author
Mary Emily Donelson Wilcox
1829–1905
A vivid memoirist with close ties to Andrew Jackson’s family, she turned personal history into a warm, unusual record of Christmas celebrations in the White House, at a Prussian court, and in Texas. Her best-known book offers readers a firsthand-feeling glimpse of 19th-century domestic and political life.
1 Audiobook
About the author
Born in 1829, she came from the prominent Donelson family closely connected to Andrew Jackson. Records connected to her published work describe her as a grandniece of Rachel Donelson Jackson, and her writing draws heavily on family memory and tradition.
Her best-known book, Christmas under Three Flags (published in 1900), gathers recollections of holiday celebrations in three striking settings: the White House with Jackson, the household of the future Kaiser Wilhelm I of Prussia, and life connected with the Alamo. The book stands out as a memoir-shaped piece of historical storytelling, blending family anecdote, social detail, and a strong sense of place.
She died in 1905. Although not a widely known literary figure today, her work remains interesting for listeners who enjoy firsthand-style accounts of American political families, 19th-century customs, and the way personal memory can preserve corners of history that official records often miss.