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'Anna Rebecca Hall Roosevelt' (March 17, 1863 - December 7, 1892) was the mother of former First Lady of the United States, Eleanor Roosevelt. She was also a descendant of the Livingstons.
Anna was born to Valentine Hall and Mary Ludlow. She was their oldest child. Their other children were: Elizabeth (1865-1944), Valentine Jr. (1867-1934), Mary (1869-1872), Edward (1872-1932), Edith (1873-1920) and Maude (1877-1952).
Anna, a dazzling beauty, caught the eye of Elliott Roosevelt, the brother of future President Theodore Roosevelt. Elliott married Anna in December 1883, when he was 23 and she was 19. Anna bore Elliott three children: Anna Eleanor (1884-1962), Elliott Jr. (1889-1893), and Gracie Hall (1891-1941).
As was typical of the time, especially for women in high profile society, Anna Roosevelt had no professional occupation beyond the important role of wife and mother. Roosevelt was responsible however for numerous social events and charity balls which usually produced successful returns. Within the high profile society circles that she and Elliott moved, both men and women fawned over Anna's beauty while she just sat and looked beautiful. By contrast, Anna was somewhat ashamed of her daughter Eleanor's plainness and even nicknamed Eleanor "Granny."
Shortly after the Hall-Roosevelt marriage on December 1, 1883, and the birth of their first child, Elliott began a life of gaiety which lead to his problems with alcohol. In 1889 after the birth of their second child, Elliott's problems only increased and the family traveled to Europe in search of better health and treatment for the problem. Soon Anna became pregnant with their last child and gave birth in 1891 and the marriage teetered on collapse while the family was in France. Soon afterwards Elliott and Anna separated.
When Eleanor was eight, Anna Hall Roosevelt contracted diphtheria and died at age 29. Less than two years later, Eleanor's father Elliott died on August 14, 1894 from a seizure after a failed suicide and the cumulative effects of alcoholism.
Anna's daughter Eleanor would go on to become First Lady of the United States of America when her husband, distant cousin Franklin D. Roosevelt, is elected President of the United States of America.