Manuscripts for: Mary Lincoln

Library of Congress, Manuscript Division , Washington, D.C.

--Abraham Lincoln Papers, 1833-1916, 41 ft., about 40,000 items, on 97 reels of microfilm: Index available. Correspondence and other papers, mainly letters addressed to Lincoln during his Presidency. Includes materials regarding Mary Todd Lincoln. Letters of condolence to Mrs. Lincoln from Eugenie, Empress of France, 28 April 1865; Victoria, Queen of England, 29 April 1865; d’Orleans, Comte de Paris, 5 May 1865. Andrew Johnson to Mary Lincoln, 12 June 1866. Also, about. 60 items for period 1860-1866. Principally correspondence received. Series 1 - 3. Described in D.C. Mearns, The Lincoln Papers (1948), J.G. Randall, Lincoln, the President (1952), and the Library’s Quarterly Journal of Current Acquisitions, 5.1 (November 1947).
--Mary Todd Lincoln Papers, 1861-1930. 17 items: No guide. Mrs. Lincoln’s letters in this collection contain information on her endorsement of two men as loyal to the Union, her prediction of the election of 1864, her life after her husband’s assassination, and her attempts to obtain a pension from Congress. Also includes a telegram from Abraham Lincoln to his wife about the departure of their son Robert Lincoln on a trip. Also include Mary Lincoln letters to Mr. Patterson, 13 September; to A. R. Thompson, 15 April 1866; to Mrs. White, 30 August 1869; to Dr. A. G. Henry, 17 July 1865; to Dr. Henry, 26 July 1865; to Mrs. Henry, 31 August 1865; to Queen Victoria of England, 21 May 1865; to Hon. Mr. Wakeman, 20 March 1865; to Hon. Caleb B. Smith, 26 October 1861. In container MMC - 151, there is a glossy photocopy positive letter to Mrs. Shearer (?) from Springfield, IL, about "fair promises for Nov." election, 20 Oct 1860; a photostat negative to Hon. Caleb B. Smith about a Mr. Watts, 21 October 1861; original letter to Mr. Potter, 13 Sept 1861 or 1862; original letter to Mr. Wakeman, 20 March 1865; original note to Mrs. Eamaes (?) about death of son William, 26 July 1864; photostat letter to Queen Victoria, 21 May 1865; photostat letter to Dr. Henry, 17 July 1865; photostat letter to Dr. Henry, 26 July 1865; photostat letter to Mrs. Henry, 31 August 1865; original letter to Noah Brooks, 26 December 1865; original note to A. R. Thompson, Esq., 15 April 1866; original letter unreadable, to unknown, January 1869; and photostat and typed copy to Mrs. White, 30 August 1869.
--James Garfield Randall Papers, 1850-65, 1916-52, 19 ft., 7800 items. In part, photocopies. Historian. Correspondence, notes, memoranda, drafts, outlines, printed matter, primarily 1938-51, and photocopies (1850-65) concerning Randall’s works on Abraham Lincoln and on the Civil War. Includes the MS. of Mary Lincoln: Biography of a Marriage (1953) written by Randall’s wife, Ruth Painter Randall. Unpublished finding aid in the Library.
--Stanton Papers. One letter from Mary Lincoln to T. E.M. Stanton, 11 February 1863.
--Gideon Welles Collection. One letter from Mary Lincoln to Gideon Welles, 21 February 1863 (vol. 53); four letters from Mary Lincoln to Mrs. Welles, 11 July 1865 (vol. 59), 14 October 1865, 6 December 1865, 29 December 1865.
--Hoxie Family Papers. One letter to Vinnie Ream from Mary Lincoln; 10 September 1866.
--Read Family Papers. Mary Lincoln’s correspondence with John Meredith Read, jurist.
--Zachariah Chandler Papers. Engraved calling card on which is written "Compliments." Enclosed in small envelope addressed to Mrs. Sen. Chandler, National Hotel, from Mary Lincoln.
--Simon Cameron Papers. Two letters from Mary Lincoln to General Simon Cameron, March 29, 1861 and September 12, 1861.
--Margaret D Williams Papers. Account by Margaret Williams of her journey to Washington with Mrs. Lincoln. Typed D. 8 pp, "A Brief Reminiscence of the First Inauguration of Abraham Lincoln as President."
--John Davis Batchelder Papers. One calling card engraved Mrs. A. Lincoln with message written above, "Major Gen. Butterfield Compliments of."
--Andrew Johnson Papers. Container 47: One letter, Mary Lincoln to Andrew Johnson, Series 1, 29 April 1865 and one letter, Andrew Johnson to Mary Lincoln, Series 3B, 20 June 1866.
--J. Nicolay Papers: Two letters from Mary Lincoln to Abraham Lincoln, 2 November 1862 and 3 November 1862.

 

Library of Congress, Rare Books Division, Washington, D.C.

--The Alfred Whital Stern collection of Lincolniana

, 1837-1912, Washington, D.C., 2 ft.: A few letters written by Abraham Lincoln, including one (1863) to Joseph Hooker, appointing him head of the Army of the Potomac, and correspondence with the actor, James H. Hackett; two letters by Mrs. Lincoln.

Illinois State Historical Library, Springfield, Illinois

--Mary Todd Lincoln Papers, 1848-1882, 192 items: Unpublished guide. Correspondence, telegrams, notes, invitations, and other papers of Mary Lincoln. Also, Reverend Noyes Miner’s "A Vindication of Mrs. Abraham Lincoln."

--David Davis Papers, 1816-1943, about 19,000 items: Unpublished guide. Correspondence of Davis (1815-86), associate justice of the United States Supreme Court from 1862 to 1877 and United States Senator from Illinois from 1877 to 1883, and family. Included are letters from Mary Lincoln, which were written between 1861 and 1878 and nearly all of which discuss the Lincoln estate, Mary Lincoln’s personal finances, and expenditures for the support of Thomas Lincoln.

--Adele Cutts Douglas Papers, 1857-65, 8 items: Unpublished guide. Correspondence of Douglas (1835-99), the wife of United States Senator Stephen A. Douglas of Illinois, includes a letter she wrote in April 1865, to Governor Richard Yates offering her condolences to Mary Lincoln.

--Elizabeth Parker Todd Edwards Papers, 1862-81, 8 items: Unpublished guide. Correspondence of Edwards (1813-88), a Springfield resident and sister of Mary Lincoln. Includes a letter to Mary Lincoln describing the activities of Ninian Edwards and another man on behalf of her pension.

--Elizabeth Todd Grimsley Papers, 1861, 7 items: Unpublished guide. Grimsley (1825-95) was a cousin of Mary Lincoln who accompanied the Lincoln family to Washington, DC, in 1861 and remained for six months to help with White House social functions. Letters Grimsley wrote from Washington to her cousins Mr. and Mrs. John Todd Stuart describing White House events and Grimsley’s manuscript concerning her White House visit.

Chicago Historical Society, Chicago, Illinois

--Isham Family Papers, 1873-1959, 4 document cases: Card catalog. Personal and family correspondence, diaries, photos, and genealogical material of Charles Isham (1853-1919), the son-in-law of Abraham Lincoln’s son Robert Todd Lincoln. Other family correspondence and papers relate to portraits of Abraham and Mary Lincoln.

--Legal Documents Collection, 1676-1917, about 200 items: Card catalog. Includes some supporting biographical and genealogical information, of such famous people as Abraham and Mary Lincoln.

--Wives of U.S. Presidents Collection, 1840-1948, about 143 items: Card catalog. Correspondence and other papers of the wives of American presidents includes items of Mary Lincoln. Papers of Mary Lincoln written in 1921 by her half sister Emily Todd Helm, a copy of her marriage license, and a commitment document for Bellevue Hospital.

--Special Collections, Civil War and American History Collection, 1820-80, no size given: Unpublished guide. Collection contains correspondence, diaries, legal papers, photos, broadsides, pamphlets, books, and artifacts relating to Civil War and American history. Includes photos of Julia Grant and Mary Lincoln.

--William Leroy King Collection of David Davis Papers, 1815-1921, 9 ft. about 15,000 items: In part, photocopies (positive) and microfilm. Correspondence, legal documents, speeches, pamphlets, and newspaper clippings relating to the personal, legal, and political life of David Davis (lawyer, U.S. Senator from Illinois, Supreme Court Justice, and Abraham Lincoln's campaign manager) collected by King for his biography of Davis. Correspondents include Mary Todd Lincoln. Unpublished guide in the library.

Batavia Historical Society, Batavia, Illinois

--Local History Collection. 1840-1975, 2 Hollinger boxes: Contains reminiscences, business records, photos, clippings, and yearbooks pertaining to Batavia. Includes medical records and artifacts related to Mary Todd Lincoln’s confinement in Bellevue Hospital in 1875.

Missouri Historical Society, St. Louis, Missouri

--George Harrington Papers, 1842-1908, about 1000 items: Assistant Secretary of the Treasury. Correspondence, copies of Harrington’s writings, and other papers relating to problems of the United States during the Civil War and after the war, and funeral arrangements for President Lincoln. Includes the original draft of the funeral procession, list of pallbearers, and a note from Mrs. Lincoln.

New Jersey Historical Society, Newark, New Jersey

--Louis Bamberger Autograph collection, ca. 1683-1929, about 250 items: Includes letters of Mary Lincoln. Indexed in MSS. index; typed list in repository.

Princeton University Library, Princeton, New Jersey

--Blair and Lee Papers, 1733-1916, about 300 boxes, 11 cartons, and 5 vols: Checklist: Papers of these families, the male members of which were active in the navy and politics, include boxes of papers, 1839-94, of Elizabeth (Blair) Lee, a close friend of Mary Lincoln. Includes correspondence with her father Francis Preston Blair, relatives, friends, the DAR, and the Washington City Orphan Asylum; notebooks of poetry, memoranda, bills, recipes, and clippings.

Kentucky Historical Society, Frankfort, Kentucky

--Emilie Todd Helm Papers, 1836-1930, 8 cases: Published guide. Helm, a family genealogist, was the half-sister of Mary (Todd) Lincoln. Manuscript of her Todd family genealogy. In 1905 Helm sold her Todd family history to a Chambersburg, PA, publishing house. The history was serialized in the first four issues of The Kittochtinnymagazine. The magazine ceased publication with the fourth issue, and Helm donated her manuscript to the Kentucky Historical Society. Also available on microfilm. See G. Glenn Clift, Guide to the Manuscripts of the Kentucky Historical Society (Frankfort, KY: Kentucky Historical Society, 1955).

The Filson Historical Society, Louisville, Kentucky

--Mary Todd Lincoln Papers

, 1856, 1 item, card catalog: Letter from Springfield Illinois, of Mrs. Lincoln to Emilie Todd Helm in which she comments on the recent presidential election and observes that, "Altho’ Mr. L. is, or was a Fremont man, you must not include him with so many of those, who belong to that party, an Abolitionist. In principles he is far from it-All he desires is, that slavery shall not be extended, let it remain where it is. My weak woman’ heart was too Southern in feeling to sympathize with any but Fillmore." She criticizes immigrants and discusses acquaintances and their activities.

The Huntington Library, San Marino, California

--Lincoln Manuscripts, 1848-82, 78 items: Item cards in manuscript catalog. Correspondence of Mrs. Lincoln is primarily addressed to Alexander Williamson, White House tutor for her sons Willie and Tad. Also included are inventory of the Real and Personal Estate Belonging to Mrs. Mary Lincoln, payments to Drs. Ralph Isham, H.A. Hohnson, C.G. Smith, N.S. Davis, R.J. Patterson, J. Jewell, W. Danforth.

Lincoln Library and Museum, Fort Wayne, Indiana

--Lincoln Family Collection, about 250 items: Unpublished guide. Correspondence, photos, articles, books, and other items center around Mary Lincoln, and her son Robert Todd Lincoln. Also includes correspondence and documents signed by other Lincoln family members. Also included is Insanity File of material relating to Mrs. Lincoln's trial and hospitalization.

American Jewish Historical Society, Waltham, Massachusetts

--Henry Seligman Paper, 1870, 1 item: Letter in which Seligman writes from Frankfort, Germany about the need to rescue Mrs. Abraham Lincoln from poverty after Congress rejected the pension bill for presidential wives.

Albany Institute of History and Art, Albany, New York

--Papers of Presidents and Vice-Presidents of the United States, 1766-1924, 110 items: Letters and photos. Includes all Presidents from Washington to Coolidge and Mary Lincoln.