What the childhood homes of 24 US first ladies looked like

Talia LakritzJul 23, 2020, 19:36 IST

Melania Trump's childhood home in Slovenia.Jack Taylor/Getty Images, Mark Wilson/Getty Images

Some first ladies grew up in humble suburban homes.
Others were raised on wealthy plantations and estates.
Many of their birthplaces and childhood homes are now museums or national landmarks.

The role of US first lady has never been officially defined, and the influential position has continued to evolve over the years from one of hosting and decorating to one of advocacy and political clout.

Many of the first ladies' birthplaces and childhood homes are unknown, but those that have been preserved are often turned into museums or national landmarks.

Keep scrolling to see where 24 first ladies grew up.

Martha Dandridge Custis Washington was born on a plantation called Chestnut Grove in New Kent County, Virginia.

Martha Washington's birthplace. Virginia Historical Society

Abigail Smith Adams' birthplace is now a museum in North Weymouth, Massachusetts.

Abigail Adams' Birthplace. Pat Greenhouse/The Boston Globe via Getty Images

Abigail Powers Fillmore's birthplace no longer exists, but a historical marker indicates its location at the corner of Munger Hill Road and Gronczniak Road in Stillwater, New York.

Abigail Powers Fillmore's birthplace. Google Maps

Abigail Powers Fillmore's birthplace no longer exists, but a historical marker indicates its location at the corner of Munger Hill Road and Gronczniak Road in Stillwater, New York.

Mary Todd Lincoln moved to this two-story brick home in Lexington, Kentucky, when she was 14.

Mary Todd Lincoln House. Courtesy of Mary Todd Lincoln House

Julia Dent Grant grew up on a plantation called White Haven in St. Louis, Missouri.

Julia Dent Grant's childhood home. D. Newmann/National Park Service

Lucy Webb Hayes' birthplace in Chillicothe, Ohio, is now a museum.

Lucy Webb Hayes' birthplace. Google Maps

Ellen Lewis Herndon Arthur was likely born in Herndon House in Culpeper, Virginia.

Ellen Lewis Herndon Arthur's presumed birthplace. Google Maps

Frances Folsom Cleveland spent her teenage years in Medina, New York.

Frances Cleveland's childhood home. Google Maps

Ida Saxton McKinley's childhood home in Canton, Ohio, known as the Saxton-McKinley House, has been restored to its original Victorian decor.

Ida Saxton McKinley's childhood home. National Park Service

Edith Bolling Wilson's birthplace is the oldest brick commercial building still standing in downtown Wytheville, Virginia.

Edith Bolling Wilson's birthplace. Google Maps

Grace Coolidge grew up in Burlington, Vermont.

Grace Coolidge's childhood home. Google Maps

Eleanor Roosevelt's childhood estate is located in Germantown, New York.

Eleanor Roosevelt's childhood home. Courtesy of Houlihan Lawrence

Mamie Doud married Dwight Eisenhower at her childhood home in Denver, Colorado, known as Doud House.

Mamie Doud Eisenhower's childhood home. Carl Iwasaki/The LIFE Images Collection via Getty Images/Getty Images

Jacqueline Kennedy grew up in a nine-bedroom home on an estate that became known as Merrywood in McLean, Virginia.

Jackie Kennedy's childhood home. Sotheby's International Realty

Claudia Taylor "Lady Bird" Johnson was born on Andrews-Taylor Plantation in Karnack, Texas.

Lady Bird Johnson's childhood home. Library of Congress

Pat Nixon's childhood home in Cerritos, California, burned down in 1978.

Pat Nixon's childhood home in 1977, before it burned down. carlanthonyonline/YouTube

Betty Ford was born in Chicago, but grew up in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Betty Ford's childhood home. Google Maps

Rosalynn Smith Carter's family moved to this Plains, Georgia, home when she was 16 months old in 1928.

Rosalynn Smith Carter's childhood home. Library of Congress

Nancy Reagan spent her early years in a three-story wooden house in Flushing, New York.

Nancy Reagan's childhood home. Shannon Stapleton/Reuters

Barbara Pierce Bush grew up in a five-bedroom brick house in Rye, New York.

Barbara Bush's childhood home. Google Maps

Hillary Rodham Clinton was born in Chicago, but her family moved to this four-bedroom home in the suburb of Park Ridge, Illinois, when she was 3 years old.

Hillary Rodham Clinton's childhood home. Tim Boyle/Newsmakers/Getty Images

Laura Welch Bush spent her teenage years in a three-bedroom home in Midland, Texas.

Laura Bush's childhood home. Zillow

Michelle Obama grew up on Chicago's South Side.

Michelle Obama's childhood home. Netflix

Melania Trump grew up in a modest home in Sevnica, Slovenia.

Melania Trump's childhood home. Jack Taylor/Getty Images

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What the childhood homes of 24 US first ladies looked like

Martha Dandridge Custis Washington was born on a plantation called Chestnut Grove in New Kent County, Virginia.

Abigail Smith Adams' birthplace is now a museum in North Weymouth, Massachusetts.

Abigail Powers Fillmore's birthplace no longer exists, but a historical marker indicates its location at the corner of Munger Hill Road and Gronczniak Road in Stillwater, New York.

Mary Todd Lincoln moved to this two-story brick home in Lexington, Kentucky, when she was 14.

Julia Dent Grant grew up on a plantation called White Haven in St. Louis, Missouri.

Lucy Webb Hayes' birthplace in Chillicothe, Ohio, is now a museum.

Ellen Lewis Herndon Arthur was likely born in Herndon House in Culpeper, Virginia.

Frances Folsom Cleveland spent her teenage years in Medina, New York.

Ida Saxton McKinley's childhood home in Canton, Ohio, known as the Saxton-McKinley House, has been restored to its original Victorian decor.

Edith Bolling Wilson's birthplace is the oldest brick commercial building still standing in downtown Wytheville, Virginia.

Grace Coolidge grew up in Burlington, Vermont.

Eleanor Roosevelt's childhood estate is located in Germantown, New York.

Mamie Doud married Dwight Eisenhower at her childhood home in Denver, Colorado, known as Doud House.

Jacqueline Kennedy grew up in a nine-bedroom home on an estate that became known as Merrywood in McLean, Virginia.

Claudia Taylor "Lady Bird" Johnson was born on Andrews-Taylor Plantation in Karnack, Texas.

Pat Nixon's childhood home in Cerritos, California, burned down in 1978.

Betty Ford was born in Chicago, but grew up in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Rosalynn Smith Carter's family moved to this Plains, Georgia, home when she was 16 months old in 1928.

Nancy Reagan spent her early years in a three-story wooden house in Flushing, New York.

Barbara Pierce Bush grew up in a five-bedroom brick house in Rye, New York.

Hillary Rodham Clinton was born in Chicago, but her family moved to this four-bedroom home in the suburb of Park Ridge, Illinois, when she was 3 years old.

Laura Welch Bush spent her teenage years in a three-bedroom home in Midland, Texas.

Michelle Obama grew up on Chicago's South Side.

Melania Trump grew up in a modest home in Sevnica, Slovenia.