Case-A

The Lincoln Grandchildren

These objects provide a glimpse into the lives of Abraham and Mary Lincoln’s three grandchildren: Mary “Mamie” Lincoln, Abraham “Jack” Lincoln II, and Jessie Lincoln. None of them ever met their famous grandfather but his legacy both uplifted and cast a shadow over their lives.

The note was written by their mother Mary Harlan Lincoln, who frequently took the kids to her parents’ home in Mount Pleasant, Iowa.

It lists their heights as she recorded them on a wallboard there. The books belonged to Jack, who was the most interested in his family’s legacy. He inscribed each volume personally and appears to be crafting his signature to match his grandfather’s. Sadly, like three of his uncles, Jack passed away before adulthood. He now rests at his father Robert Todd Lincoln’s plot in Arlington National Cemetery.

Note and books gift of Robert Todd Lincoln Beckwith

Note Transcription:

MS-1883.09.07

Measures of Children, 1883

Measures of the height of Mamie, Jack and Jessie in 1883—marked in pencil on the closet door of my bed room, in the old house in Mt. Pleasant–

Mamie Lincoln, Sept. 4^th  5 ft. 4 inches–

Jack Lincoln, Sept. 4^th 4 ft. 5 inches–

Jessie Lincoln, Sept. 7^th 3 ft. 10 inches–

Mt. Pleasant

Measures of Children