Martha Ellen Young Truman
Encyclopedia
Martha Ellen Young Truman (November 25, 1852 – July 26, 1947) was the mother of U.S. president Harry Truman.
Martha Ellen Young was born in Jackson County, Missouri
, on November 25, 1852, to Solomon Young, a successful farmer who also had a business running Conestoga wagon
trains along the Overland Trail
, and his wife Harriet Louisa Gregg. The family were southern sympathizers in the U. S. Civil War and several relatives served in the Confederate Army. In later life, Martha told of how a band of Union-supporting Jayhawkers destroyed her family's farm one day in 1861, then came again in 1863 when the family was dispossessed by General Order 11 and forced to move to Platte County, Missouri
until after the war. This harsh treatment left Martha with a lifelong resentment for the winning Union side in the war, and she was well-known for her Confederate sympathies (so much so that it was reported that when she first visited the White House
in 1945, she refused to sleep in the Lincoln Bedroom, although this story was later denied by her family).
Martha attended the Baptist College for Women in Lexington
. She married John Anderson Truman on December 28, 1881 in Grandview, Missouri
. After the loss of their first child, a son who died a few days after birth, another son, future President of the United States Harry S. Truman
, was born to them on May 8, 1884. The child's middle name was the subject of some disagreement between the parents. John Truman wanted it to be Shipp, after his father Anderson Shipp Truman, while Martha wanted it to be Solomon, after her father. In the end they decided to use only the middle initial 'S' to honor both grandfathers. Two more children followed: John Vivian Truman on April 25, 1886, and Mary Jane Truman on August 12, 1889. All three children worked on the family farm in Grandview.
When her husband John Truman died in 1915, Martha took over the farm and ran it with the help of her children and various hired helpers until her age and increasing frailty made it impossible in the 1930s. Her son Harry, who had entered politics after failing in business as the co-owner of a Kansas City haberdashery, rose from Jackson County Judge (county commissioner) to U. S. Senator and became the vice presidential running mate of Franklin D. Roosevelt
in 1944. At the time of his selection, Martha Truman told the press that Truman had not wanted the position and that she would have rather seen Harry stay in the Senate.
On April 12, 1945, President Roosevelt died and Harry Truman was sworn in as president. Martha Truman was often quoted, sometimes colorfully, in the press. She made her first trip to Washington soon after Harry became president, and her response to the crowd of press that appeared to cover the visit ("Oh fiddlesticks! If I'd known that, I wouldn't have come") was widely reported and was said to have "captured the nation's fancy".
She lived to see two years of her son's presidency before her death on July 26, 1947, aged 94.
Martha Ellen Young was born in Jackson County, Missouri
Jackson County, Missouri
Jackson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Missouri. With a population of 674,158 in the 2010 census, Jackson County is the second most populous of Missouri's counties, after St. Louis County. Kansas City, the state's most populous city and focus city of the Kansas City Metropolitan...
, on November 25, 1852, to Solomon Young, a successful farmer who also had a business running Conestoga wagon
Conestoga wagon
The Conestoga wagon is a heavy, broad-wheeled covered wagon that was used extensively during the late 18th century and the 19th century in the United States and sometimes in Canada as well. It was large enough to transport loads up to 8 tons , and was drawn by horses, mules or oxen...
trains along the Overland Trail
Overland Trail
The Overland Trail was a stagecoach and wagon trail in the American West during the 19th century. While portions of the route had been used by explorers and trappers since the 1820s, the Overland Trail was most heavily used in the 1860s as an alternative route to the Oregon, California and Mormon...
, and his wife Harriet Louisa Gregg. The family were southern sympathizers in the U. S. Civil War and several relatives served in the Confederate Army. In later life, Martha told of how a band of Union-supporting Jayhawkers destroyed her family's farm one day in 1861, then came again in 1863 when the family was dispossessed by General Order 11 and forced to move to Platte County, Missouri
Platte County, Missouri
As of the census of 2000, there were 73,781 people, 29,278 households, and 20,231 families residing in the county. The population density was 176 people per square mile . There were 30,902 housing units at an average density of 74 per square mile...
until after the war. This harsh treatment left Martha with a lifelong resentment for the winning Union side in the war, and she was well-known for her Confederate sympathies (so much so that it was reported that when she first visited the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
in 1945, she refused to sleep in the Lincoln Bedroom, although this story was later denied by her family).
Martha attended the Baptist College for Women in Lexington
Lexington, Missouri
Lexington is a city in Lafayette County, Missouri, United States. The population was 4,453 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Lafayette County. Located in western Missouri, Lexington lies about 40 miles east of Kansas City and is part of the Greater Kansas City Metropolitan Area...
. She married John Anderson Truman on December 28, 1881 in Grandview, Missouri
Grandview, Missouri
Grandview is a city in Jackson County, Missouri, United States. The population was 24,475 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Grandview is located at , along U.S...
. After the loss of their first child, a son who died a few days after birth, another son, future President of the United States Harry S. Truman
Harry S. Truman
Harry S. Truman was the 33rd President of the United States . As President Franklin D. Roosevelt's third vice president and the 34th Vice President of the United States , he succeeded to the presidency on April 12, 1945, when President Roosevelt died less than three months after beginning his...
, was born to them on May 8, 1884. The child's middle name was the subject of some disagreement between the parents. John Truman wanted it to be Shipp, after his father Anderson Shipp Truman, while Martha wanted it to be Solomon, after her father. In the end they decided to use only the middle initial 'S' to honor both grandfathers. Two more children followed: John Vivian Truman on April 25, 1886, and Mary Jane Truman on August 12, 1889. All three children worked on the family farm in Grandview.
When her husband John Truman died in 1915, Martha took over the farm and ran it with the help of her children and various hired helpers until her age and increasing frailty made it impossible in the 1930s. Her son Harry, who had entered politics after failing in business as the co-owner of a Kansas City haberdashery, rose from Jackson County Judge (county commissioner) to U. S. Senator and became the vice presidential running mate of Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
in 1944. At the time of his selection, Martha Truman told the press that Truman had not wanted the position and that she would have rather seen Harry stay in the Senate.
On April 12, 1945, President Roosevelt died and Harry Truman was sworn in as president. Martha Truman was often quoted, sometimes colorfully, in the press. She made her first trip to Washington soon after Harry became president, and her response to the crowd of press that appeared to cover the visit ("Oh fiddlesticks! If I'd known that, I wouldn't have come") was widely reported and was said to have "captured the nation's fancy".
She lived to see two years of her son's presidency before her death on July 26, 1947, aged 94.
Further reading
- Bonnie Angelo, "Be a Good Boy, Harry", in First Mothers: The Women Who Shaped the Presidents (HarperCollinsHarperCollinsHarperCollins is a publishing company owned by News Corporation. It is the combination of the publishers William Collins, Sons and Co Ltd, a British company, and Harper & Row, an American company, itself the result of an earlier merger of Harper & Brothers and Row, Peterson & Company. The worldwide...
, 2001), ISBN 978-0060937119, pp. 40-73. Excerpts available at Google Books.
External links
- Martha Young "Mattie" Ellen Young Truman at Find a GraveFind A GraveFind a Grave is a commercial website providing free access and input to an online database of cemetery records. It was founded in 1998 as a DBA and incorporated in 2000.-History:...