Eveline Martin Alexander (1843–1922)

Eveline Throop Martin was one of 11 children born to Enos T. Martin, a well-to-do lawyer and journalist, and his wife Cornelia Williams, a wealthy heiress. She spent her childhood at the Throop-Martin lakeside estate near Auburn, New York, where her parents and grand-uncle, a former governor of New York, often hosted famous visitors. In 1864, she met and married Andrew J. Alexander, a handsome cavalry officer in the Union Army who eventually rose to become a general. After the Civil War, Eveline accompanied her husband to his various posts and garrisons along the Southwestern frontier. Four of their five children died before reaching adulthood. General Alexander retired from the army when his health began to fail, and he died in Eveline's arms in 1887, on the train home to Auburn. She lived on with her siblings for many years. Her letters and journal describing her experiences as a military wife were published under the title Cavalry Wife: The Diary of Eveline M. Alexander, in 1977. The book provides valuable information for historians and scholars of the period.