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The Contents of Abraham Lincoln's Pockets from the Night of His Assassination at Ford's Theatre When Abraham Lincoln was shot at Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C. on April 14, 1865, he was carrying two pairs of spectacles and a lens polisher, a pocketknife, a watch fob, a linen handkerchief, a brown leather wallet containing a five-dollar Confederate note, and nine newspaper clippings, including several favorable to the president and his policies. Given to his son Robert Todd upon Lincoln's death, these everyday items, which through association with tragedy had become like relics, were kept in the Lincoln family for more than seventy years. Because it is quite unusual for the Library to keep personal artifacts among its holdings, they were not put on display until 1976 when then Librarian of Congress Daniel Boorstin thought their exposure would humanize a man who had become "mythologically engulfed." Read more about The Contents of Abraham Lincoln's Pockets from the Night of His Assassination at Ford's Theatre »
Bible Used by Lincoln and Obama at Their Inaugurations Chief Justice Roger B. Taney administered the oath of office to Abraham Lincoln using the Bible of a court clerk. With the brief words, "I, Abraham Lincoln, do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States," Lincoln was sworn in as the sixteenth President. The ceremony was witnessed by Clerk of the Supreme Court, William Thomas Carroll, who recorded the occasion in the back of this Bible. On January 20, 2009, President Barack Obama chose this same Bible for his historic inauguration ceremony. Read more about Bible Used by Lincoln and Obama at Their Inaugurations »
Lincoln's First Book - English Grammar Although Abraham Lincoln considered his formal education to be “defective,” from an early age, he compensated by devoting intense effort to self-education through reading. In his twenties, while serving as New Salem postmaster and a member of the Illinois state assembly, Lincoln studied the law and taught himself surveying. After mastering Kirkham’s Grammar, he gave his copy to Ann Rutledge, inscribing it: “Ann M. Rutledge is now learning grammer [sic].” Ann’s tragic death a short time later from typhoid fever ended the couple’s future plans. Read more about Lincoln's First Book - English Grammar »