Mary, Willie, and Tad Lincoln, November 1860 (LN-2341)
From the Collection: Farewell to Springfield
by Jessie Cortesi
Senior Lincoln Librarian, Allen County Public Library
The interim period between Abraham Lincoln’s November 1860 election to presidency and his March 1861 inauguration in Washington, D.C., was one of profound change for the Lincoln family. An absolute flurry of activity descended upon the family’s Springfield home, with well-wishers and office seekers alike endlessly flooding into the parlors and sitting room. The explosion of attention was not exclusively directed at Abraham, however. Mary, Robert, Willie, and Tad, too, became sources of great interest. From widely circulated cartes-de-visite portraits to making the cover of Harper’s Weekly, the family together walked into the spotlight and onto the national stage. These photographs capture each member of the Lincoln family as they prepared to say farewell to their beloved hometown of Springfield, Illinois—and more importantly, their cherished friends, neighbors, and extended relatives there—before setting off for their new home in the nation’s capital and taking up residence in the Executive Mansion.
Robert Todd Lincoln, 1860 (LFA-0092)
It was not easy to say goodbye. The president-elect’s famous Farewell Address poignantly sums up the emotion he felt when the time for the family’s departure finally arrived on February 11, 1861.
Abraham Lincoln, January 13, 1861 (OC-1521)
My friends, no one, not in my situation, can appreciate my feeling of sadness at this parting. To this place, and the kindness of these people, I owe everything. Here I have lived a quarter of a century, and have passed from a young to an old man. Here my children have been born, and one is buried. I now leave, not knowing when, or whether ever, I may return, with a task before me greater than that which rested upon Washington. Without the assistance of the Divine Being who ever attended him, I cannot succeed. With that assistance I cannot fail. Trusting in Him who can go with me, and remain with you, and be everywhere for good, let us confidently hope that all will yet be well. To His care commending you, as I hope in your prayers you will commend me, I bid you an affectionate farewell.
