Collection Guide
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Lincoln (Mary Todd) Letters
mssLincolnm
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Table of contents
Contributing Institution:
The Huntington Library
Title: Mary Todd Lincoln letters
Creator:
Lincoln, Mary Todd, 1818-1882
Identifier/Call Number: mssLincolnm
Physical Description:
3.5 Linear Feet
(3 boxes)
Date (inclusive): 1865-1910
Date (bulk): 1865-1866
Abstract: Collection consists of 69 letters, primarily from Mary Todd Lincoln to Alexander Williamson dated from 1865 to 1867. In addition,
there are several letters from Lincoln to Sally Orne, 1865 to 1870, and to Noyes W. Miner, 1881 to 1882. Also present are
two letters from Otto Wiecker to collector William K. Bixby, dated 1908 and 1910.
Language of Material: Materials are in English.
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information.
The Huntington Library does not require that researchers request permission to quote from or publish images of this material,
nor does it charge fees for such activities. The responsibility for identifying the copyright holder, if there is one, and
obtaining necessary permissions rests with the researcher.
[Identification of item]. Mary Todd Lincoln letters, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Most items in this collection were purchased from William K. Bixby, 1918; these letters are noted in item Source of Acquisition
notes.
The Mary Todd Lincoln letters (mssLincolnm) were previously part of the Lincoln file, an assembled collection created by the
Huntington Library in the mid-20th century containing Abraham Lincoln and Lincoln-related material (see Guide to American
Historical Manuscripts in the Huntington Library, 1979). Abraham Lincoln manuscripts are now in the Abraham Lincoln collection
(mssLincoln).
Mary Todd Lincoln (1818-1882) was born in Lexington, Kentucky, the daughter of Robert Todd, a lawyer and merchant, and Elizabeth
Ann ("Eliza") Parker Todd. Her mother died when she was a child and her father remarried Elizabeth Humphreys in 1826. Mary
Todd married Abraham Lincoln in 1842 and moved to Springfield, Illinois, where she was involved in furthering her husband's
political career. Abraham Lincoln was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1846 and the Illinois State Legislature
in 1854; he ran unsuccessfully for U.S. Senate in 1858. In 1860, he was elected president and Mary Todd Lincoln served as
first lady of the United States from 1861 to 1865. Following Abraham Lincoln's assassination in April 1865, Mary Todd Lincoln
struggled financially and sought appropriations from Congress and donations, engaging Treasury Department clerk and the Lincoln
family's former tutor, Alexander Williamson (approximately 1814-1903), in her efforts. She relocated to Chicago then traveled
to Europe with her son Thomas ("Tad") in 1868, living in Frankfurt, Germany, and in England, with visits to other locations.
She was granted a lifetime annual pension from Congress in July 1870. Lincoln returned to the United States in 1871; her son
Thomas died in July. In 1875, she was institutionalized in Illinois after a hearing instigated by her oldest son, Robert Todd
Lincoln, spending a year at the sanitarium Bellevue Place. During the final years of her life, Mary Todd Lincoln lived in
Springfield, Illinois; Pau, France; and New York. She died in Springfield, Illinois at age 63.
Collection contains 56 letters from Mary Todd Lincoln to Alexander Williamson dated from 1865 to 1867; in addition, there
are seven letters from Lincoln to Sally Orne, 1865 to 1870, and four letters to Noyes W. Miner, 1881 to 1882. Letters to Alexander
Williamson concern Lincoln's financial situation and her enlistment of Williamson in her efforts to obtain appropriations
from Congress. Letters from Lincoln to her friend Sally Orne also discuss her finances and the actions of Congress, and her
illnesses. Her letters to Noyes W. Miner similarly discuss her Congressional pension and her health.
Also present are two letters from Otto Wiecker to collector William K. Bixby, dated 1908 and 1910. Wiecker mentions letters
in the possession of the widow of Alexander Williamson, presumably referring to letters from Mary Todd Lincoln to Alexander
Williamson in this collection. He also discusses other Lincolniana items he hopes to procure and/or sell, including a shawl
of Mary Todd Lincoln's and a signed presentation copy of the Gettysburg Address in the hand of Abraham Lincoln.
This collection was reprocessed in 2022 by Melissa Haley as part of the American Presidential Papers Project. The items had
been physically assembled and arranged by former Huntington Library staff; material was rehoused during reprocessing. Previously
assigned item-level call numbers have been retained. Items marked
autograph indicate the item is in the handwriting of the author of the letter.
Several letters in this collection have incomplete dates or dates with years which appear to have been added later in a different
hand, some of which are most likely misdated. In these cases, dates in this finding aid reflect those determined by Justin
G. Turner and Linda Levitt Turner, editors of Mary Todd Lincoln: Her Life and Letters (1972). See their editors' note for
further information about their dating process. Scope and Contents notes in item descriptions detail date discrepancies where
applicable.
Related Materials at the Huntington Library:
- Mary Todd Lincoln letters to James Smith, mssHM 83480-83485.
- Abraham Lincoln collection, mssLincoln.
Material is arranged chronologically.
Letters are published in Justin G. Turner and Linda Levitt Turner, editors, Mary Todd Lincoln: Her Life and Letters (New York:
Alfred A. Knoft, 1972) except where noted.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
First ladies
Letters (correspondence) -- United States -- 19th century
Letters (correspondence) -- United States -- 20th century
Bixby, William K. (William Keeney), 1857-1931
Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865
Lincoln, Mary Todd, 1818-1882 -- Archives
Miner, Noyes W.
Orne, Sally
Williamson, Alexander, approximately 1814-1903