Mary and horses

[Eva Elisabeth]

Have you seen Roger's wonderful website on that topic?
http://rogerjnorton.com/Lincoln100.html

[STS Lincolnite]

(04-01-2014 12:48 AM)Eva Elisabeth Wrote:  Have you seen Roger's wonderful website on that topic?
http://rogerjnorton.com/Lincoln100.html

I have! I checked it out again today. It is a great piece. I'm pretty sure this is the piece on the subject that I remember reading. I remember the picture of the stables for sure (it is pretty rarely seen). I think my recollections of who owned the animals may not have been super accurate though.

Still haven't come across anything on Mary's reaction though.

[LincolnToddFan]

Daniel Epstein in his "The Lincolns:Biography Of A Marriage" writes that along with thunderstorms Mary was terrified of dogs. But to her credit she apparently let her children keep as many pets as they liked. I think most of them(apparently except Fido) were kept in the barn behind the Jackson St. house in Springfield. During the WH years the animals had the run of the mansion. Secretary Seward gave kittens to Willie and Tad, and cat lover Lincoln cuddled them and even let them crawl over him during cabinet meetings.

There is a very funny story about one of the cats, named Tabby, wandering into the family Dining Room of the White House and jumping onto a chair next to the president. Lincoln began to feed the animal at the table from a gold fork. When Mary chided him for it he replied that "if it was good enough for (James) Buchanan it's good enough for Tabby!"

The story about the ponies burning to death in the WH stable is unbearable to read. I think Willie's pony was named Little Jeff. So sad.