Family life in the White House

• Thomas (Tad) Lincoln was the youngest son of President Lincoln and was known for playing practical jokes around the White House. One time he found a way to make all of the White House bells ring at the same time, which proved a great surprise to both the staff and the family.

• On Sept. 9, 1893, Esther Cleveland was born in the Clevelands' bedroom in the northwest area of the second floor. She was the second daughter born to Grover and Frances, and was the first and only child of a president to be born in the White House.

• Pets have long been part of presidential families. Russell Harrison, the son of Benjamin Harrison, had a pet goat named Old Whiskers. One day, the goat took off down Pennsylvania Avenue with some of the Harrison grandchildren, and the president had to chase him down.

One of the most famous pets was Fala, a dog belonging to Franklin Roosevelt, who accompanied him almost everywhere. Caroline Kennedy had a pony named Macaroni that roamed through White House gardens. Millie, the dog of George and Barbara Bush, was so famous she even "wrote" a book.

The Clintons brought a dog named Buddy and a cat named Socks with them to the White House.

• President Kennedy's children, Caroline and John Jr., frequently came to visit their father in the Oval Office, and played under and around the president's desk.

• Dwight and Mamie Eisenhower's grandson, David, celebrated his eighth birthday in 1956. The party had a western theme because David loved cowboys in general, and Roy Rogers, in particular. Among the guests at the party: Roy Rogers and Dale Evans.

• Abraham Lincoln's son Willie died of an illness while his father was president. His body lay in mourning in the Green Room of the White House. Seven presidents, including Abraham Lincoln and John Kennedy, have lain in state in the East Room of the White House following their deaths.

• President Theodore Roosevelt had six children every bit as active and rambunctious as he was. To accommodate all their activity, he had a temporary building constructed to serve as office space for his staff, so he could move them out of the way. That building is now known as the West Wing.

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Sources: "The Smithsonian Treasury: The Presidents," by Frederick S. Voss; www.infoplease.com, www.brainyquote.com, www.whitehouse.gov, www.etni.org, Deseret Morning News files