SECOND SON OF LINCOLNS IS OVERLOOKED BY HISTORY

February 1 is 175^th Anniversary of Death of Eddie Lincoln:

Pushed Aside by Most Scholars

By Tom Emery

Among the beloved images of Lincoln in American history and lore is that of a family man, playfully devoted to his four sons. One of those boys, though, has been sorely overlooked by history.

February 1 marks the 175th anniversary of the death of Eddie Lincoln, the second son of Abraham and Mary Todd Lincoln, whose story has been relegated mainly to scattered references in various works of Lincoln’s life.

Eddie died six weeks before his fourth birthday in 1850, and remains obscure despite the pronounced impact that his life – and tragic death – had on both of his parents.

The boy was born March 10, 1846 to a Lincoln household that was just finding its way socially, professionally, and financially. The Lincolns had been married for three and a half years when the boy was born, following their first son, Robert, the only one of the four who would live past his teen years.

Named for Lincoln friend and political associate Edward Baker, Eddie would never know his other two brothers, both born after his death.

The world of the Lincolns was much different in Eddie’s life than what most commonly associate with the sixteenth President today. During Eddie’s life, Abraham Lincoln was barely a household name in Illinois, let alone nationally. The little boy never saw the Lincoln-Douglas debates, the White House, the Civil War, or the assassination that ensured his father’s place among American immortals.

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The Lincoln home was also far different than the familiar two-story frame home at Eighth and Jackson in Springfield. Until 1856, the Lincoln home was a one-and-a-half story, five-room cottage.

No proven photos of Eddie are known to exist. As photography was still in its infancy in the era, that is not unusual. Abraham himself was photographed only once before the age of forty.

Abraham was frequently absent during the late 1840s and early 1850s, as the legal circuit took him away for weeks at a time in the spring and fall. When he was in Springfield, he was often drawn away by political rallies and other pursuits.

Lincoln served his single term in Congress during Eddie’s life, and was away from home for as many as 180 days a year. Eddie himself was rarely home, as he traveled with Mary and Robert to stay with Lincoln in Washington, as well as visiting Mary’s family in Lexington, Ky.

Occasionally, those travels were delayed by Eddie’s chronic poor health. Some modern studies have argued that he suffered from pulmonary tuberculosis, which may have proven terminal. After fifty-two days of illness, the boy’s death shattered the Lincoln household.

Mary’s well-documented mental instabilities, for which she has been heavily criticized, began to take root with the loss of Eddie, as did her pronounced grieving. Abraham, meanwhile, underwent a sort of religious transformation.

Never considered devout, he began attending church more regularly following Eddie’s death and formed a close relationship with Dr. James Smith, the pastor who conducted the boy’s funeral. Lincoln’s Christianity remains a hot topic among Lincoln enthusiasts.

Six days after Eddie’s death, an anonymous poem entitled “Little Eddie” appeared in a Springfield newspaper, an apparent eulogy to the lost boy. Many believed the poem was written by either Abraham or Mary Lincoln, as an expression of grief.

However, research by renowned Illinois historian Dr. Samuel Wheeler of Springfield revealed in 2012 that the verse was actually reprinted from a poetry volume from St. Louis, published well before Eddie’s death.

Today, Eddie rests in the Lincoln Tomb in Springfield with his parents and two of his brothers. Thousands of visitors pass by his grave, most never realizing the impact the loss of the child had on both of his parents.

Tom Emery has written a booklet on the impact of Eddie Lincoln on his parents ($7 postpaid). For more information, contact 217-710-8392 or ilcivilwar@yahoo.com.