Cedar Grove Plantation was the birthplace of Letitia Christian Tyler. She was the wife of 10th President John Tyler, and came from one of New Kent County, Virginia's leading families. Her parents, Robert and Mary Browne Christian were prosperous and their children were afforded an upper-class education and upbringing.
The wedding of Letitia and John Tyler took place in the parlor of the Cedar Grove Plantation on March 29, 1813, Tyler's 23rd birthday. Letitia's parents died soon after the marriage and the couple moved to Cedar Grove Plantation, which Letitia inherited from her parents.
The two-story brick addition to the 18th-century frame farmhouse where Letitia was born was finished only a couple of years before her wedding. The floor plan was a provincial adaptation of a typical Richmond town house of the period with a side hall and one room per floor. The brick was laid in Flemish bond pattern. The medallion cornice was another sign of the family's affluence. In 1815, the house was valued at $2,500.
Letitia was 51 at her death in 1842. Her body was brought from Washington to be buried at Cedar Grove in a brick-walled family graveyard about 100 yards from the house. Letitia's gravesite is open to the public.
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Last Updated: 09/22/2016
