I beg to express my indebtedness to Mr. Henry Rood, who first suggested to me these personal recollections of the family and home life of the Presidents I have known, while they resided in the White House. After months of consultation with me and study..of my diaries, he organized the several chapters and wrote them. It is hoped that this un pretentious volume will give readers a better understanding than they might otherwise have had, of Presidents Lincoln, Johnson, Grant, Hayes, Garfield, Arthur, Cleveland, Harrison, mckinley, and Roosevelt, whom I saw daily, and who, one and all, have treated me with the utmost kindness and consider ation during my forty-six years of continuous service in the Executive Office.
