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Mary Ann Todd Lincoln (December 13, 1818 – July 16, 1882) was the wife of the sixteenth President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln, and was First Lady of the United States from 1861 to 1865. A member of a large, wealthy Kentucky family, Mary was well educated. After living in the Todd House and a finishing school during her teens, she moved to Springfield, Illinois where she lived for a time with her married sister Elizabeth Edwards. Before she married Abraham Lincoln, Mary was courted by his long-time political opponent Stephen A. Douglas. She and Lincoln had four sons together, only one of whom outlived her. Their home of about 17 years still stands at Eighth and Jackson Streets in Springfield, Illinois. Mary Lincoln suffered from migraine headaches and other severe illnesses through much of her adult life. She supported her husband throughout his presidency. She witnessed his fatal shooting when they were together in the President's Box at Ford's Theatre on Tenth Street in Washington. ==Early life and education== Mary was born in Lexington, Kentucky as the fourth of seven children of Robert Smith Todd, a banker, and Elizabeth (Parker) Todd.〔 Her family were slaveholders, and Mary was raised in comfort and refinement.〔Catherine Clinton, ''Mrs. Lincoln: A Life'' (New York: HarperCollins, 2010) ISBN 0-06-076041-9〕 When Mary was six, her mother died. Two years later, her father married Elizabeth "Betsy" Humphreys and they had nine children together.〔〔Historians have suggested that Robert Smith Todd and Elizabeth Parker were double first cousins: his paternal aunt was married to her father, and her paternal aunt was married to his father.(Mary Todd Biography )〕 Mary had a difficult relationship with her stepmother. From 1832, Mary and her family lived in what is now known as the Mary Todd Lincoln House, an elegant 14-room residence at 578 West Main Street in Lexington, Kentucky.〔(Mary Todd Lincoln House ), National Park Service, (1977-06-09). Retrieved on 2011-09-14.〕 Mary's paternal great-grandfather, David Levi Todd, was born in County Longford, Ireland, and immigrated through Pennsylvania to Kentucky. Her great-great maternal grandfather Samuel McDowell was born in Scotland, and emigrated to Pennsylvania. Other Todd ancestors came from England.〔(Mary Lincoln ). Firstladies.org. Retrieved on 2011-09-14.〕 At an early age Mary was sent to Madame Mantelle's finishing school, where the curriculum concentrated on French and literature. She learned to speak French fluently and studied dance, drama, music, and social graces. By age 20, she was regarded as witty and gregarious, with a grasp of politics. Like her family, she was a Whig. Mary began living with her sister Elizabeth Porter Edwards in Springfield, Illinois in October 1839. Elizabeth, married to Ninian W. Edwards, son of a former governor, served as Mary's guardian. Mary was popular among the gentry of Springfield, and though she was courted by the rising young lawyer and Democratic Party politician Stephen A. Douglas and others, she chose Abraham Lincoln, a fellow Whig.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Mary Todd Lincoln」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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