The mother of President Eisenhower, a Bible Student and possibly a JW

Ida Stover Eisenhower

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Ida Elizabeth Stover Eisenhower (May 1, 1862 – September 11, 1946) was the mother of U.S. President Dwight David Eisenhower (1890-1969), and university president Milton Stover Eisenhower (1899-1985) as well as Edgar N. Eisenhower (1889–1971), and Earl D. Eisenhower (1898–1968).
She was born in Mount Sidney, Virginia, the only daughter of Elizabeth Ida Judah Link and Simon P. Stover.
She was christened Elizabeth Ida in the Salem Lutheran Church, Mount Sidney, Virginia (currently the Salem Evangelical Lutheran Church). She was orphaned on the deaths of her mother, Elizabeth Link Stover (1822–1867), originally Elizabeth Juda according to Salem Church baptismal records but later changed to Elizabeth Ida, and father, Simon Stover (1822–1873).
She lived with her maternal grandparents, William Link and Esther Schindler Link, on their farm until William's death in 1879, and then with her maternal uncle and aunt, William J. Link and Susan Cook Link, on their farm until age twenty-one whereupon she joined two of her brothers Stover who had moved to Kansas. Ida was five years old when her mother died; she was sent to live with her maternal grandparents, then with maternal uncle and aunt, and on turning twenty-one years of age to her elder brothers in Kansas, as described in the preceding sentence. They did not believe girls should be educated, and instead pushed her to memorize the Bible. When Ida was ready to go to high school, she was told that she couldn't, so she ran away.
Stover graduated from high school at age 19 and taught for two years[citation needed] before entering Lane University, where she met her future husband, David Jacob Eisenhower.[1]
On September 23, 1885 in Lecompton, Kansas on the campus of their alma mater, Lane University, she married David Jacob Eisenhower (1863–1942), of German and Swiss ancestry. He was a college-educated engineer but had trouble making a living and the family was always poor.[2]
In the 1890s Ida left the River Brethren sect of the Mennonites, and joined the International Bible Students, which would evolve into what is now known as Jehovah's Witnesses. The Eisenhower home served as the local meeting hall for the Bible Students from 1896 to 1915 but her sons, although raised there, never joined the movement.[3]
She was a lifelong pacifist,[4] so Dwight's decision to attend West Point saddened her. She felt that warfare was "rather wicked," but she did not overrule him.[5]
In 1945 Stover was named Kansas Mother of the Year.[6]
Dwight Eisenhower said of her:
"Many such persons of her faith, selflessness, and boundless consideration of others have been called saintly. She was that—but above all she was a worker, an administrator, a teacher and guide, a truly wonderful woman."[citation needed]
References[edit source]
1.^ "I Chose My Way". Time. Time, Inc. September 23, 1946. Retrieved 2009-03-17.
2.^ Stephen E. Ambrose, Eisenhower: Soldier, General of the Army, President-Elect, 1890–1952 (1983) pp 13-14
3.^ Jerry Bergman, "Steeped in Religion: President Eisenhower and the Influence of the Jehovah's Witnesses," Kansas History, (Aut. 1998)
4.^ "Eisenhower: A Factual Sketch". time.com. Time. 1952-04-07. Retrieved 2008-09-06.
5.^ Carlo D'Este, Eisenhower: a soldier's life (2002) p. 58
6.^ "Women's Studies : A Guide to the Historical Holdings in the Eisenhower Library" (PDF). www.eisenhower.archives.gov. Eisenhower Library. April 1994. p. 11. Retrieved 2008-09-05.[dead link]
External links[edit source]
Mrs. J.E. Johntz Papers regarding the Selection of Ida Stover Eisenhower as Kansas Mother of the Year (1945), Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library

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Dwight D. Eisenhower


­34th President of the United States (1953-1961)·
 ­Supreme Allied Commander Europe (1951-1952)·
 ­Chief of Staff of the Army (1945-1948)·
 ­October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969
 

Life and career
­Military career of Dwight D. Eisenhower·
 ­Normandy landings·
 ­"And I don't care what it is"·
 ­Eisenhower Presidential Center
 
Dwight D. Eisenhower, official photo portrait, May 29, 1959.jpg


Presidency
­Presidency of Dwight D. Eisenhower·
 ­Draft Eisenhower movement·
 ­1953 inauguration·
 ­1957 inauguration·
 ­Korean War·
 ­1953 Iranian coup d'état·
 ­Chance for Peace speech·
 ­Cold War period·
 ­1960 U-2 incident·
 ­Interstate Highway System·
 ­Eisenhower Doctrine·
 ­Farewell address / "Military–industrial complex"·
 ­Judicial appointments·
 ­Supreme Court appointments
 

Books
­Crusade in Europe·
 ­At Ease: Stories I Tell to Friends
 

Elections
­1952 / 1956 (Presidency)
 

Popular culture
­Ike (TV miniseries)·
 ­Ike: Countdown to D-Day
 

Family
­Mamie Geneva Doud Eisenhower (wife)·
 ­Doud Eisenhower (son)·
 ­John Eisenhower (son)·
 ­David Jacob Eisenhower (father)·
 ­Ida Elizabeth Stover Eisenhower (mother)·
 ­David Eisenhower (grandson)
 

­← Harry S. Truman·
 ­John F. Kennedy →
 



 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Categories: 1862 births
1946 deaths
American people of German descent
American Christian pacifists
Eisenhower family
People from Augusta County, Virginia




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