What would you ask?

[Donna McCreary]

Kim Bauer and I are co-authoring a q&a book about Mary Lincoln titled The Myths, Mysteries, and Mayhem of Mary Lincoln. Other than "Was she insane?" what questions would you ask? The topic can be about any aspect concerning Mary's life.

[Rogerm]

Since Mary did not get along well with her step-mother, did she find another woman who might have served as a mother figure?

[RJNorton]

According to Michael Burlingame, she was quite abusive toward her husband. How much of this is true?

[LincolnMan]

I would ask Mary about her faith in God. How much comfort did it provide her? Was it a great source of strength?

[BettyO]

Mary is such an intriguing personality - a seeming mixture of lady and at times, harpy...and she was definitely a lady!

I've always wondered why she was so jealous of other ladies being closely affiliated with Mr. Lincoln; i.e. such as Mrs. Ord, Mrs. Grant, et. al. Obviously she did not want them to either usurp her standing as First Lady or she was potentially worried about them getting personal with Mr. Lincoln for some reason. Of course, this was something that a lady in the Victorian era definitely did not usually encounter. Fascinating character study, Mrs. Lincoln.

I also wonder what her migraines portended, if anything? In my youth, I suffered from them as well - but I don't think they effected my personality in any manner.

[Rob Wick]

I know some people, whose opinion I, and other Lincoln students, highly respect, who believe that Mary Todd Lincoln was actually buried alongside her husband and not in the wall of the tomb. They point out that the grave was big enough for two caskets. Any ideas how this got started and whether it could be true?

Best
Rob

[HerbS]

Donna,I feel Mary suffered from bouts of Chemical inballance to caused severe depression.Eddie's early death and then Willie! She had to recognize Tad's symptoms and possibly carry some guilt for giving birth to child with"special needs".

[Gene C]

What first attracted her to Mr. Lincoln, and what was the cause(s) of their on and off again courtship?

[Dan Pearson]

What sort of physical ailments and conditions contributed to Mary's mental conditions and behavior? Certainly her use of (and possible physical addiction to) then-over the counter drugs like Laudanum did not help her emotional state. There have been suggestions of her suffering from diabetes and migraines. How did these illnesses factor into her mental state and behaviors?

[Donna McCreary]

Thank you everyone for these wonderful questions! It seems there is a great interest in Mary's health and well-being. I am looking forward to adding these to the manuscript and finding the best response for each.

[RJNorton]

Donna, have you read the research of Drs. Hirschhorn and Feldman regarding Mary and tabes dorsalis? If so, what do you think?

(Those same doctors also published an article on Abraham Lincoln's odd gait which they attributed to possible sensory nerve damage related to mercury poisoning from taking blue mass.)

[Barry Doohan]

I would be interested if Mary had a post-assassination relationship with her half-sister Emelie Todd Helm. While I've read that Mary and Emelie had a close relationship prior to the death of Emelie's husband and subsequent White House stay, I can't recall seeing anything about their relationship afterward. Emelie gave Lincoln a number of headaches once she departed the White House. Despite these problems, did Mary continue to communicate with her?

[L Verge]

Was Emelie the one who was so close to Robert Lincoln?

[Donna McCreary]

I would be interested if Mary had a post-assassination relationship with her half-sister Emelie Todd Helm. While I've read that Mary and Emelie had a close relationship prior to the death of Emelie's husband and subsequent White House stay, I can't recall seeing anything about their relationship afterward. Emelie gave Lincoln a number of headaches once she departed the White House. Despite these problems, did Mary continue to communicate with her?

In the fall of 1864, Emilie wish permission from President Lincoln to sell her cotton. The request was denied. Emilie then wrote a seething letter to Lincoln saying that she had “used up all her money to go on her long, tedious, unproductive, and sorrowful visit” to the White House. She continued by blaming Lincoln for the deaths of her husband, her brothers in the Confederacy, and the death of her brother Levi. According to Emilie Levi died ‘from utter want and destitution – another sad victim of more favored relatives.” Then she penned the words that Mary Lincoln could never forgive, “I also remind you that our minie balls have made us what we are.”
The cut was too deep, and the two sisters never spoke again.

---

Was Emelie the one who was so close to Robert Lincoln?

Yes, she was. Another way to look at it is that Emilie was the one who pestered Robert for money and political favors for the family. Of course, Robert granted the requests. After all, they were family and they did have a fondness for one another. Emilie and her children were listed in Mary Harlan Lincoln's will. The Lincoln estate continued to financially support the Helms far into the 20th century.

[Donna McCreary]

Donna, have you read the research of Drs. Hirschhorn and Feldman regarding Mary and tabes dorsalis? If so, what do you think?

(Those same doctors also published an article on Abraham Lincoln's odd gait which they attributed to possible sensory nerve damage related to mercury poisoning from taking blue mass.)

I read this article many years ago, and can not find my copy of it to refresh my memory as to their conclusions. However, if you are wondering if think Mary suffered from tabes dorsalis -- my answer is probably not.
While some of the conditions of this illness are symptoms which Mary suffered, they are also symptoms of other illnesses as well. Without a body, without an autopsy, we will never know exactly which diseases Mary contracted.

Someone else wish to answer this one?