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Illinois State Museum receives
donation of items from President Lincoln’s extended Springfield
family
[April 03, 2025]
SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois
State Museum (ISM) is excited to announce the donation of a
collection of items from President Abraham Lincoln’s extended family
in Springfield.
These family belongings are donated by descendants of the Hickox-Edwards
families in memory of Catharine Officer Saxe Loucks. Passed down
through five generations, they offer an exciting glimpse into the
social and familial relationships of Lincoln’s Springfield.
“These items tell the story of people who helped shape Illinois
history,” said ISM Director Jenn Edginton. “The Illinois State
Museum is thrilled to receive such an amazing donation. We cannot
wait to share it with the people of Illinois.”
The donated items represent the families of Virgil and Catharine
Hickox and Ninian and Elizabeth Todd Edwards. They were passed down
through the descendants of Charles and Mary Hickox Edwards, who
married in 1868. Elizabeth Todd Edwards was the oldest sister of
Mary Todd Lincoln; her husband Ninian was an early friend and
political ally of Abraham Lincoln.
Highlights from the donation
include a never-before-seen daguerreotype of Lincoln’s niece, Lizzie
Edwards, taken between 1855 and 1860; a daguerreotype of Ninian
Edwards with his son, Charles, taken in 1850; and Elizabeth Todd
Edwards’ personal copy of the Episcopal Book of Common Prayer.
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“As a Lincoln enthusiast,
this donation is incredibly exciting to me. The people in these
photographs and who owned these items were Lincoln’s nieces,
nephews and in-laws,” said Erika Holst, curator of history for
the ISM. “They were a part of the emotional fabric of his life,
as he was in theirs. It’s amazing to be able to look at pictures
of the same faces that Lincoln saw on a daily basis.”
The public is invited to learn more
about Lincoln’s extended family and to enjoy an exclusive first look
at these items at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 23. The event will take
place at the Illinois State Museum’s Research and Collections
Center, 1011 E. Ash St., Springfield. It is free to attend and open
to learners of all ages.
About the Illinois State Museum: Established in 1877, the
Illinois State Museum is a dynamic institution that inspires the
exploration of Illinois' past and present to inform and enrich
everyday life and promote stewardship of cultural and natural
resources. Headquartered in Springfield with branch facilities in
Lewistown and Lockport, ISM is accredited by the American Alliance
of Museums and a proud member of the International Coalition of
Sites of Conscience.
[Text received from IDNR
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