1860 National Intelligencer: JC Welling editor

In 1860, Hon. William Seaton, surviving editor of the National Intelligencer

announced James C. Welling as editor of editorial content. 

Intelligencer_endorsed_by_Buchanan

Ex-President Buchanan supports National Intelligencer 
Official organ for the Administration

* Aside: Now 150 years later reading through those historical Civil War manuscripts preserved by the editor of the National Intelligencer, James Clarke Welling, it seems a bit like touching history...  so fascinating... fertile soil and seed from which this blog hath bloomed.

Dixon - Welling Life Before and After

Rose-Mount

For a glimpse back in time and estate of the family of Sen. James Dixon in Hartford  head to Hartford, Connecticut, and head west from the downtown area.

On the left side of Farmington Avenue, in what is now historical neighborhood of Asylum Hill, you will see the site where once stood Rose-Mount, the estate of Senator James Dixon, his wife, Elizabeth Lord Cogswell and their children.

The Dixons purchased the tract of 14 acres of land in 1840 and built was a large mansion, several small out-buildings and a barn. Their beautiful gardens, inspired them to name their home: Rose-Mount. Mrs. Sigourney wrote in of the the Dixon's wonderful home;

Lydia Huntley Sigourney 1791–1865
Close friend and mentor of Elizabeth L.C. Dixon

"Many of the residences on Asylum Hill are conspicuous for their elegance and grace. Among these, Rose-Mount, the seat of James Dixon, Esq., is particularly distinguished by the.extent and arrangement of its grounds. Fourteen acres, highly cultivated, are divided into lawns, gardens, and groves, and embellished with parterres of flowers, hedges, and a variety of shrubs, fruits, and forest-trees. All is found here to constitute a delightful retirement for the man of letters and of taste, where cultivated intellect may enjoy the luxuries of literature, or woo the willing muse." Scenes In My Native Land [1]

Paradise Lost  The Dixon–Welling Place

Over the years, Rose-Mount became known as the Dixon–Welling Place, daughter Clementine married James C. Welling, editor of Washington, D.C newspaper National Intelligencer and was host to many of our nation's most celebrated writers, poets, dignitaries and military leaders of the day. For more than 70 years the Dixon and Welling family lived here until 1929 when they sold the 12 acre property to the Aetna Insurance Company.

Today, the only remnants of this paradise lost are several copper beach trees on the grounds and the Dixon’s large bell that hung outside the main house to summon the gardeners.

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?

Begin at the End

In the 1950's the New York Times published text of a letter, discovered in a New Jersey attic, by a woman giving her eyewitness account of President Lincoln's death.

In the letter she recounted being awoken the night of April 14, 1865 and taken by carriage to a house where Lincoln lay dying and how she comforted her friend named Mary Lincoln, staying through the night-long vigil and in the morning taking Mary Lincoln, the lonely widow, back to the White House.

The letter was written by Mrs. Elizabeth L. Dixon, my great-great grandmother. In 2000, a curious urge prompted me to follow up to confirm or dispel this supposed friendship shared by the Lincolns and my family so with little more to go on than the 1950s New York Times article I set out combing history books and online sources for articles about Lincoln. Posted on this blog are the relics and footprints discovered.