Mary Lincoln Extra Credit Questions

[L Verge]

Wild guess, but Rose Greenhow was friends with Mr. Lincoln. Did the friendship extend to Mary? Was Rose the inspiration for Belle Boyd? Or, would you include Rose's "courier," Laura (Bettie) Duvall, as a full fledged spy?

[Houmes]

Wild guess, but Rose Greenhow was friends with Mr. Lincoln. Did the friendship extend to Mary? Was Rose the inspiration for Belle Boyd? Or, would you include Rose's "courier," Laura (Bettie) Duvall, as a full fledged spy?

Bettie Duvall it is. She's found in only two references: Web Garrison's Amazing Women of the Civil War and John Bakeless in Spies of the Confederacy. Her house was searched many times by the Pinkerton Detective agency during the Civil War, but no evidence was ever found. Little info is known about her after the Civil War; she married John Converse Webb in 1866. Moved to Minnesota, Catholic baptism after moving to Baltimore, buried in Oak Hill Cemetery, Washington, D.C.

Hoe cakes for everyone.

[L Verge]

Wild guess, but Rose Greenhow was friends with Mr. Lincoln. Did the friendship extend to Mary? Was Rose the inspiration for Belle Boyd? Or, would you include Rose's "courier," Laura (Bettie) Duvall, as a full fledged spy?

Bettie Duvall it is. She's found in only two references: Web Garrison's Amazing Women of the Civil War and John Bakeless in Spies of the Confederacy. Her house was searched many times by the Pinkerton Detective agency during the Civil War, but no evidence was ever found. Little info is known about her after the Civil War; she married John Converse Webb in 1866. Moved to Minnesota, Catholic baptism after moving to Baltimore, buried in Oak Hill Cemetery, Washington, D.C.

Hoe cakes for everyone.

Blaine - Do you know if she was a native Marylander - especially of Prince George's County? I have often wondered this, but am too lazy to research it.

The name Duvall was/is very prevalent in the history of our county and also Anne Arundel County. Gabriel Duvall was an Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, and his home is one of our "sister" homes open to the public.

[Houmes]

Wild guess, but Rose Greenhow was friends with Mr. Lincoln. Did the friendship extend to Mary? Was Rose the inspiration for Belle Boyd? Or, would you include Rose's "courier," Laura (Bettie) Duvall, as a full fledged spy?

Bettie Duvall it is. She's found in only two references: Web Garrison's Amazing Women of the Civil War and John Bakeless in Spies of the Confederacy. Her house was searched many times by the Pinkerton Detective agency during the Civil War, but no evidence was ever found. Little info is known about her after the Civil War; she married John Converse Webb in 1866. Moved to Minnesota, Catholic baptism after moving to Baltimore, buried in Oak Hill Cemetery, Washington, D.C.

Hoe cakes for everyone.

Blaine - Do you know if she was a native Marylander - especially of Prince George's County? I have often wondered this, but am too lazy to research it.

The name Duvall was/is very prevalent in the history of our county and also Anne Arundel County. Gabriel Duvall was an Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, and his home is one of our "sister" homes open to the public.

Maryland through and through. County unknown.

Hmmmmmmmmm, hoe cakes.

[Darrell]

Wild guess, but Rose Greenhow was friends with Mr. Lincoln. Did the friendship extend to Mary? Was Rose the inspiration for Belle Boyd? Or, would you include Rose's "courier," Laura (Bettie) Duvall, as a full fledged spy?

Bettie Duvall it is. She's found in only two references: Web Garrison's Amazing Women of the Civil War and John Bakeless in Spies of the Confederacy. Her house was searched many times by the Pinkerton Detective agency during the Civil War, but no evidence was ever found. Little info is known about her after the Civil War; she married John Converse Webb in 1866. Moved to Minnesota, Catholic baptism after moving to Baltimore, buried in Oak Hill Cemetery, Washington, D.C.

Hoe cakes for everyone.

Blaine - Do you know if she was a native Marylander - especially of Prince George's County? I have often wondered this, but am too lazy to research it.

The name Duvall was/is very prevalent in the history of our county and also Anne Arundel County. Gabriel Duvall was an Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, and his home is one of our "sister" homes open to the public.

Maryland through and through. County unknown.

Hmmmmmmmmm, hoe cakes.

Apparently, actor Robert Duvall - also born in Maryland - is related to Bettie Duvall (common ancestor settler Mareen Duvall). Moreover, on his maternal side, he is a relative of Robert E. Lee. Quite a lineage.

Duvall is one of my favorite actors. I think he's deserving of a statue. However, in view of his ancestors and profession (i.e., the same as Booth's), it would likely be quickly toppled.

[Susan Higginbotham]

I'm curious as to the friendship between Duvall and Mary Lincoln. Googling and the bios I have on hand aren't turning up anything. Can someone enlighten me, please?

[Donna McCreary]

The only connection I can find between the two women is a piece of historical fiction titled, STARS AND STRIPES FOREVER: A NOVEL OF ALTERNATE HISTORY written by Harry Harrison.

If there is another source, I agree with Susan, please enlighten us.

[L Verge]

I didn't think that Blaine's question involved Bettie being a friend of Mrs. Lincoln. I think he meant that Rose Greenhow and Mrs. Lincoln were friends (or at least acquaintances) and that Bettie was a protégé of Rose and went on to higher spy callings.

As I said earlier, I am too lazy to track which limb of the Duvall tree Bettie came from. However, the majority of the Duvalls of Maryland were part of the Southern Maryland planters group that detested the actions of the Lincoln administration. Many long years ago, I tried getting more information on a Baltimore Slave Convention (ca. late-1850s), and some of the leaders of this were Duvalls.

I only found brief newspaper references to the Convention, however, and finally gave up. I can assure you that the folks involved were trying very hard to control the slavery issue in the state, even to the point of supporting the American Colonization Society's efforts to send the enslaved back to Africa and also to send freed people out of Maryland so that they could not knowingly or unknowingly aid in slave escapes.

I would love for someone on this forum to take up the challenge of getting more details on this Baltimore Slave Convention and compose an article on it for our Surratt Courier newsletter. If you find more about Laura (Bettie) Duvall to throw into the mix, that would be great also.

[L Verge]

Just a footnote to another post that linked Betty Duvall and Robert Duvall to the same lineage started by Mareen Duvall, a French Hugenot who received grants of land in the Maryland colony from the Lords Baltimore: Other Duvall descendants include Gabriel Duvall, Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court; Presidents Harry Truman and Barack Obama; Vice President Dick Cheney; Wallis Simpson, Duchess of Windsor; Gen. Bradley T. Johnson, CSA; and billionaire Warren Buffett. Wouldn't you love to attend a Duvall family reunion that could bring all of these together in one room?

[Houmes]

I didn't think that Blaine's question involved Bettie being a friend of Mrs. Lincoln. I think he meant that Rose Greenhow and Mrs. Lincoln were friends (or at least acquaintances) and that Bettie was a protégé of Rose and went on to higher spy callings.

Unfortunately, the few authors who have been exposing a Bettie Duvall friendship with Mary Todd Lincoln did not supply any references.

[RJNorton]

During her time as First Lady Mary tried to raise money by selling wagonloads of something. What was in the wagonloads?

[L Verge]

During her time as First Lady Mary tried to raise money by selling wagonloads of something. What was in the wagonloads?

Perhaps manure from the White House stables?

[RJNorton]

Excellent, Laurie. Manure it is.

In her biography of Mary Lincoln, author Jean Baker writes (regarding unpaid bills), "Meanwhile Mary Lincoln was looking for her own ways to pay off the overexpenditure and to prevent her husband from using any of his salary. First, she initiated a sale of secondhand White House furniture, though the broken rosewood and walnut antiques brought little cash. Typically she had overestimated the value of used presidential goods. Then she ordered the gardener to sell manure from the stables at ten cents a wagonload, though this inflated price led to more jokes than sales."

[RJNorton]

Both Mary and Abraham spent a good deal of time visiting hospitals during the war. In 1862 Mary had $200 worth of lemons and $100 worth of oranges sent to the hospitals.

Later she ordered that $1000 worth of something be sent to the hospitals. What was it?

[L Verge]

Both Mary and Abraham spent a good deal of time visiting hospitals during the war. In 1862 Mary had $200 worth of lemons and $100 worth of oranges sent to the hospitals.

Later she ordered that $1000 worth of something be sent to the hospitals. What was it?

I'm confused. Some years ago, I wrote a small article for something about how generous Mary Lincoln could be, especially with wounded soldiers. I thought that she received a $1000 donation from a man in Boston to use for soldiers' relief and ordered the $200 worth of lemons and $100 worth of oranges from that donation.

She also arranged for baskets of goodies and flowers to be sent to hospitals. Was there an additional $1000 of something that she ordered?