It was said to be a beautiful winter’s day on December 13, 1818 in the town of Lexington, Kentucky. Of course it was, for this was the day Mary Ann Todd was born. The Todd’s lived a quite luxurious life. They lived in a large mansion with servants, parlors, a large dining area, a coach house, a garden in the back yard and not to mention separate rooms for all the children, which Mary was the fourth of seven. Early in her life many people could detect some personality traits, that she was a lively, free spirited, and rather impetuous little girl. Mary’s father, Robert Todd, was a wealthy aristocrat. Robert was a slave owner, however still against the idea of slavery. The Todd family were all very proud people. They said that although God had one “d” in his name, that the Todd’s should have two.

When Mary was six years old, people knew s

Mary, like many other people during the Civil War, was desperate to communicate with her dead sons. Therefore she turned to a spiritualist for comfort. They had séances, on a regular basis in which Mr. Lincoln attended more than one.

Months later, Mary confessed to her dear friend Elizabeth Keckly that she was once again thousands of dollars in debt. This obsession was a cover-up for all the other problems bothering her in her life. She hoped that Abraham would become re-elected so that the money would be paid, for if he wasn’t, he would find out what she had done once again.

According to biographer Linda Levitt Turner, as soon as Mary walked into the White House she exclaimed, “I had never seen such abominable furniture in my life and if I had lived in a humblest cabin I would never had given it house rub, it was so awful!” Mary began to feel that the White House should be a symbol of the Union’s power, and not falling apart like the Union. She was determined to make the White House a palace with the $20,000 Congress gave her to refurbish it. Reporters began following Mary on her shopping expeditions and asking store clerks that she had previously visited what she had bought. The press wanted to know what the first lady was eventually going to do with the White House. Mary spent $1,100 on a dish setting. Newspapers said that Mrs. Lincoln had “tasteless extravagance”. When Mrs. Lincoln finished decorating the White House, she over spent the $20,000 given to her by congress by almost half. On the night of February 5, 1862, in the east room, Mary organized a glittering reception. This party would make her the queen of Washington’s society. “This party was said to be her crown and glory” said Doris Goodwin, historian. It showed off the newly decorated White House.

In 1847, after Lincoln was elected to Congress, the Lincoln family moved to Washington with their two sons, Eddie and Robert. Living in a single large room in a crowded boarding house. Mary was disappointed with her new life in Washington, DC. However, she consoled herself by shopping, and at times spending too much money rather recklessly, but managed to keep this from her husband.

In 1856, Abraham earned enough money to add a second story to their house. Mary began to become more relaxed. She was now the wife of a successful lawyer and a rising politician. She enjoyed receiving attention in response to Lincoln’s up-rise in his career. Mary was a wonderful hostess and conversationalist. When Mary and Abraham would sit together at the dinner table Abraham would always ask her opinion with things because she was his wife, and she could be straight with him.

When Abraham and Mary started dating, they knew they were perfect for one another. Abraham went through his mother’s death when he was young as well, so they were both able to share the feeling of the loss of a loved one at an early age. Some thought that Abraham was courting her for financial advancement. Both Mary and Abraham had the knowledge of politics in common.

When Mary was twenty years old, she was only five feet tall, and excited to move out of the house and away from her horrid step-mother. She moved to Springfield, Illinois, and into the same house as her sister who had married the son of the former governor or Illinois. Mary was very charming, flirtatious, amusing and funny, and knew politics very well. She intimidated young men because of her intelligence of this topic. Mary wasn’t a girl that was pretty or attractive. She was a girl of vivacity and conversation, but she was subject to spells of mental depression possibly because of the loss of her mother and beloved grandmother. At age twenty-one, Mary was the most popular young woman in Springfield. She was courted by eager politicians and bright young lawyers. However, she wanted more.

Some topics in this essay:
Mary Willie, White House, Mary Abraham, Abraham Lincoln, Willie Lincoln, Illinois Mary, Levitt Turner, Abraham Mary, Edward Lincoln, Elizabeth Keckly, white house, abraham lincoln, mary abraham, house mary, life mary, washington dc, civil war, died mary, elizabeth keckly, mary wasn’t, linda levitt turner, union troops mary, friend elizabeth keckly,