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Mary Todd Lincoln 1818-1882
Who Was Mary Todd Lincoln?
Wife of
famous 16th president
Abraham Lincoln, Mary Todd
Lincoln was the country's First
Lady from 1861 until 1865.
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Image Above
Detail from the
Mrs. Abraham Lincoln portrait, photographed
between 1860 and 1865 (?)
Library of
Congress |
Mary's Family
Mary's father was Robert Smith Todd.
Mary's mother was
Eliza Parker Todd.
Mary's parents were pretty well off
financially. Eliza died in 1825 and Mary's father married again. Mary had a sister,
Elizabeth.
Mary Todd Lincoln
Mary & Abe
Abraham Lincoln was a diligent lawyer when he noticed Mary
Todd. He then got cold
feet and told Mary to forget about it.
Abe changed his mind
once more and married the girl in 1842.
Mary Todd Lincoln's Mental State
Mary
Todd used to be a healthy and energetic woman. But several events
in her life, and finally Abe's assassination, pushed her
over the edge.
What
exactly had happened?
Abraham and Mary Lincoln had a son, Edward. But Edward died when he was just three
years old. Second son Willie died in 1862 of typhoid
fever. Third son Thomas (Tad) died in 1871.
Mary was
beyond devastated, but there was more to come.
Additionally, Mary
found herself sitting between chairs during the
Civil War. She was born in Kentucky and her relatives
were fighting for the South.
PICTURE OF MARY TODD LINCOLN
National
Archives
[+] Click image to enlarge
On top of that, there were rumors of Mary wasting money by the
bucket. How come?
Mary Lincoln liked to dress well
and have some decent furniture around. That didn't sit well
with some folks and evil tongues spread evil gossip.
And finally, in
1865, her husband was shot right in front of her. And that was just
about all the girl could handle. She packed her bags and
traveled to Germany and England.
Mary
developed paranoia and thought she was supremely
poor, which wasn't the case at all.
In 1875, son Robert arranged for Mary to spend some time in a mental
institution. She was eager to leave and
when she did, she traveled once more to Europe for a few years.
Apparently, some of her letters
have been found recently.
MARY TODD LINCOLN
WHITE HOUSE HISTORICAL
ASSOCIATION
[+] Click to enlarge.
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