MARY TODD LINCOLN Autograph Letter Lamenting the Death of Abraham SIGNED * PSA

Mary Lincoln Laments the Death of her Husband: "Sorrow such as ours, there is no balm...the fearful loss we have both sustained in our dearly beloved husbands are too strong for time or distance to sever...To me everything looks so desolate. I often wonder why I was spared when my darling husband was taken..."

First Lady MARY TODD LINCOLN remarkable, tragic handwritten autograph letter signed on black bordered mourning stationery from Nice, France, March 16, 1889 lamenting the unbearable loss of her husband, 16th President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln. Mary signs at the upper left corner of the first page, having exhausted the available space within the contents of the sweeping 4-page letter. One of the very few Mary Todd Lincoln letters to reference President Lincoln's assassination so directly!

Nearly five years after her husband's horrific assassination, Mary Todd Lincoln seeks escape overseas in Europe, but finds no respite from the sorrow. In an emotional letter to her fellow widowed friend, Rhoda White, Mary Lincoln pours out her heart:

"...Past friendship, through the trying years of the war---and the fearful loss, we have both sustained in our dearly beloved husbands, are ... too strong, for time or distance to sever..." 

Explaining that she has come to the Riviera for her health, leaving son Tad to his studies in Frankfurt: "I find myself regaining strength. For sorrow, such as ours, there is no balm, the grave and Heaven, with reunion with our loved ones can alone heal, bleeding, broken hearts. Wherever I am, feeling so sadly, I lead a life of isolation & retirement, although I have been here several weeks, I am sure few or none are aware of it..."

She suggests that Mrs. White join her on an excursion to Italy: "We could visit places of interest without being recognized. Of course, Americans abound everywhere---& in my morning walks in the sunshine, you can always recognize them, very often by their loud voices, so early as ten or eleven in the morning, velvet costumes &---Full dress, when one is sight seeing or in quest of health & change, must certainly be a trial. After we have suffered heavy afflictions, life is at best a fearful endurance. 

Mary again returns to her husband's assassination: To me every thing looks so desolate. I often wonder why, I was spared, when my darling husband was taken, and to suffer so much too!..."

The Mary Todd Lincoln letter has been thoroughly reviewed and CERTIFIED AUTHENTIC BY PSA/DNA EXPERT EXAMINATION and encapsulated inside PSA/DNA's proprietary sonically-sealed, tamper-evident holder – your assurance of absolute authenticity. GUARANTEED GENUINE. 

Rhoda Elizabeth Waterman White was an American author whose work was often published under the name "Uncle Ben of Rouses Point." The wife of New York judge James W. White, Rhoda White, was a key player in one of the most infamous incidents of Lincoln's presidency: the execution of Nathaniel Gordon, convicted of kidnapping 897 Africans with the intent of bringing them to the United States to be sold as slaves. She, along with Gordon's wife and mother, begged Lincoln to show mercy; however, Lincoln was unmoved, saying that "...any man, who, for paltry gain and stimulated only by avarice, can rob Africa of her children to sell into interminable bondage, I never will pardon." Despite this incident, Rhoda White remained close to the Lincoln family and, following the assassination, became one of Mary Lincoln's most devoted correspondents.

Condition is as shown. Document measures appx. 10.5" x 8.25" inside 10" x 13" encapsulate, and exhibits typical wear and some lightening of the text, consistent with age, use, and handling including stains and toning. Document has been tissue lined. Please review images carefully for exact condition.

Own a remarkable, investment-quality piece of American history! The perfect acquisition for the museum, Presidential collector, Lincoln devotee, autograph enthusiast, or History buff. 

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