"I have been thinking
of my precious child much today...he was in my dreams last night...it is desolate
to be without him..."
Pages
1 and 4 of the letter
Pages
2 and 3 of the letter
This letter appears to have been written
between 1836, the year of the death of Franklin Pierce, Jr., and 1839, as it
mentions "Frances", who was her sister Frances Appleton
Parkard, who died in that year. This letter was written to her sister, Mary
Aiken, and mentions various family members and friends. Particularly poignant is
Mrs. Pierce's reference to her deceased son, "I have been thinking of
my precious child much today and he was in my dreams last night. Oh! dear sister
it is desolate to be without him and my heart will go after him..."
Pierce, Jane (Means Appleton)(1806-1863) First Lady. Born in Hampton, New
Hampshire, she married Franklin Pierce in 1834. Jane M. Pierce was probably the
most tragic First Lady this country has ever known. All three of the Pierce
children died before they reached their teens. The death of their last surviving
son, Benjamin "Bennie" Pierce (1841-1853), was the most terrible of
all. Just prior to Pierce's Inauguration in 1853, the Pierce's watched
helplessly as a run-away train struck young Bennie, decapitated him and rolled
his severed head to the feet of his horrified parents. Despondent, Mrs. Pierce
became a virtual recluse during her husband's single term as President, spending
much of her time writing letters to her beloved Bennie. The duties of First Lady
fell to Mrs. Pierce's aunt, Abby Kent Means.
Letters of Jane M. Pierce are scarce, particularly those referring to the
tragic loss of one of her sons.
