Was born on December 13, 1818 in Lexington, Kentucky. Born into a wealthy and prominent family, Mary Todd was educated, and moved to Springfield Illinois. On November 11, 1842 Mary Todd married Abraham Lincoln who was a lawyer, and involved with the State Legislator. Three of the Lincolns' four sons died at early ages and her husband was assassinated at her side in April 1865. As a result, Lincoln's later life was extremely unhappy. Despite decent financial situations, she worried extraordinarilly about money. In 1875, her only surviving son,Robert Todd Lincoln, had her committed to a sanitarium where she was declared sane after less than a year.
Bibliography: Baker, Jean J., Mary Todd Lincoln (1987); Neely, M. E., Jr., and McMurtry, R. G., The Insanity File (1986); Randall, R. P., Mary Lincoln (1953); Turner, Justin G. and Linda L., eds., Mary Todd Lincoln (1972); Van der Heuval, G., Crowns of Thorns and Glory--Mary Todd Lincoln and Varina Howell Davis (1988).
