"I Have Wrestled With Poverty"
Andrew Johnson was born in 1808 to poor, uneducated parents in a small building that served as a kitchen to Casso's Inn in Raleigh, North Carolina. When Andrew was three, his father died after saving two of his wealthy employers from drowning in an icy pond. A few years later, Johnson's destitute mother apprenticed Andrew and his brother to a local tailor.
At age 15, Johnson and his brother got into a legal dispute with the tailor and ran away. Two years later, Johnson returned to Raleigh to try to settle the dispute. Then he led his mother and stepfather over the Appalachians here to Greeneville. From his humble beginnings, Johnson started on the road to independence and, eventually, the presidency of the United States.
"Yes I have wrestled with poverty, the gaunt and haggard monster; I have met in the day and night; I have felt its withering approach and its blighting influence..."
Andrew Johnson 1862
Erected by National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Government & Politics • Settlements & Settlers. In addition, it is included in the Former U.S. Presidents: #17 Andrew Johnson series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1808.
Location. 36°
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Regionally, this marker is in East Tennessee. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Upper South, in Appalachia, and specifically in Southern Appalachia. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the original Cherokee Nation, the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the Confederate States of America, the State of Franklin, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: A Profile in Courage (a few steps from this marker); The Heart of the Household (a few steps from this marker); Andrew Johnson (within shouting distance of this marker); An Early Home (within shouting distance of this marker); Margaret Johnson Patterson Bartlett / Andrew Johnson (within shouting distance of this marker); The Original Building (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Olde Greene County Gaol (about 300 feet away); a different marker also named Andrew Johnson (about 400 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Greeneville.
Also see . . . Andrew Johnson. Wikipedia entry (Submitted on February 15, 2025, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York.)
Credits. This page was last revised on February 17, 2025. It was originally submitted on August 2, 2015, by Pat Filippone of Stockton, California. This page has been viewed 805 times since then and 21 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on August 2, 2015, by Pat Filippone of Stockton, California. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.
