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The Homesteader's Newsletter >
THE TWO MRS. FILLMORES
THE TWO MRS. FILLMORES
Mar 8, 2016
THE TWO MRS. FILLMORES
Presented by Rachelle Francis
Wednesday, March 9, 2016 • 7 PM
Tonawanda City Hall Community Room
Rachelle Francis became a docent at the Millard Fillmore House while she was an at-home mom and immediately decided to be the one to tell Fillmore’s story. Rachelle feels “It’s every bit as inspirational as Lincoln’s story and it happened here in Western New York.”
Since moving to East Aurora more than 30 years ago, Rachelle has been drawn to the village’s unique artistic and political past. She became especially interested in President Millard Fillmore’s history and turned her master’s degree project into a children’s biography entitled Will the Real Millard Fillmore Please Stand Up? For years, Rachelle has attended the Aurora Historical Society’s popular annual Fillmore dinners, occasionally portraying the former President’s first wife, Abigail, before a delighted audience.
Rachelle feels she and Abigail share a common bond because they’re both daughters of Baptist ministers and both working mothers. Abigail tutored children to earn extra money while Millard was building his legal career. The former president’s second wife Caroline was the complete opposite of Abigail—unkind, spoiled, and rich. Rachelle is working on a book about the former President’s wives and her program for the Historical Society’s March meeting will focus on these two fascinating women.
Rachelle is an Orchard Park teacher - 22 years in the elementary classroom, now 8 years in elementary music. Besides her biography of Millard Fillmore (available on amazon.com), she has written Rambles Through Aurora: Pine and East Main Streets and co-authored several others. She is a frequent lecturer at the Chautauqua Institution and represented Millard Fillmore on C-SPAN’s “Presidential Portraits” series. Since Rachelle enjoys singing, she finds a way to work music into almost every presentation.
More at http://www.tonawandashistory.org/two_fillmores.html.
Official Home: The Historical Society of the Tonawandas, Inc.
Museum and General Office: 113 Main Street, Tonawanda, NY, 14150-2129
(716) 694-7406 Email tonahist@gmail.com
© 2023 Written authorization required.
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