About one month after receiving this well-intentioned letter from Grace Bedell, an impetuous eleven-year-old living in Westfield, New York, Lincoln began to grow a beard. It is impossible to say what actually prompted Lincoln to lay aside his razor in the late fall of 1860, or even the degree to which Miss Bedells recommendation influenced his decision. However, during his trip to Washington as president-elect, Lincoln stopped at Westfield for a carefully orchestrated meeting with Miss Bedell, and to the delight of reporters and bystanders alike, kissed her and declared he had taken her advice.