Someone carved “TAD” into the top of this Empire flame-mahogany chest of drawers. On the back are the words “DIED ON,” a backwards 1865 and a mourning scene. The chest turned up in Clendenin, West Virginia, and its owner believes it may have been carved by Tad Lincoln, Abraham Lincoln’s youngest son. Can you help prove it, or disprove it?
Who cut these marks into the wood, and why? These are the clues that started the search.
Carved on the top of the chest, and again on the back.
Words carved into the back of the chest.
A date carved in reverse on the back. 1865 is the year Abraham Lincoln was assassinated.
A carved scene of grief on the rear panel.
This is a hypothesis, and it is still being tested. No document yet links this chest, or any chest like it, to Tad or the Lincoln family.
That is exactly why your help matters. A name, a family story, an old photograph or an expert eye could settle it either way.
Share what you knowThomas “Tad” Lincoln was born in Springfield on April 4, 1853, the youngest son of Abraham and Mary Lincoln. His father nicknamed him “Tadpole.” He grew up in the White House, lost his father in April 1865, and died in Chicago on July 15, 1871, at eighteen.
Read Tad’s story“‘Tad’ was a merry, warm-blooded, kindly little boy, perfectly lawless, and full of odd fancies and inventions.” John Hay, the President’s secretary, Century Magazine, Nov. 1890
The owner’s research explores a possible connection between this 1850s Empire mahogany chest of drawers and Robert Todd Lincoln and his daughter, Mary Lincoln Isham. This is the trail as he has pieced it together so far.
Believed to have been gifted by Robert Todd Lincoln to his daughter, Mary Lincoln Isham (Mamie).
Following Robert Todd Lincoln’s death, an inventory recorded a “Bureau and mirror” as the personal property of Mary Lincoln Isham, noted as an “M.I. gift.”
Where the chest went next is still being traced. The owner is checking records from Hildene, the Lincoln family home in Manchester, Vermont, and other archives.
Acquired from the Greg Hoover estate sale through Mountaineer Auctions in Clendenin, West Virginia.
Robert Todd Lincoln Estate
"Bureau and mirror" recorded as personal property of Mary Lincoln Isham ("M.I. gift").
Click any photo to enlarge it. Use the arrow keys or swipe to move between photos.
Captions are the owner’s descriptions of each photo.
Have additional information or questions about this research? Every lead is welcome, including ones that point away from the Lincoln family.