Margaret Taylor

Margaret Smith, known as “Peggy,” spent her youth on a wealthy plantation in Maryland. After she married Lieutenant Zachary Taylor in 1810, she spent her life following her husband from one military camp to another in the remote western wilderness. Enslaved people assisted Margaret with her domestic duties, including the birth of seven children. The four children who reached adulthood were sent to live with relatives to attend formal schools. As First Lady, Margaret remained upstairs in the private family quarters and oversaw the White House staff. Her youngest daughter, Betty Bliss, served as White House Hostess for the sixteen months of the Taylor presidency. Margaret never fully recovered from the death of her husband.