Background
Margaret Bayard was born on 20 February 1778 in Pennsylvania, United States, was the daughter of John Bubenheim Bayard and his wife, Margaret Hodge.
(Excerpt from A Winter in Washington, or Memoirs of the Se...)
Excerpt from A Winter in Washington, or Memoirs of the Seymour Family, Vol. 2 of 2 Oh! Yes, madam, certain of that; for there was a young lady with her, Miss W., that used to live in Baltimore - I got acquainted with her in new-york, where she often came to visit her married sister, who lived there. When she drew aside her veil, I knew her directly, and she said she remembered me, and told me it was the good Abbess. Mrs. Bertrand then proceeded to give such a correct description of the Abbess, that Mrs. Sey mour, who had once seen and conversed with her at the convent, entertained not the least doubt, that it was she who had anticipated them in this deed of charity. Pray, did you ask the Abbess if she knew the parents of little Fanny? About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.
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Margaret Bayard was born on 20 February 1778 in Pennsylvania, United States, was the daughter of John Bubenheim Bayard and his wife, Margaret Hodge.
Soon after her husband became President Jefferson's political editor, she found herself a leader in Washington society. In this capacity she was hardly excelled.
Margaret’s ability to write about her observations made her an ideal partner for her husband, Samuel. She often wrote for the paper and other publications, sometimes under her own name, but most often anonymously. She contributed to Godey's Lady's Book, the Southern Literary Messenger, Peter Parley's Annual, and Herring and Longacre's National Portrait Gallery, and wrote a novel in two volumes entitled, A Winter in Washington; or, Memoirs of the Seymour Family (1824), and another tale, What Is Gentility? (1828). Her "Domestic Sketches" and other stories in Godey's Lady's Book were pitched high in moral tone, as were all her contributions to magazines. She also wrote informative, and truthful letters to her friends, that were edited by Gaillard Hunt and published in 1906 under the title, The First Forty Years of Washington Society. They reveal the writer's personal opinions.
Most notably, Mr. and Mrs. Smith became frequent visitors to the White House. Her nearly unlimited access to political figures and inside knowledge of Washington made her an authority on Washington politics and the shaping of the new republic. Margaret Bayard Smith managed to do all of this in a time when women were confined to play mother and wife at all times.
Margaret died on 7 June 1844.
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(Excerpt from A Winter in Washington, or Memoirs of the Se...)
She attended church regularly.
Although the wife of a stanch Jeffersonian, she remained true to her Federalist rearing, and welcomed Whigs to her home. Men of opposite political faith associated there on friendly terms.
She saw no incompatibility between politeness and republicanism, but she believed that democracy was more jealous of power and privilege than despotism. Influenced undoubtedly by Jackson's fight against the United States Bank, of the Washington Branch of which her husband was president, she deplored the influence of Jackson's "Kitchen Cabinet, " and the spoils system.
She was a charming hostess, happy in her married life, capable, intelligent, vivacious, energetic, sympathetic, and positive. She read the best books, and conversed with distinguished men on subjects of domestic, national, and international import. Among her guests were statesmen, philosophers, poets, musicians, and diplomats. She baked her own bread, took great pride in making her own butter.
Sshe played well at chess and whist.
On September 29, 1800, she married her second cousin, Samuel Harrison Smith. She reared four children.