Emily Tennessee Donelson was born in Donelson, Tennessee. Her father’s name was John Donelson. He was the brother of Rachel Donelson Jackson. Rachel Donelson Jackson later on married Andrew Jackson, the President. She studied at Nashville Female Academy in Nashville, Tennessee. She was a bright student and she got a very good education. At the age of seventeen, she married Andrew Jackson Donelson, called in short as A. J. Donelson. 