The Truth about Abraham and Mary's Marriage

[RJNorton]

(12-23-2012 10:55 PM)Donna McCreary Wrote:  Lincoln told a story about himself and John Todd Stuart, and the punch line was "Who ever marries a Todd gets the worst of it."

Donna, for some reason, the following story came into my head when I read your post. I think the versions of the story may differ somewhat from book to book, but here's the one I have:

One evening Abraham Lincoln mentioned the fact that David Tod, the governor of Ohio, had occasion to visit Washington in 1863 on government business. During an interview with President Lincoln, the president remarked, "You are perhaps aware, Governor, that my wife is a member of the Todd family of Kentucky, and they all spell their name with two d's. How is it that you use but one?"

David Tod replied, "Mr. President, God spells his name with one d, and one is enough for the Governor of Ohio."

[LincolnMan]

Great story! I wonder if he was related to the Todd line of Mary Todd.

[Donna McCreary]

(12-24-2012 08:27 AM)LincolnMan Wrote:  Great story! I wonder if he was related to the Todd line of Mary Todd.

I can answer that question -- Governor David Tod was not related to Mary Lincoln's branch of the family tree.

Roger, it is a great story, and sadly, many people misquote the story and give the punch line to Lincoln instead of the governor.

[LincolnMan]

Thank you Donna. Oh my goodness, that quote is almost always attributed to Lincoln.

[Donna McCreary]

(12-26-2012 09:44 PM)LincolnMan Wrote:  Thank you Donna. Oh my goodness, that quote is almost always attributed to Lincoln.

Since Lincoln loved a good joke, I can imagine he repeated the story. It is easy to think of him having breakfast with John Todd Stuart, Elizabeth Grimsley, the Edwards clan, or any of the other visiting Todd family members and saying between bites, "Oh - I've got to tell you what Governor Tod said to me the other day . . . " However, I have never read an account where he repeated the story.

Ah, the poor Todds. Historians have cast a negative shadow on them as much as they have Mary. We forget that the Todds were one of the founding families in this country. They were leaders in medicine, religion, politics, and many of them were leaders in expanding the nation through military achievement and developing new settlements.