Mary Ann Todd was born in Lexington, Kentucky on December 13, 1818. Mary was one of sixteen children. Mary's mother, Eliza Todd, died on July 5, 1825. When Mary was eight years old she entered Shelby Female Academy, where she attended until she was seventeen; then switching to Mentelle's for her final year of schooling. Mary was one of the top performing students in her class (R.J. Norton, 1). During her years at school she heavily studied dancing and French.
Some years later she visited her sister, who had since then married and moved to Springfield. In the year 1839, Mary moved to Springfield to live with her sister's family. It was then that she met a prominent lawyer and politician named Abraham Lincoln. (R.J. Norton, 2). That following summer Mary traveled to Columbia, Missouri to visit her uncle, Judge David Todd. Mary and Abraham then grew closer together, spending more amounts of time together.
Lithograph of the Assassination of Abraham Lincoln...
Childhood home of First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln loc...
English: Kentucky Historical Marker describing His...Abraham proposed to Mary that summer, however, that following January they broke the engagement off. Mary then decided to begin seeing Stephen A. Douglas. He was just one of the other men she dated before getting back together with Abraham that following year. On November 4, 1842 Abraham and Mary were married in her sister's home (R.J. Norton, 2).
On August 1, 1843, at the Globe Tavern, The Lincolns first son was born. Mary decided to name him after her father. In 1844, the Lincolns purchased the first and what would be their only home for $1500 in Springfield. It wasn't until 1846 until Mary gave birth to a second child whom they named Edward. In 1847, Mary and her children took a trip to Washington, D.C. with Abe who had been elected to the House of Representatives. While in Washington, they lied at Mrs.