2 first ladies had NH roots

Two former first ladies with connections to the area – Jane Appleton Pierce, who lived in Amherst, and Grace Goodhue Coolidge, whose grandparents lived in Hancock – suffered the loss of children at a young age; however, the two women could not be more different. A Jane Pierce biographer said she probably didn’t have a happy day in her adult life. Pierce, the wife of the only president to come from New Hampshire, Franklin Pierce, is described as deeply religious, serious minded, sensitive and nervous. Depressed by the death of her son Benny, she refused to play hostess at White House events, leaving that position to her aunt Abby Kent-Means. Grace Coolidge, on the other hand, is described as being physically fit, fond of hiking and horseback riding and a lively extrovert who loved bright colors, especially red. Jane Appleton was born in Hampton in 1806. She moved to Amherst at age 13 where she lived in the home of her mother’s brother.