Mary Lincoln Extra Credit Questions

[L Verge]

(08-29-2016 03:41 PM)Gene C Wrote:  

(08-29-2016 03:08 PM)L Verge Wrote:  

(08-29-2016 01:31 PM)Eva Elisabeth Wrote:  Thanks, Roger - I like my song!

I like them all because I remember them all!

That's quite an accomplishment Laurie, since one of the songs (Lavender Blue) is form the 17th century

There have been other derivations of the same song and words. Sometime in the 1950-60 era, there was a diddy called Lavender Blue, Dilly, Dilly, Lavender Green. If I were king, dilly dilly, you'd be my queen.

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(08-29-2016 04:00 PM)L Verge Wrote:  

(08-29-2016 03:41 PM)Gene C Wrote:  

(08-29-2016 03:08 PM)L Verge Wrote:  

(08-29-2016 01:31 PM)Eva Elisabeth Wrote:  Thanks, Roger - I like my song!

I like them all because I remember them all!

That's quite an accomplishment Laurie, since one of the songs (Lavender Blue) is form the 17th century

There have been other derivations of the same song and words. Sometime in the 1950-60 era, there was a diddy called Lavender Blue, Dilly, Dilly, Lavender Green. If I were king, dilly dilly, you'd be my queen.

Found all the lyrics to the one I used to sing:

Lavender's blue, dilly, dilly, lavender's green
When I am king, dilly, dilly, You shall be queen
Who told you so, dilly, dilly, who told you so?
'Twas my own heart, dilly, dilly, that told me so
Call up your men, dilly, dilly, set them to work
Some to the plough, dilly, dilly, some to the fork
Some to make hay, dilly, dilly, some to cut corn
While you and I, dilly, dilly, keep ourselves warm
Lavender's green, dilly, dilly, Lavender's blue
if you love me, dilly, dilly, I will love you.
Let the birds sing, dilly, dilly, And the lambs play
We shall be safe, dilly, dilly, out of harm's way
I love to dance, dilly, dilly, I love to sing
When I am queen, dilly, dilly, You'll be my king
Who told me so, dilly, dilly, Who told me so?
I told myself, dilly, dilly, I told me so

Now, if I could just transmit the tune through the cables, I'd have you humming for the next three days!

[Donna McCreary]

Not to contradict Mrs. Keckly, but I thought Emilie Todd Helm said Mary's favorite color was blue. Did I remember incorrectly? Of course, I am still feeling the effects of pain medication . . . my memory is often fuzzy.

[RJNorton]

Donna, I would like to research that, but I don't know where to look. Any ideas where you might have seen it?

[Donna McCreary]

(09-02-2016 04:15 AM)RJNorton Wrote:  Donna, I would like to research that, but I don't know where to look. Any ideas where you might have seen it?

Two choices come to mind. The first being Katherine Helm's book. The second being the magazine article that Emilie wrote in the 1890's.

[Gene C]

I did a quick word search of the Helm's book. Nothing popped up about her favorite color being blue, but several references to blue eyes.

[Donna McCreary]

(09-03-2016 12:14 PM)Gene C Wrote:  I did a quick word search of the Helm's book. Nothing popped up about her favorite color being blue, but several references to blue eyes.

Thanks Gene. It could have been something that was told to me. A lady I knew who had been very close to Emilie often told me stories that never made it into the history books.

[L Verge]

It is also possible that Mary's taste in colors changed over the years - just as fashions changed.

[Lincoln Wonk]

Laurie, That makes sense. I read that she loved purple at one point.

[Eva Elisabeth]

At least she once demanded Julia Taft's mother's purple ribbon for her bonnet.

[L Verge]

(09-07-2016 11:18 AM)Lincoln Wonk Wrote:  Laurie, That makes sense. I read that she loved purple at one point.

I believe that one of the sources I used in writing the Lincoln's White House article for the Surratt Courier mentions her purple preference when buying new things for the Executive Mansion, including the china.

[Lincoln Wonk]

(09-07-2016 12:03 PM)Eva Elisabeth Wrote:  At least she once demanded Julia Taft's mother's purple ribbon for her bonnet.

Eva, You're right. I forgot about that. Kathy

[Eva Elisabeth]

(09-07-2016 12:44 PM)L Verge Wrote:  

(09-07-2016 11:18 AM)Lincoln Wonk Wrote:  Laurie, That makes sense. I read that she loved purple at one point.

I believe that one of the sources I used in writing the Lincoln's White House article for the Surratt Courier mentions her purple preference when buying new things for the Executive Mansion, including the china.

I would think she would have done whether she liked the color or not because it has always been the color of kings, nobles, priests and the like.

[RJNorton]

In Springfield Mary Lincoln said she once invited 500 people to a party at the Lincolns' home. The party was held in early February.

How many of the 500 did she say showed up?

[Lincoln Wonk]

(02-02-2017 08:27 AM)RJNorton Wrote:  In Springfield Mary Lincoln said she once invited 500 people to a party at the Lincolns' home. The party was held in early February.

How many of the 500 did she say showed up?

I'm pretty sure it was 300, which is still a crowd for that house on a rainy, cold night.

[RJNorton]

Kudos, Kathy! You win!

Mary wrote her sister, Emilie, on February 16, 1857:

"Within the last three weeks, there has been a party, almost every night and some two or three grand fetes, are coming off this week -- I may perhaps surprise you, when I mention that I am recovering from the slight fatigue of a very large and I really believe a very handsome and agreeable entertainment, at least our friends flatter us by saying so -- About 500 were invited yet owing to an unlucky rain, 300 only favored us by their presence ...."

In the Turners' book that contains Mary's letters there is a footnote for this. It says, "How Mrs. Lincoln managed to sqeeze three hundred people (much less the expected five hundred) into the downstairs rooms of a modest house in mid-winter, and with women wearing crinolines and hoops, is - to use Lincoln's words on another occasion - 'a matter of profound wonder'."