Dolley Payne (1768 - 1849): Our Family History

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1768 - 1849 (81 years)

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Personal Information | Notes | Event Map | All | PDF

Name	Dolley Payne
Birth	20 May 1768	New Garden, Guilford, North Carolina, United States
Gender	Female
Death	12 Jul 1849	Washington, District of Columbia, United States
Burial	16 Jul 1849	Mountpelier Estate National Historic Site, Montpelier Station, Orange, Virginia, United States
Initiatory (LDS)	23 Aug 1877	SGEOR
FamilySearch ID	LDPY-W6Q
Headstones	Submit Headstone Photo
Person ID	I169099	mytree
Last Modified	25 Feb 2024

Father	John Parish Payne, b. 9 Feb 1740, Cedar Creek, Frederick, Virginia, United States d. 24 Oct 1792, Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States (Age 52 years)
Mother	Mary Winston Coles, b. 14 Oct 1743, Coles Hill, Hanover, Virginia, United States d. 8 Feb 1808, Clarksburg, Harrison, Virginia, United States (Age 64 years)
Marriage	17 Feb 1765	Norfolk City, Virginia, United States
Family ID	F42475	Group Sheet \| Family Chart

Family 1 John Todd, b. 17 Nov 1764, Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States d. 24 Oct 1793, Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States (Age 28 years)

Marriage 27 Jan 1790 North Carolina, United States

Children

	1. John Payne Todd, b. 29 Feb 1792, Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States d. 16 Jan 1852, Washington, District of Columbia, United States (Age 59 years)
	2. William Temple Todd, b. Jul 1793, Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States d. 24 Oct 1793, Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States (Age 0 years)

Family ID F42474 Group Sheet | Family Chart

Last Modified 5 May 2024

Family 2	President James Madison, Jr, b. 16 Mar 1751, Belle Grove Plantation, King George, Virginia, United States d. 28 Jun 1836, Montpelier, Orange, Virginia, United States (Age 85 years)
Marriage	15 Sep 1794	Harewood Manor, Charles Town, Jefferson, West Virginia, United States
Family ID	F42473	Group Sheet \| Family Chart
Last Modified	5 May 2024

Event Map

	Birth - 20 May 1768 - New Garden, Guilford, North Carolina, United States
	Marriage - 27 Jan 1790 - North Carolina, United States
	Marriage - 15 Sep 1794 - Harewood Manor, Charles Town, Jefferson, West Virginia, United States
	Death - 12 Jul 1849 - Washington, District of Columbia, United States
	Burial - 16 Jul 1849 - Mountpelier Estate National Historic Site, Montpelier Station, Orange, Virginia, United States
	Initiatory (LDS) - 23 Aug 1877 - SGEOR

= Link to Google Earth

Notes

Dolley Payne Todd Madison, one of the best known and loved First Ladie s , was the wife of James Madison, the fourth President of the United Sta te s (1809-1817). Her iconic style and social presence boosted her husban d’ s popularity as President.

For half a century she was the most important woman in the social circl e s of America. To this day she remains one of the best known and best lo ve d ladies of the White House–though often referred to, mistakenly, as D oro thy or Dorothea.

She always called herself Dolley, and by that name the New Garden Month l y Meeting of the Society of Friends, in Piedmont, North Carolina, recor de d her birth to John and Mary Coles Payne, settlers from Virginia. In 1 76 9 John Payne took his family back to his home colony, and in 1783 he m ove d them to Philadelphia, city of the Quakers. Dolley grew up in the st ric t discipline of the Society, but nothing muted her happy personalit y an d her warm heart.

John Todd, Jr., a lawyer, exchanged marriage vows with Dolley in 1790. J u st three years later he died in a yellow-fever epidemic, leaving his wi f e with a small son.

By this time Philadelphia had become the capital city. With her charm a n d her laughing blue eyes, fair skin, and black curls, the young widow a tt racted distinguished attention. Before long Dolley was reporting to he r b est friend that “the great little Madison has asked…to see me this ev enin g.”

Although Representative James Madison of Virginia was 17 years her senio r , and Episcopalian in background, they were married in September 1794 . Th e marriage, though childless, was notably happy; “our hearts underst and e ach other,” she assured him. He could even be patient with Dolley’ s son , Payne, who mishandled his own affairs–and, eventually, mismanage d Madis on’s estate.

Discarding the somber Quaker dress after her second marriage, Dolley cho s e the finest of fashions. Margaret Bayard Smith, chronicler of early Wa sh ington social life, wrote: “She looked a Queen…It would be absolutel y imp ossible for any one to behave with more perfect propriety than sh e did.”

Blessed with a desire to please and a willingness to be pleased, Dolle y m ade her home the center of society when Madison began, in 1801, his e igh t years as Jefferson’s Secretary of State. She assisted at the Whit e Hous e when the President asked her help in receiving ladies, and presi ded a t the first inaugural ball in Washington when her husband became Ch ief Ex ecutive in 1809.

Dolley’s social graces made her famous. Her political acumen, prized b y h er husband, is less renowned, though her gracious tact smoothed man y a qu arrel. Hostile statesmen, difficult envoys from Spain or Tunisia , warrio r chiefs from the west, flustered youngsters–she always welcome d everyone . Forced to flee from the White House by a British army durin g the War o f 1812, she returned to find the mansion in ruins. Undaunte d by temporar y quarters, she entertained as skillfully as ever.

At their plantation Montpelier in Virginia, the Madisons lived in pleasa n t retirement until he died in 1836. She returned to the capital in th e au tumn of 1837, and friends found tactful ways to supplement her dimin ishe d income. She remained in Washington until her death in 1849, honore d an d loved by all. The delightful personality of this unusual woman i s a che rished part of her country’s history.