract and keep much younger women!
My grandfather was born in 1867. His father in 1798! At 70, I feel connected to the 18th, 19th, 20th, and 21st Centuries.
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