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Birth Spot of First Lady Eliza McCardle Johnson.

Born in a Boneyard: First Lady Eliza Johnson

Field review by the editors.

Telford, Tennessee

Future First Lady Eliza McCardle Johnson was born in Jonesborough in 1810, on the family farm, which later became the graveyard of the McCarty United Methodist Church. The birth spot is marked by a granite monument that can easily be mistaken for a tombstone. Eliza's real grave is much more elaborate, as she's buried next to her husband Andrew Johnson, 17th President of the United States, down the road in Greeneville.

Eliza, who was only 16 when she married Andrew, is best known for helping her illiterate teenage husband learn to read and write. Although the Johnsons later lived in the White House for four years, Eliza spent nearly all of that time in her bedroom, hobbled by tuberculosis. She died less than six months after Andrew, in January 1876.

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Also see: Tributes to a Traitor President

Born in a Boneyard: First Lady Eliza Johnson

McCarty United Methodist Church

Address:
104 McCarty Church Rd, Telford, TN
Directions:
From Andrew Johnson Hwy/US Hwy 11E, turn north onto McCarty Church Rd. You'll see the church straight ahead and to the right. Park in the lot. The birth monument is in the part of the cemetery nearest the church.
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