Donors to the 2025 Lincoln Dinner Sponsorship Fund made possible the acquisition of notes written by President Abraham Lincoln and First Lady Mary Lincoln about their young son Tad. Written in May of 1864, in the midst of General Ulysses S. Grant’s Overland Campaign, the notes reveal the personal family life the Lincolns led in the White House.
Despite his time-consuming responsibilities as President and Commander-in-Chief, Abraham Lincoln was very much a family man. He and his wife Mary, whom he usually referred to as “Mother” had four sons, Robert, Edward, William, and Thomas. Because of his oversized head which resembled a tadpole, the youngest son earned the nickname Tad. Edward passed away at age 3, probably from tuberculosis, in 1850. When the Lincolns moved into the White House in March of 1861, eldest son Robert was completing his first year of college at Harvard University, leaving ten-year-old William, known as Willie, and eight-year-old Tad free range of the Executive Mansion, becoming notorious for a series of pranks and escapades.
Abraham and Mary were indulgent parents and “Father” in particular loved to play with the boys. When both Willie and Tad fell ill in the winter of 1862, both parents were greatly concerned. Tad recovered, but Willie lost his battle to typhoid fever on February 20, 1862. The younger brother was described as being “subdued with loss” and his parents were grief stricken. Having lost a second child, Mary became so distraught that her husband feared for her health.
After Willie’s death, Abraham became even more indulgent with his young son. Tad was allowed to ignore his tutors and his father convinced Secretary of War Edwin Stanton to give the boy an honorary military commission and a specially tailored blue uniform to go along with it. Tad took his “commission” seriously and would put White House employees through military drills.
The May, 1864 notes demonstrate the desire of both parents to see to Tad’s happiness. On Executive Mansion stationary, Abraham penned a brief note to Mary: “Mother- please put something now in Tad’s room” and signed it with his initials “AL.” Mary responded with a note which found its way to Secretary of the Interior, John Palmer Usher, and Commissioner of Public Buildings Benjamin Brown French, the men responsible for infrastructure at the White House.
On the reverse side of Abraham Lincoln’s note, Sec. Usher responded: “Will Mr. French please fix up the room of the master Tad Lincoln as he desires if it can possibly be done. JP Usher.” Just below Usher’s note, French wrote: “Wrote Mr. Haliday to do the work Tad wanted and I would see it paid for. BFF.”
Another note from Mary requested, “a board and some plank” for Tad. Although the exact purpose of the Tad’s board and plank cannot be determined with certainty, it is known that Tad loved to construct things with hammer and saw and even built a small stage for amateur theatrical performances with the help of White House carpenter Jim Haliday, the same man referenced by Commissioner French.
These notes affirm Lincoln’s eagerness to meet the needs of his young child even amidst the ongoing Civil War, and is a compelling reminder that while shouldering the burdens of his nation, Lincoln also carried the burdens of home and family.
The acquisition of this manuscript was made possible by generous donors to the 2025 Watchorn Lincoln Dinner Sponsorship Fund.
