Matilda Tone facts for kids

Matilda Tone (born Martha Witherington) was an important Irish woman. She was the wife of Theobald Wolfe Tone, a famous Irish leader. Matilda played a key role in making sure her husband's writings and ideas were saved and shared with the world. She lived from 1769 to 1849.

Growing Up in Dublin

Matilda Tone was born Martha Witherington in Dublin, Ireland, on June 17, 1769. She was the oldest daughter of William Witherington, a businessman, and his wife Catherine. Her father sold woollen cloth and wine in Dublin. He was also involved in the city's local government for a time.

Matilda received a good education. She loved drama and reading throughout her life. A visitor in 1802 noted that Matilda had many books in French, Italian, and English.

When she was 15, she met Wolfe Tone through her older brother. Wolfe Tone was a student at Trinity College Dublin at the time. He was the one who gave her the nickname "Matilda." They got married on July 21, 1785, when she was just 16 years old. Their wedding was in St Ann's Church in Dublin.

Life with Her Family

Matilda and Wolfe Tone had their first child, Maria, before October 1786. Their second child, Richard, sadly died when he was a baby. While Wolfe Tone studied law in London, Matilda stayed with his family.

Later, they had two more sons: William Theobald Wolfe Tone, born in 1791, and Francis Rawdon Tone, born in 1793. Francis was called Frank. The family lived in a small cottage in Bodenstown, County Kildare. They jokingly called it "Château Boue."

In May 1795, the family had to leave Ireland for political reasons. They moved to Princeton, New Jersey in America. About 18 months later, Matilda and the children returned to Europe to join Wolfe Tone in France.

They settled in Paris, living in different areas like Nanterre and Chaillot. Matilda taught her children at home. Many of Wolfe Tone's letters and diaries were written for Matilda. These writings show that she was very interested in politics, just like her husband.

After Wolfe Tone died in November 1798, Matilda moved to a smaller apartment in Paris. This was so she could be close to her son William, who was attending a school called Lycée Louis-le-Grand. After a peace agreement broke down in 1803, she received money from the French government to support herself and her children.

Sadly, her daughter Maria died in April 1803. Her son Frank died in 1807, both from a lung illness called tuberculosis. William also started showing signs of the illness. This led Matilda to move to America in 1807.

In America, they worked to get back Wolfe Tone's important papers. They found many of his diaries and letters. These were added to the autobiography she already had. In 1810, William joined a military school in France. Matilda moved close to him to be supportive. She even met Napoleon in 1811. Because Napoleon knew Wolfe Tone, he helped William become a French citizen.

After Napoleon's defeat in 1815, William was not allowed to return to Ireland or visit Britain. So, Matilda and William went back to America. Before leaving Paris, Matilda married her old friend Thomas Wilson in August 1816. Thomas was a Scottish businessman who had helped Matilda with her money after Wolfe Tone died. They visited Scotland, then moved to New York in 1817. Around 1820, they settled in Georgetown, where Matilda lived until she died. She called herself Matilda Tone-Wilson.

Sharing Her Husband's Story

In 1824, a magazine started printing parts of Wolfe Tone's autobiography without permission. Because of this, Matilda decided to publish all of his writings. This included his autobiography, pamphlets, and diaries. Their son William helped edit the collection.

In May 1826, two large books called Life of Theobald Wolfe Tone were published. Matilda also added her own story about her life in Paris after her husband's death. The book was very popular. It helped keep Wolfe Tone's memory alive and was an important record of Irish and French history.

William Tone died in 1828. After this, Matilda lived a more private life. Thomas Wilson, her second husband, had died in 1824. Matilda died in Georgetown on March 18, 1849. Just two weeks before she died, she was interviewed by a young Irish nationalist named Charles Hart.

Matilda was first buried near William Tone in Georgetown. Later, in 1891, her great-grandchildren moved her to Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn, New York. A new monument was placed there for her, which was fixed up again in 1996.