Lincoln 150 honored

April 14-15 2015

150 years after Elizabeth L.C. Dixon
witnessed Lincoln's death

To commemorate the 150 year anniversary of the death of President Abraham Lincoln Fords Theater partnered with National Portrait Gallery and National Park Service and hosted around-the-clock public events.

The grandchildren of Elizabeth L.C. Dixon

James Dixon, Francis S. Dixon, Marguerite Dixon Clark, William Corcoran Welling

In attendance, anonymously, were the great-great grandchildren of Elizabeth L. C. Dixon. She was the close friend of Mary Lincoln, who also witnessed President Lincoln's final hours of life. After his death, it was she who brought Mary Lincoln, now a lonely widow, back to the White House alone. Mrs. Elizabeth L.C. Dixon shunned all publicity and never wished to be associated to the night Lincoln died. 

In honor of her personal strength and the loving kindness shown to Mary Lincoln throughout the tragic event, the grandchildren of her grandchildren anonymously, with no fanfare, stood among the throngs of spectators in attendance during Fords150 events. 

During the 150Lincoln commemoration the Dixon cousins assembled for private viewing of Elizabeth LC Dixon's collection of letters and Civil War relics shared for the first time in 150 years. These artifacts were preserved by grandchildren so that their grandchildren may also be given a glimpse into the lives of the Lincoln's and their personal  friendships.

Who was Elizabeth L.C. Dixon? You can read about her life in Washington by reading her diary written twenty years before the assassination. Elizabeth L. C. Dixon Washington diary 1845-47 was published in 2013 in White House History, issue 33 by great-great granddaughter, Caroline Welling Van Deusen.

Online Version: http://www.whitehousehistory.org/introduction-to-the-transcription-of-the-washington-diary-of-elizabeth-l-c-dixon

In progress: the complete transcription of Elizabeth Dixon diary 1840-41 European Honeymoon Diary to be published by Caroline Van Deusen

Images of the diary by James Welling: http://jameswelling.net/projects/10

Lost Footprints Found

Imagine you discovered Civil War relics that confirmed someone in your family witnessed the death of President Lincoln. This is precisely what happened to me.

Found within our family collection of Civil War relics are artifacts left our great-great-grandmother, Elizabeth L. C. Dixon that confirmed she witnessed that fateful night and details of her close friendship with the Lincoln's - from their first days in Washington, until their last. 

The writing and relics left by Elizabeth L. C. Dixon, preserved over generations, offer an intimate glimpse into the past, from a new vantage point. 

So, 'Why was her friendship with the Lincoln's overlooked in history?' and 'Why am I the first of her children to share this trove of Civil War treasures publicly? The answers to these questions may surprise you. 

Over the last decade, after discovering dozens and dozens of Civil War relics, papers, diaries, photographs in our family's basements, attics and historical societies it has become clear that our family has needed these 150 years to heal -- Elizabeth L. Dixon must have been an archetype for the following generations and we have had to wait until her children's children's children were grown that her relics would be found and details of her friendship with the Lincolns finally shared, publicly.

The first of Elizabeth Dixon's writings; 'The Diary of Elizabeth Dixon', 1845-47' was featured in 'White House History', Issue 33, published by the White House Historical Association. 

For details go to:

https://shop.whitehousehistory.org/products/the-white-house-neighborhood-and-the-war-unseen

Twenty years before she witnessed Lincoln's deathbed she wrote at the end of this diary;

 

" I wonder if this will be of interest in after years, for that was my intent on writing it, a giddy life but my head was not turned by it". 

A stark contrast to her words in 1865, she never could have imagined what was in store for her, but we know don't we?