they had helped to found lexington, kentucky, as well as transylvania university. her father was a banker. he was also secretary of the kentucky house and a state senator. so mary was brought up in this this home of wealth and privilege. yet she described her childhood as being desolate. she was tenderhearted and affectionate, but could also rather high strung and impetuous was the one cousin described her in this way. she said that she had an emotion of temperament, much like an april day, something all over with laughter one moment and the next, crying as if her heart would break. mary had quite a good attitude. education, especially for the time she had 13 years of formal schooling. she started out of the shall be female academy and was there from 1826 until 1832. then she on to a boarding school, madam and boarding school. and then she went back to the shelby female academy to. have a year of private study under the headmaster, dr. john ward. so this extensive education in which she studied geography and arithmetic so of slightly more masculine subjects as well