Mary Todd Lincoln Mary Todd Lincoln... Sacrificed

I'm not sure what to say in reply- there's a lot here and in the previous post.

Mary Todd Lincoln was not ' mad ', she was and remains one of the most tragic figures in history. She was, however, vilified, slandered, victimized, bullied and attacked. Assertions on her and a supposedly fractured marriage are just not based in fact. Between marrying the enemy-est enemy of them all, for which her Southern family ( and the elite Southern society in which she grew up ) never forgave her, she was attacked by those too chicken to attack her husband and managed to pick up what amounted to a stalker, an ex-law partner of Lincoln's ( Herndon, although hate to give him a name ) on the way.

Because something is written down and worse, published does not make it true- Herndon's ridiculous book is sourced into 2018. Earlier books sourced back to Herndon get sourced, and it continues. But no one looks into Herndon's motives and sources. Guy made a fortune on writing shock-horror dreck about her and more touring the country. He filled lecture halls, selling tickets, as some ' expert ' on Mary Todd Lincoln. We do love hearing awful things about someone, the more famous, the better.

There are quite a few threads on Mary, so will not engage in an argument about her. The thing is, when incorrect information on her comes up, it has to be addressed or she is still fodder.

Everything you say is correct. As I think about her life, it seems to me that her mental illness did not manifest itself until some time after Lincoln's assassination. I give no credence to Herndon's vicious reports. I think he was jealous of the time Lincoln spent away from the law office. (I'm not implying anything sexual by that.) If I implied that "madness" is an explanation for what happened during her life with Lincoln, I apologize. I did not intend to do that. She was terribly maligned and misrepresented during her lifetime and has been ever since then. I firmly believe Lincoln could not have accomplished what he did without her help and that, whatever issues they had, they were truly in love with one another.
 
That proves it! Why a woman from a Confederate family married Lincoln...she must've been mentally ill! :giggle:

?? Mary Todd wasn't from a Confederate family. Only within a mere 4 years of her adult life did the Confederacy even exist.

oops, I see that was meant be funny, not to disrespect thousands of heritage Southern women of alternate allegiance.
 
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History has vilified Mary Todd Lincoln or cast her in a bad light, Why? I search and found her Champion a writer named Irving Stone a writer of historical fiction and Biographer. Many of his books were made into movies in the 1950's like Van Gough starring Kirk Douglas and Michaelangelo starring Charlton Heston were based on books by Irving Stone. He wrote a historical fiction novel about Mary Todd and Abraham Lincoln's marriage and implies the romance of the ages...

I know, picky, picky - but the actual names of those tomes are Lust For Life (Van Gogh) and The Agony and the Ecstasy (Michelangelo).
 
[QUOTE="byron ed, post: 1898345, member: 20002"]He was afflicted with Confederacy, incurable at the time, and resistant to treatment even today.[/QUOTE]

Hmm, a possibility. :wink:
 
Then again what makes Mary Todd's family unique in that regard? Mental illness is wonderfully egalitarian regarding race, class, gender, and wealth.
Leftyhunter
 
Everything you say is correct. As I think about her life, it seems to me that her mental illness did not manifest itself until some time after Lincoln's assassination. I give no credence to Herndon's vicious reports. I think he was jealous of the time Lincoln spent away from the law office. (I'm not implying anything sexual by that.) If I implied that "madness" is an explanation for what happened during her life with Lincoln, I apologize. I did not intend to do that. She was terribly maligned and misrepresented during her lifetime and has been ever since then. I firmly believe Lincoln could not have accomplished what he did without her help and that, whatever issues they had, they were truly in love with one another.


Yes, Herndon figures in history as the man Lincoln forgot to punch in the head. He never liked Mary from Day 1, taking pot shots at her while still in Illinois. One era magazine ( and several books ) refuted his allegations using well, facts but for some reason I'll never understand his libelous take on her made the 150 year trek into 2018- not the rest. Her sisters were not helpful either. Two who Mary supported and trusted wrote snark later- baffling. You'd have to defy anyone to endure the pain, loss, vilifications and betrayals Mary Lincoln did without becoming at the least clinically depressed.

We've done this to other wives of famous men, as if these figures in time are all ours and a wife is intrusive to their legacy. Mary Randolph Custis Lee and Varina Davis both get it in the neck, the former portrayed as a dried up old millstone to her husband and Varina, a cold witch.
 
Yes, Herndon figures in history as the man Lincoln forgot to punch in the head. He never liked Mary from Day 1, taking pot shots at her while still in Illinois. One era magazine ( and several books ) refuted his allegations using well, facts but for some reason I'll never understand his libelous take on her made the 150 year trek into 2018- not the rest. Her sisters were not helpful either. Two who Mary supported and trusted wrote snark later- baffling. You'd have to defy anyone to endure the pain, loss, vilifications and betrayals Mary Lincoln did without becoming at the least clinically depressed.

We've done this to other wives of famous men, as if these figures in time are all ours and a wife is intrusive to their legacy. Mary Randolph Custis Lee and Varina Davis both get it in the neck, the former portrayed as a dried up old millstone to her husband and Varina, a cold witch.

Very true. And as I have said before, cannot imagine going from First Lady to. “Out the door, dear” with nary a pension in sight, because you know, women were as much property as slaves. Consider this, if she’d been younger, her oldest Brother, or next male relative could compel her to re-marry. Or, simply take control of whatever dowry was left, leaving her with whatever they felt necessary to live. No wonder wonder women rebelled!
 
Her Maid...


A Lauded Hostess
011518-20-Mary-Todd-Lincoln-155x300.jpg


Mariah Vance (1819-1904) is believed to have been a maid and housekeeper for Mary and Abraham Lincoln in Springfield from 1850 to 1860. / Public Domain

Mary went on to hire several helpers but usually had a difficult time getting along with them. She was fortunate in employing one faithful helper who described Mary as “taking no sassy talk but if you are good to her, she is good to you and a friend to you.” She also employed a kind black woman she grew fond of named Mariah Vance. Mariah, who understood Mary and looked on her with compassion, stayed with her for years. For Mary, Mariah may have reminded her of her beloved Mammy Sally from her childhood. Mary took special care in the cleaning and did the cooking herself; however, her husband was quite the finicky eater. An apple was usually enough to fill him. Not only was he not much of an eater, but quite often he would forget to come home for dinner to which Mary would send the children to fetch him. Her domestic skills were not lacking and she entertained frequently in their small home.

Isaac Arnold, a frequent guest of the Lincolns expressed, “Mrs. Lincoln often entertained small numbers of friends at dinner and somewhat larger numbers at evening parties. Her table was famed for the excellence of its rare Kentucky dishes and in season was loaded with venison, wild turkeys, prairie chickens and quail and other game.” Even though he praised the young Mrs. Lincoln, he would later become very critical of her during the White House years. By the mid-1850s, Lincoln’s law practice became profitable and Mary found her small dinner parties turning into large receptions. Although the Lincolns were growing in popularity, Mary didn’t conform to the role that was expected of her (and all women during that time). Instead, she spoke her mind freely, expressed her opinions without caution, and could hold her own when the talk turned to politics. There seemed to be little gray area when it came to Mary: most either liked her or disliked her, there were very few who had no opinion. In 1856, after Lincoln was defeated in the senate, Mary sold off the 80 acres given to her by her father for $1,300. The money funded the building of a second floor to their quaint home. Thus four new bedrooms and a back stairway, as well as a double parlor on the first floor, were added. The extra room provided her with areas of the house where she could have quiet, which she relished when she was suffering from a migraine. Although she provided a good home for her children and husband, she sometimes suffered from bouts of melancholy just as her husband did. She wrote to a friend in 1859 during a time when her husband was home, “I hope you may never feel as lonely as I sometimes do…”

Link is about Mary Todd... http://brewminate.com/the-life-of-mary-todd-lincoln/
 
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