The Illinois State Museum has received a donation of items from President Abraham Lincoln’s extended family in Springfield.
These family belongings are donated by descendants of the Hickox-Edwards families in memory of Catharine Officer Saxe Loucks. Passed down through five generations, they offer a glimpse into the social and familial relationships of Lincoln’s Springfield.
"These items tell the story of people who helped shape Illinois history,” said ISM Director Jenn Edginton. “The Illinois State Museum is thrilled to receive such an amazing donation. We cannot wait to share it with the people of Illinois.”
The donated items represent the families of Virgil and Catharine Hickox and Ninian and Elizabeth Todd Edwards. They were passed down through the descendants of Charles and Mary Hickox Edwards, who married in 1868. Elizabeth Todd Edwards was the oldest sister of Mary Todd Lincoln; her husband Ninian was an early friend and political ally of Abraham Lincoln.
Highlights from the donation include a never-before-seen daguerreotype of Lincoln’s niece, Lizzie Edwards, taken between 1855 and 1860; a daguerreotype of Ninian Edwards with his son, Charles, taken in 1850; and Elizabeth Todd Edwards’ personal copy of the Episcopal Book of Common Prayer.
"As a Lincoln enthusiast, this donation is incredibly exciting to me. The people in these photographs and who owned these items were Lincoln’s nieces, nephews and in-laws,” said Erika Holst, curator of history for the ISM. “They were a part of the emotional fabric of his life, as he was in theirs. It’s amazing to be able to look at pictures of the same faces that Lincoln saw on a daily basis.”
The public is invited to learn more about Lincoln’s extended family and to enjoy an exclusive first look at these items at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 23. The event will take place at the Illinois State Museum’s Research and Collections Center, 1011 E. Ash St., Springfield. It is free to attend and open to learners of all ages.
