"My Hand will Never be Given where my Heart is Not."

Mary Ann Todd was born on December 13, 1818, to a large and wealthy family in Lexington, Kentucky. After her mother died when Mary was six, her grandmother helped raise her and ensured that she received several years of schooling, which she completed at about age 20. Charming and popular, she enjoyed politics and literature and spoke and read French fluently. Abraham Lincoln was quickly attracted to her intelligence and elegance. In 1839, Mary moved to Springfield to live with her oldest sister, Elizabeth Edwards, and she and Abraham Lincoln may have met at one of the many parties held at the Edwards home. They were married there on November 4, 1842. The couple bought their home in 1844 and held many gatherings there that increased Lincoln's reputation in politics. With Lincoln often away on business, Mary managed the home and family. Their family included four sons: Robert, born August 1, 1843; Edward, born March 10, 1846, and died February 1, 1850; William, born December 21, 1850; and Thomas, born April 4, 1853. When Lincoln became the Republican presidential nominee, Mary and her home became the center of national attention, and one Republican official said he would be proud as an American citizen when the day brought her to grace the White House. In her later years, Mary faced health issues and eventually returned to the Edwards home, where she died on July 16, 1882.

Springfield, Illinois · United States