Mary Todd was born December 13, 1818 (202 years ago today) in Lexington, Kentucky, the fourth of seven children. Her father was a wealthy banker, who owned slaves who worked in their fourteen room house.
At school, Mary studied French, literature, dance, drama and music. After graduating in 1839, she moved to Springfield, Illinois to live with her married sister, Elizabeth Edwards.
That same year, Mary met a tall, prominent, but poor lawyer named Abraham Lincoln. After an on again, off again, on again relationship, they married November 4, 1842 at her sister's home. The marriage lasted more than twenty-two years and produced four sons.
My mother, Margaret (Karch) Lasky, also produced four sons: Joel, Paul, Ted and me.
Mary's eldest, Robert Todd Lincoln, born in 1843, was a lawyer, businessman, US Secretary of War in President James Garfield's Administration and an Ambassador to the Court of St. James, appointed by President Benjamin Harrison. He died in his sleep in 1926 just shy of his 83rd birthday.
Mary's second son, Edward Baker Lincoln, was born in 1846, but died four years later of tuberculosis.
The third was William Wallace Lincoln. He was born in 1850 and died 1862 of typhoid fever while living at the White House while his father was president.
Mary's youngest child was Thomas (Tad) Lincoln who was born in 1853. He died at 18 years of age from an undetermined cause.
After Mary was widowed in 1865, she returned to live with her family in Illinois. In 1875, Robert Todd Lincoln had his mother institutionalized because of her erratic behavior. Mary was later released into the custody of her sister.
Mary then moved to Pau, France for four years. Afterwards, she moved back to her sister's home in Springfield, Illinois where she died of a stroke in 1882 at the age of 63.
Wow, three of the four boys died so young by today's standards. And do we assume Mary had dementia in her 50's?
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