Hermitage in Davidson County, Tennessee — The American South (East South Central)

“A Being so Gentle And Yet So Virtuous”

Rachel and Andrew’s Tombs

Photographed by Sandra Hughes, September 25, 2010

1. “A Being so Gentle and Yet So Virtuous” Marker

Inscription. Rachel Jackson quietly suffered through Jackson’s bid for the White House, as his enemies attacked the circumstances of their marriage. Although Jackson easily won the presidency, Rachel dreaded the gossiping whispers of Washington’s social circles. Whether this stress contributed to her death on December 22, 1828 is not known, but Jackson believed that it did.

Jackson buried his Rachel in her beloved garden, erecting a temporary shelter over her grave until a more suitable monument could be built. In 1831, Jackson commissioned architect David Morrison to design this Greek Revival tomb. For Jackson’s contemporaries, the architecture of ancient Greece symbolized not only political, but moral virtue. Consciously or not, Jackson’s selection of this style conveyed his belief in Rachel’s virtue.

At the end of his presidency, Jackson returned to The Hermitage, where numerous accounts confirm that he visited Rachel’s tomb daily. When he died on June 8, 1845, he was laid to rest next to Rachel. His tombstone simply reads, “General Andrew Jackson.”

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Cemeteries & Burial Sites. In addition, it is included in the Former U.S. Presidents: #07 Andrew Jackson series list. A significant historical month for this entry is June 1842.

Location. 36°

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12.885′ N, 86° 36.714′ W. Marker is in Hermitage, Tennessee, in Davidson County. It can be reached from Rachels Lane 0.3 miles east of Hermitage Road. This marker is in The Hermitage Garden in front of the Tomb of Rachel and President Andrew Jackson. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 4580 Rachels Lane, Hermitage TN 37076, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Middle Tennessee

and in Greater Nashville.

It is also in the American South

and specifically in the Upper South.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Andrew Jackson (a few steps from this marker); The Jackson Family Cemetery (a few steps from this marker); The Garden Privy (within shouting distance of this marker); The Architectural Evolution Of The Hermitage (within shouting distance of this marker); The Hermitage Garden (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Explore The Hermitage Grounds (about 300 feet away); A Landscape Of Inequality (about 400 feet away); Alfred’s Cabin (about 400 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Hermitage.

Also see . . . The Hermitage, The Home of President Andrew Jackson. (Submitted on February 9, 2012, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia.)

Grand Funeral Procession in Memory of Gen. Jackson image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Sandra Hughes, September 25, 2010

2. Grand Funeral Procession in Memory of Gen. Jackson

Andrew Jackson was a national hero and the nation mourned his death in 1845. Ceremonies and funeral parades in cities and town across the nation like the one pictured here in New York, honored Jackson’s memory. Mourners often wore silk ribbons like this one, and then kept them as mementos. Note that the engravers chose to call him “Gen’l Jackson,” not President Jackson.

Alfred’s Grave image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Sandra Hughes, September 25, 2010

3. Alfred’s Grave

To the right of the Jackson’s tomb, note the grave of Alfred Jackson, a former Hermitage enslaved worker. Alfred requested that the ladies’ Hermitage Association bury him next to Jackson’s tomb. The marker reads “Uncle Alfred” because in the late ninetieth centuries, the terms “uncle” and” auntie” were considered a polite way of addressing elderly black people. No longer used today, these terms are now seen as derogatory

- Andrew Jackson to Hardy Murfree Cryer, May 19, 1829 image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Sandra Hughes, September 25, 2010

4. - Andrew Jackson to Hardy Murfree Cryer, May 19, 1829

I find myself a solitary mourner, deprived of all hope of happiness this side of the grave, and often wish myself at the Hermitage there to spend the remnant of my days, & daily drop a tear on the tomb of my beloved wife.

Here lie Remains of Mrs. Rachel Jackson wife of President Jackson who died the 22n Dec 1828- age 61. image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Sandra Hughes, September 25, 2010

5. Here lie Remains of Mrs. Rachel Jackson wife of President Jackson who died the 22n Dec 1828- age 61.

The exact cause of Rachel’s death is not known, but evidence points to heart failure. After Rachel died, Jackson hired Louisa Catherine Strobel to paint this miniature of her. Jackson carried it with him all the time.

This moving inscription Jackson placed on Rachel’s tomb highlights his sensitivity towards questions about her honor. It shown here as it appears on the tomb.

Here lie Remains of Mrs. Rachel Jackson wife of President Jackson who died the 22nd Dec 1828- Aged 61

Her face was fair, her person pleasing: her temper amiable, and her heart kind; she delighted in relieving the wants of her fellow creatures and cultivated that divine pleasure by the most liberal and unpretending methods: to the poor she was a benefactor; to the rich an example; to the wretched a comforter, to the prosperous an ornament, her piety went hand in hand with her benevolence, and she thanked her creator for being permitted to do good. A being so gentle, and yet so vituous, slander might wound but could not dishonor; Even death, when he tore her from the armes of her husband, could but transport her to the bosom of her God.

Rachel and Andrew Jackson in their Greek Revival Tomb. image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Sandra Hughes, September 25, 2010

6. Rachel and Andrew Jackson in their Greek Revival Tomb.

Architect David Morrison

War 1812 Star Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Sandra Hughes, September 25, 2010

7. War 1812 Star Marker

General Society of War of 1812 Veteran The War of 1812

Jackson's Grave yard and Greek Revival Tomb image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Sandra Hughes, September 25, 2010

8. Jackson's Grave yard and Greek Revival Tomb

Uncle Alfred Jackson Grave image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Sandra Hughes, September 25, 2010

9. Uncle Alfred Jackson Grave

Died Sept 4 1901 Aged 98 Years -------- A Faithful Servant of Andrew Jackson

Photographed by Sandra Hughes, September 25, 2010

10. Uncle Alfred Jackson Grave

Credits. This page was last revised on February 7, 2023. It was originally submitted on February 8, 2012, by Sandra Hughes Tidwell of Killen, Alabama, USA. This page has been viewed 2,530 times since then and 115 times this year. Last updated on March 13, 2015, by J. Makali Bruton of Washington, District of Columbia. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10. submitted on February 8, 2012, by Sandra Hughes Tidwell of Killen, Alabama, USA. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.