Fifth Grade
Worksheets
Jackie O
Jacqueline Lee Bouvier always knew the life of a privileged person. She was born on July 28, 1929, in Southhampton, New York. Her father's name was John Vernon Bouvier III. Her mother was Janet Norton Lee Bouvier. Both of her parents claimed to have family members of high social status in their backgrounds. Her father claimed to have been part of a royal family from France. Her mother claimed to be part of the "Virginia Lees", dating back to the American Civil War. They were said to be part of the family of General Robert E. Lee.
Jacqueline always preferred to have her name pronounced the way it would have been by the French side of her family "Jack-lean." Her middle name was taken from her mother's family. There were two daughters in the Bouvier family. Jackie was the elder of the two.
The last member of the American Bouvier family to have lived in France was Michel Bouvier. He was Jackie's great-grandfather. He came to America and became a cabinet maker. Jackie's father was given the nickname "Black Jack." He was a stockbroker. He wasn't completely loyal to Jackie's mother. That is what caused the couple to divorce when the girls were quite young. Jackie's mother remarried a few years later. Her second husband was quite wealthy. Jackie was brought up in a prominent lifestyle and wanted for nothing.
Jackie seemed to be born to ride horses. Her mother put her atop her first horse at the tender age of one. Her mother was an accomplished rider herself. She taught Jackie all she knew about riding. Jackie was winning equestrian championships by the time she was eleven. Her step-father's family owned a horse farm in East Hampton. She spent her summers on this farm learning how to compete in equestrian events. Her favorite horse was named Danseuse. That is a French word that means female dancer.
During Jackie's pre-teen and early teen years, she developed a great love for reading and painting. Her favorite books as a child were The Jungle Book, Little Lord Fauntleroy, and Gone with the Wind. She tried her hand at writing poetry. Here is an example of a poem Jackie wrote when she was just ten years old.
When I go down by the sandy shore
I can think of nothing I want more
Than to live by the booming blue sea
As the seagulls flutter round about me
