Despite the fact that Van Buren had been a widower for 18 years by the time he enters office, we take a look at the experiences of his late wife and his daughter-in-law, who eventually acts as White House hostess during his tenure. 

Many thanks to all the providers of the following resources:
https://www.whitehouse.gov/about-the-white-house/first-ladies/hannah-hoes-van-buren/
https://www.whitehouse.gov/about-the-white-house/presidents/martin-van-buren/
American National Biography Database by Marilynn Wood Hill 
https://www.whitehousehistory.org/the-enslaved-households-of-martin-van-buren
https://www.whitehousehistory.org/photos/treasures-of-the-white-house-angelica-singleton-van-buren
Joseph G. Rayback, Martin Van Buren: His Place in the History of New York and the United States, New York History, Vol. 64, No. 2, (April, 1983) pp. 120-135 
Robert P. Watson, The First Lady Reconsidered: Presidential Partner and Political Institution, Presidential Studies Quarterly, Vol. 27, No. 4, Fall 1997 pp. 805-818 
Nicoline Van Der Sijs, Cookies, Coleslaw and Stoops: The Influence of Dutch on the North American Language, (Amsterdam University Press, 2009)