Abraham and Mary’s Family at Springfield

Number Seven

From Lincoln’s Autobiographies and other Sources

[Quotations from Herndon’s Lincoln by William H. Herndon and Jesse W. Weik, written in 1889, re-published in 2006; Julia Taft stories are from the book

Lincoln at Home, 1999 by David Herbert Donald]

 

             . . . Hello, I am Billy Herndon, the junior partner of Abraham Lincoln from Springfield.  I know the Lincoln family very well.     “Abraham was in the habit, when at home on Sunday, of bringing his two boys, Willie and Thomas—or Tad---down to the office. . . The boys were absolutely unrestrained in their amusement.  If they pulled down all the books from the shelves, bent the points of all the pens, overturned inkstands, scattered lawpapers over the floor, or threw the pencils into the spittoon, it never disturbed the serenity of their father’s good-nature.”  

             . . . I am Julia Taft.  My brothers and I were playmates of Tad and Willie Lincoln, when they lived in the White House.   I think that Mr. Lincoln was a great father that took time, even when he was very busy with running the country and our terrible war,  to play with his boys.  On one instance I observed the Mr. Lincoln on the floor of the second floor oval room, playing with his boys, Willie and Tad and my brothers.  The boys were joining together in holding down the President.  He was laughing very loud, and the boys were very excited.  Mr. Lincoln was so tall and strong, but these boys were holding him down.  They even invited me to join in, but I thought a teen-aged girl would be out of place with such play.  

             . . . Mr. Lincoln would read to the boys and loved to sit in a big chair sharing the family scrapbook with them.  Willie was the most like his father.  He was very kind-hearted and smart.  He could even give a speech if called upon to do so.  Tad was the animal lover of the household.  Many people in the country would give the Lincoln boys animals for pets.  Our nation loves to know that the President is a father and is understanding of the family.