Letitia Christian Tyler (1842 - 1924)

Born 13 Apr 1842 in Washington, District Of Columbia, USA

Ancestors

Died 22 Jul 1924 at age 82 in Montgomery, Montgomery County, Alabama, USA

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Biography

Letitia was born in 1842. She was the daughter of Robert Tyler and Priscilla Cooper. She passed away in 1927. Letitia was never married.^[1][2][3]

Memoir

Letitia Tyler was known as Letty. She was born in 1842 in the White House where her mother served as mistress for her father-in-law, Pres. John Tyler. Letty's older sister, Mary Fairlie, and two older brothers, John and Thomas Cooper, had died in early childhood, leaving Letty as the oldest to her four younger sisters and brother.

In early 1861, while Letty was visiting her mother's sister, Mary Grace Raoul, Jefferson Davis invited her, as granddaughter to Pres. Tyler, if she would participate in his inauguration by raising the first flag.

Letty worked as a clerk in the Navy Department in Washington, D.C. Hilary A. Herbert of Montgomery had been appointed Secretary of the Navy by Pres. Cleveland. Herbert provided Letty a job in his department. While in D.C., she attended St. John's Episcopal Church on Lafayette Square. She retired to Montgomery, AL with no pension and only a meager savings. She lived very frugally and is remembered as explaining, "I want to be able to leave something for Robbie," her brother, who though brilliant, had thrown his life away.^[4]

Notes

The first flag of the Confederate States of America (nicknamed the Stars and Bars) was first raised at Montgomery, Alabama, on March 4, 1861, by Miss Letitia Tyler.^[5]

Sources

1. ↑ American Presidential Families, Hugh Brogan and Charles Moseley, Page 352
2. ↑ Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com : accessed 20 December 2020), memorial page for Letitia Christian Tyler (1842–22 Jul 1924), Find A Grave: Memorial #141518865, citing Oakwood Cemetery, Montgomery, Montgomery County, Alabama, USA ; Maintained by Robert Thompson (contributor 46900531) .
3. ↑ "Alabama Deaths, 1908-1974", database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:JDNY-4MQ : 18 November 2020), Letitia C. Tyler, 1924.
4. ↑ Memoir by her niece, Letitia Tyler (McNeel) Arant, February 25, 1976
5. ↑ Grisson, Michael Andrew. Southern by the Grace of God

• "United States Census, 1850," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M445-LYD : 13 December 2020), Letitia Tyler in household of Robert Tyler, Bristol, Bucks, Pennsylvania, United States; citing family 77, NARA microfilm publication M432 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
• "United States Census, 1860", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MXP4-BJM : 11 November 2020), Letitia Tyler in entry for Robert Tyler, 1860.
• "United States Census, 1870", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MHKT-KJT : 19 March 2020), Laticia C Tyler in entry for Robert Tyler, 1870.