Hannah Van Buren & Angelica Singleton Van Buren: Life Before the White House

Hannah Hoes was born on March 8, 1783, to Johannes Dircksen Hoes and Maria Quakenbush in Kinderhook, New York. She was raised in a Dutch home like her future husband Martin Van Buren, and Dutch was her first language. She received her education at a local Kinderhook school, and was taught by master Vrouw Lange.

Hannah married her childhood sweetheart Martin Van Buren on February 21, 1807, in Catskill, New York at her sister and brother-in-law's home. The couple had six children together, five boys including one that died at infancy and one stillborn daughter.

Hannah died of tuberculosis at the age of 35 on February 5, 1819.

Angelica Singleton was born on February 13, 1816, to Richard Singleton and Rebecca Travis Coles Singleton. Angelica was first educated from 1826 to 1830 at Columbia Female Academy in South Carolina before she received further learning at Madame Grelaud's Seminary for Young Ladies in Philadelphia, there she would have learned French and a lot about European culture.

Documentation shows that Angelica was very popular at Grelaud's, and excelled there. She had a love of reading, and a lot of the books she read were British works. Due to some of her letters we also know that while at Grelaud's she developed an interest in making clothes.

In the social season of 1837-1838 Angelica went with her sister to stay with a relative at the nations capitol. There Angelica was introduced to Martin Van Buren's sons at a dinner at the White House, she was accompanied by a first cousin of her mother's, Dolley Madison. Soon after Abraham Van Buren asked Angelica to marry him, and she accepted.

Angelica and Abraham married on November 27, 1838. The couple had five children including three surviving sons as well as a son and daughter that died at infancy. After their marriage Angelica took over the role of White House hostess until the end of Martin Van Buren's term.