Angelica Singleton Van Buren

Sarah Angelica Van Buren (née Singleton; February 13, 1818 – December 29, 1877) was an American heiress and the daughter-in-law of the eighth president of the United States, Martin Van Buren. She was married to the President's son, Abraham Van Buren II. She assumed the post of first lady because the president's wife, Hannah Van Buren, had died and he never remarried. She is the youngest woman ever to act as the White House hostess, assuming the role at the age of 20. Early life Sarah Angelica Singleton was born in Wedgefield, South Carolina, on February 13, 1818. She was the fourth of six children born to Richard Singleton and his wife, Rebecca Travis Coles. Angelica was educated at the Columbia Female Academy in South Carolina and Madame Grelaud's French School in Philadelphia for five years. She was a popular student at Madame Grelaud's and the school gave her the opportunity to meet a more diverse group of people. Marriage In the Winter of 1837-38, Angelica and her sister Marion stayed in Washington, DC with United States Senator William C. Preston, a cousin of their mother Rebecca Travis Coles. Another of their mother's cousins, former First Lady Dolley Madison, introduced the girls to Washington society. In March 1838, Madison decided to play matchmaker and introduced the girls to the bachelor sons of President Martin Van Buren. Angelica connected with the President's son Abraham, who shortly thereafter asked her to marry him. They married at her father's plantation in Wedgefield on November 27, 1838, Abraham's thirty-first birthday. Although he could not attend, Van Buren was supportive of the marriage and it strengthened his ties to the Old South.