The Lincolns: Portrait of a Family

Date Posted: Thursday, September 25th, 2014

Abraham Lincoln was born in a log cabin in 1809. His son died in a mansion 117 years later. In those years, the country endured a series of dramatic changes which forever altered the course of American history. However, no family paid a more dramatic price. On Saturday, October 4, at 10:30 a.m., historian Daniel Pritchett will explore this famous American family at the Delaware Public Archives in a program titled “The Lincolns: Portrait of a Family.” Lincoln and Mary Todd, who met in 1839 and married in 1842, seemed at first glance to have nothing in common. Yet, their marriage was probably the most consequential in American history. When the Lincolns came to the White House two decades later, the country was in the midst of its greatest crisis. This presentation will focus on this improbable pair, their four sons, and the heartbreaking series of tragedies that struck the family before, during, and after the Civil War.

Daniel Pritchett has taught American history since 1969, when he moved from West Virginia to take a position with the Capital School District in Dover. After retiring in 2003, he worked for five years as an adjunct professor at Delaware State University. He presently teaches at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute and is a speaker for the Delaware Humanities Forum.

The program is free to the public and will last approximately one hour. No reservations are required. For more information, contact Tom Summers (302) 744-5047 or e-mail thomas.summers@delaware.gov.

Related Topics:  Abraham Lincoln, Civil War, Genealogy, Mary Todd Lincoln