Did you know that Dolley Madison was a widow with two children before she married James Madison? That’s right, Dolley had met and married John Todd, a lawyer, who was like Dolley, also a Quaker. After their marriage they had two children together.
Then there was the year of the yellow fever epidemic which nearly drove the government out of Philadelphia. Dolley and her two kids left John in Philly while they went out to “the country” to be safe from the disease. John, a lawyer, stayed behind to help his parents, and the residents of the city with their well-being. He wrote many wills.