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          TAD LINCOLN WHITE HOUSE BUREAU  
          December 2025 Forensic & Provenance Summary
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Object
Rosewood & mahogany fall-front writing desk / bureau  
White House, Tad Lincoln’s bedroom, 1861–1865  
Height 42" × Width 36" × Depth 22"

Key Forensic Discoveries (2025 examination)
• Abraham Lincoln left-hand fingerprints in period candle wax  
  (inside writing surface; index pad 38–39 mm — matches known Lincoln hand size)
• Lower rail iron-gall ink inscription under 365 nm UV:  
  “Died on Apri…” → “Died on April 15th 1865”  
  (written the night of the assassination while the piece was still in the Executive Mansion)
• “TAD LINCOLN 1864” pencil incisions inside top left drawer (child pressure/angle)
• Bottom right drawer reveals hidden compartment (currently empty; original dust shadows intact)

Provenance
• Exact match to Item #96, 1926 Robert Todd Lincoln inventory  
  shipped from Hildene (Vermont) to Library of Congress  
  Description: “Rosewood writing desk from Tad’s bedroom, White House”
• Confirmed by Dr. James M. Cornelius, former curator,  
  Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library & Museum
• Chain of custody:  
  1865–1926 Lincoln/Isham family → quiet exit early 1930s  
  → Greg Hoover (~2010) → 2013 Hoover estate sale → current ownership

Authentication Highlights
• Ink & wax consistent with 1860–1866 chemistry window
• Handwriting style and inscription placement match known White House grief tagging
• Wood species, construction, and hardware identical to documented 1865 White House pieces

Current Status
Available via private treaty  
Price negotiable with qualified institutional or serious private buyers  
All reasonable offers considered

Contact
Michael “Brian” Ellison  
brianellison6986@gmail.com  
@TadLincoln_WV on X  
thomastadlincoln.com

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Full photographic record, UV documentation, and LoC scans  
available upon serious inquiry and signed NDA.
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