Browse Items (22278 total)

Edwin Booth writes to Emma Cushman regarding the death of Booth's first wife, Mary Devlin, and his resignation to the loss. He forwards a photo, "the last picture taken of Mary."

Edwin Booth writes about the loss of his wife to Reverend Huntington who performed her funeral service.

On the morning of May 14, 1863, President Lincoln invites Senator Charles Sumner of Massachsetts to come to breakfast with General Hooker at 8:30 AM. Some believe that this frantic get-together and others like it most probably had something to do…

President Lincoln assigns a quota of 2050 men to be drafted from the 2nd district of New York. Lincoln completes and signs the printed form. Following riots that took place in July, Lincoln insists on the draft, an action resisted by the New York…

Gov. Richard Yates writes to Amos Tuck on State of Illinois Executive letterhead regarding Copperheads and noting: "in every part of our state they are organizing armed with rifles & revolvers - assassinations, shootings, etc. are not infrequent…

Lincoln telegraphs General Crawford declining to be present at the presentation of a sword to General Meade in the wake of the Battle of Gettysburg. The telegraph message addressed to Gen. Crawford is on U.S. Military Telegragh Office letterhead.

President Lincoln asks Secretary of War Stanton to furnish a new pass for the embalmer Dr. Brown. Dr. Charles B. Brown was the embalmer of Willie Lincoln in Feb. 1862, and 3 years later in Apr. 1865, of the president himself.

Mary Lincoln writes from the 5th Avenue Hotel to John Adams Dix, Military commandant of New York, to send someone to accompany her to the Russian frigate. The First Lady was to visit the Russian warship "Osliaba" anchored in New York.

Gideon Welles writes to his wife regarding messages from a U.S. naval vessel and its arrival in New York and Newport.

President Lincoln received an appeal on behalf of Daniel Hanson of the 97th New York Infantry who is sentenced to death for desertion. On behalf of that appeal, Lincoln writes to Gen. Meade for information on the case as usual. Lincoln repeated his…

Mary Lincoln appeals to B.B. French for a salary increase on behalf of a young man (Dunn) who is employed at the White House as a doorman. She states that he is unable to continue at his present salary. The following year Dunn gave a piece of the…

This fragment of a larger sheet, probably the second of a three-page letter, is written by John Wilkes Booth to an unknown person thought by some to be Field, of the Boston Theatre. This portion is the unsigned page plus the P.S. on the reverse side…

President Lincoln signs an authorization to the Secretary of State to affix the seal to a pardon for George Hamilton.

President Abraham Lincoln signs an order granting diplomatic power for Anson Burlingame to "conclude a modification of the 14th article of the treaty" between the U.S. and China.

President Abraham Lincoln requests Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton to appoint Robert J. Stevens, a son-in-law of Col. Edward D. Baker, as additional paymaster. Lincoln obliges the friendship of a family member of Baker's. Action on the request is…

Mary Lincoln writes to an unknown correspondent requesting the services of Charles Forbes for the day. Charles Forbes was Lincoln's personal attendant from 1861 until Lincoln's assassination. He was present at Ford's Theatre when the President was…

Mary consoles her friend from Kentucky on her bereavement which reminds her of her own loss (Willie). She writes: "earth can afford no balm for such bereavements My precious Willie, was another of the pure ones, too good for earth " She regrets that…

John Wilkes Booth writes a flirtatious note to a young woman, enclosing his picture and noting that he is leaving for Boston soon.

Abraham Lincoln writes on a small oblong card a note to J.E. Allen: "Shoe Tad's horse for him. A. Lincoln." The note is part of a display enclosed in an elaborate red morocco folding case, with oval photo by A. Berger of Lincoln and Tad with the…

Lincoln's note reads "please put something now in Tad's room." Beneath his request, in a bold hand, Mary Lincoln writes, "Please give Tad a board & some plank, Mrs. Lincoln." On thereverse side are autograph endorsements signed by J.P. Usher…

Mary thanks Fanny Barrow, a successful author of children's fiction, for a book 'Night Caps' sent to "my darling boys" and adds that "since then, sorrow & bereavement have sorely tried us & we, with the whole land, have been called upon to…

John Wilkes Booth sells his 25 shares in the Boston Water Power Company to J.N. Fiske. The Boston Water Power Company stock certificate was granted to Booth on March 6, 1863 and signed by the president of the firm. Booth signs and dates his transfer…

A report of grades from Harvard College for the senior class of 1863-64 inlcudes the grade of Robert Todd Lincoln during his senior year. This particular report belonged to [James] Elliott. Of a senior class of 90 pupils, Robert ranked #32 in his…

In his first letter to Isabel Sumner, John Wilkes Booth writes: "Dear Miss Isabel, How shall I write you; as lover, friend, or brother." He urges her to write him at once and signs it simply "John." Booth writes from 28 E. 19th St., New York City.

John Wilkes Booth gives Isabel Sumner four photographs of himself in a variety of poses. In one photo Booth is seated, holding a cane. On the reverse side of this photo Booth writes: "Yours with affection J. Wilkes Booth." A second offers a left side…