Description:

Robert Todd Lincoln
Chicago, IL, December 29, 1901
Robert Todd Lincoln ALS Sending News of the Death of a Grandchild
ALS

Robert Todd Lincoln ALS. 3pp., 4.5" x 6.875"; Chicago; December 29, 1901. A letter to a British acquaintance sending Holiday greetings and news of the loss of a grandchild. Signed, "Robert T. Lincoln." Light age toning and expected mail folds. Strips of cello tape at the top and bottom of the integral page from prior mounting; and a label with identification in modern ink affixed at top right of last page.

The letter reads in large part:

"It would not seem to be a real Christmas-tide without your kind & most wholesome greeting. We are all very well except for our daughter Jessie who has just today lost a little child in her confinement, but is herself apparently going on well. We all wish you a most Happy New Year & to Frank also. I have a small & very… reason … of making a trip across the water next summer, but by all means not until after the coronation…Mrs. Lincoln joins me in the heartfelt good wishes."

Although we could not find any mention in the historical record of Jessie Harlan Lincoln having lost a child in 1901, Geneanet.org shows an additional child recorded as "stillborn" in her marriage to Warren Beckwith. Jessie would have been 26 at the time.

We could not decipher who the recipient of the letter was, but it was likely someone Robert Todd met during his tenure as U.S. Minister to the Court of St. James's (1889-1893). The coronation referenced is that of King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra which took place on August 9, 1902, at Westminster Abbey.

An exceptional letter with poignant content.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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  • Dimensions: 6.875" x 4.5"
  • Medium: ALS

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