Nellie Grant

Ellen Wrenshall Grant, known as Nellie Grant, was born on July 4, 1855, in Wistonwisch, Missouri, near St. Louis. She was the only daughter of U.S. President Ulysses S. Grant and First Lady Julia Dent Grant. Her birthplace was on the estate called White Haven, owned by her maternal grandfather, Col. Frederick Dent. She was initially named Julia but was later christened Ellen Wrenshall at 18 months in honor of her maternal grandmother. During her early childhood, she was raised in a log cabin named Hardscrabble, built by her father.

At the age of 13, Nellie moved into the White House when her father was elected President in 1868. As the only daughter among three brothers, Nellie attracted considerable media attention, being the first teenage girl in the White House since Abby Fillmore. She attended Miss Porter's School, an elite boarding school for girls in Connecticut, but her stay was brief due to her sending multiple distressing telegrams to her father, after which he sent an escort to bring her back to the White House.

In her later teenage years, President Grant was concerned about the many suitors pursuing Nellie. To avoid too much public attention, she was sent to England for a trip abroad, accompanied by trusted chaperones. During her stay, she was received by Queen Victoria and attended garden parties, although Queen Victoria described her manner as “rather stiff and off hand” and noted that she spoke with a “great twang.”

While in England, Nellie met Algernon Charles Frederick Sartoris, an Englishman from a minor gentry family. Sartoris's mother was Adelaide Kemble, a former opera singer, and sister to actress Fanny Kemble. His father, Edward Sartoris, was a Member of Parliament and a European court minister. U.S. President Grant initially opposed Sartoris’s courtship, citing concerns over his drinking and social status, and was hesitant about his daughter living abroad. During her visit, Sartoris expressed his desire to marry Nellie, prompting Grant to give permission on the condition that they wait at least a year due to concerns over Sartoris's employment stability and support capabilities.

Nellie and Algernon Sartoris were married on May 21, 1874, at the White House in a ceremony attended by approximately 250 guests. The White House interior was decorated with lilies, tuberoses, and spirea, and orange blossoms from Florida were sent for the occasion. Nellie’s wedding dress was valued in the thousands of dollars, and she was described as highly attractive. After the wedding, the couple traveled to New York in a specially made Pullman palace car before sailing to England.

Ellen and Algernon Sartoris had four children: Grant Grenville Edward Sartoris (1875–1876), Algernon Edward Sartoris (1877–1928), Vivien May Sartoris (1879–1933), who married Frederick Roosevelt Scovel, and Rosemary Alice Sartoris (1880–1914), who married George Henry Woolston. The couple resided in England, although Nellie did not fully adopt English societal norms or gain widespread approval.

By 1889, Sartoris’s drinking issues and personal conduct led to the dissolution of their marriage. Nellie was granted a divorce, received a substantial annual income, and was permitted to return to the United States with her children. She resumed U.S. citizenship through a special congressional act. Sartoris died in 1893 at age 42.

Nellie Grant remarried in 1912 to Frank Hatch Jones, a lawyer from Springfield, Illinois. Jones was affiliated with the Democratic Party, serving as chairman of the Sangamon County Democratic Committee and holding other state-level legal positions.

During her later years, Nellie returned to the United States to attend to her ailing father, Ulysses S. Grant. She was present during his final illness in 1885 and was honored with a poem titled “Nellie” by Eugene Field upon her father’s death. Nellie Grant died on August 30, 1922, in Springfield, Illinois, at the age of 67. She was interred in Oak Ridge Cemetery.