Andrew Jackson’s Family Background

Introduction

Andrew Jackson, the seventh president of the United States of

America’s portrait is in the twenty U.S. dollar bills. Ironically,

he condemned both the National Bank and even paper bills. Another legacy, and was the only time it happened in American history was paying off the debt of the United States during his term.

From all his legacies, there are numerous influences and factors

which made him the man he was: Uncloak Andrew Jackson’s family background and family life.

Family Origin

Together with their two sons, Hugh and Robert, the Presbyterian couple, Andrew and Elizabeth, migrated from Ireland to the United States. Their father passed away in a logging accident before Andrew Jackson was and named after his father. He left Elizabeth Hutchinson Jackson, widowed. She moved to her relatives in the Waxhaw settlement, near the North and South Carolina border, to raise her three children. Andrew Jackson

easily gets offended as a young boy and often gets into brawls.

Andrew Jackson’s family joined the war effort when the

Revolutionary War broke. At the age of 13, he enlisted as a soldier together with his two elder siblings; meanwhile, his mother served as a nurse.

He was orphaned at a young age due to the series of unfortunate

events that struck the family. While in the Battle of Stono Ferry, Hugh died

due to heat exhaustion. Andrew and Robert were held captive by the British, and both contracted smallpox that took Robert’s life. Meanwhile, their mother caught cholera and died.

Rachel Donelson Jackson

On June 15, 1767, Rachel Donelson was born in Virginia. Her

parents were Colonel John Donelson and Rachel Stockly Donelson. Her father was known to co-found Nashville, Tennessee.

Rachel was an attractive woman with lustrous black hair and a

sweet oval face with dimples. 

As Andrew Jackson moved to a small frontier town in Tennessee in

1788, he bed spaced to the widow of John Donelson, Rachel Stockly Donelson. Their daughter, Rachel Donelson Robards, became acquainted with him. During that time, Rachel was in an unhappy marriage with Captain Lewis Robards. He was prominent and wealthy; however, he was cruel and jealous.

Having a complicated marital status, she eloped with Andrew

Jackson. She thought that her marriage with her first husband was over. Little did she knew, it was not granted because Kentucky became a state rather than becoming a territory in Virginia. She was accused of being an adulteress and a bigamist. Later on, Lewis filed a formal divorce in 1794, legalizing her marriage with Andrew Jackson.

Children

The couple does not have a biological child; however, they

adopted their nephew and named them Andrew Jackson, Jr. in 1809. He was the son of Rachel’s brother, Severn Donelson. He has a twin brother named Thomas Jefferson Donelson.

He attended Davison Academy and the University of Nashville. He

managed the Hermitage farm when his father served as a president. He was married to Sarah Yorke on November 24, 1831.

Guardianship

In the early 19th century, the law stated that if a child’s

father passed away, a guardian would supervise the child’s interest and welfare despite having their mothers. General Edward Butler listed Andrew Jackson as a guardian. When he died, his children Caroline, Eliza, Edward, and Anthony visit The Hermitage from time to time.

The couple also served as a guardian to Rachel’s brother’s

children when he died in 1804. They are John Samuel and Daniel, who lived with them for a brief time.

Native American Adoption

Ironically, despite the Indian Removal Act of 1830 during his

administration, he adopted a Native American infant and named them Lyncoya in 1813. The child was sent home to The Hermitage after his family all died during the battle.

Lyncoya attended school; however, his aspiration to enter West Point was impossible due to many political circumstances. He worked as a saddle

maker in Nashville and died in 1828 due to tuberculosis. 

Andrew Jackson Hutchings

At the age of five, Andrew Jackson Hutchings’ parents died.

Rachel and Andrew adopted him in The Heritage. He was the grandson of Rachel’s sister.

He went to school together with Lyncoya and Andrew Jr. He

pursued college in Washington and Virginia during his father’s presidency. He married Mary Coffee in 1833 and moved to Alabama.

Descendants

His adopted children were married and had children. Andrew Jr. and Sarah York had five children named Rachel, Andrew, Samuel, Thomas, and Robert. Both Thomas and Robert died when they were still infants; meanwhile, Robert served during the Civil War but died in action.

Only one from their grandchildren had a child, which limited the

descendants who had “Jackson” as their last name.

While Andrew Jackson was in his deathbed, Andrew Jackson, Jr and his wife, Sarah, kept him company in The Hermitage.