Can you tell me what became of the Richard Jr. and Mary Polly Berry family that completed the task of raising Nancy Hanks as an orphan child in their home in Beechland, Washington County, Kentucky? We know that Nancy Hanks was married the Berry family home at age twenty-two and soon left with her new husband for Illinois and Indiana; but we know very little of what became of the Richard Berry Jr. family who raised, schooled and saw her married in their home.
-Wayne J.
Four years after the Lincolns migrated to Indiana, Richard Berry set out for Missouri. Apparently he was first attracted to the country while he served against the Indians in Captain James Callaway’s rangers. St. Joseph, Missouri, was the first stopping place of the Berry family in 1820 but in 1823they moved to Garden Prairie, southeast of Fulton, in Callaway County. He lived there until his death in 1843. He and Mary are both buried there. (From Lincoln Lore, #1087, February 6, 1950).
Mike Capps
Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial
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How many children did Lincoln have and what did they go on to do with their lives?
-Noah Stonecypher, 5th grade, Homeschool, Jackson, MS
The Lincolns had four sons—Robert, Edward, William and Thomas (nicknamed Tad). Sadly Eddie died in 1850, Willie in 1862 while the Lincolns were in the White House, and Tad in 1871. Only Robert survived after his mother’s death in 1882. Only Robert lived to maturity and he became a successful lawyer in Chicago.
Dr. Jean Baker
Goucher College
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Did Abraham Lincoln or his sons, Tad and Willie, have any pets at the White House?
-6th grade students, Pine Street Elementary School, Wayland, MI
Yes, Tad had two goats. Lincoln had a dog. There were also two cats.
Professor Jennifer Fleischner
Adelphi University
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Are any of Lincoln's relatives alive?
-K. Shelton
There are no Lincoln relatives alive today. Robert had two daughters but after their grandchildren died there were no other Lincolns.
Dr. Jean Baker
Goucher College
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How old were Lincoln's wife and children when he died?
-6th grade students, Zeigler-Royalton Jr. High School, Zeigler, IL
His wife was 47. Robert was 22. Tad was 12.
Professor Jennifer Fleischner
Adelphi University
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Did Lincoln have children?
-Elizabeth T., Saint Joan of Arc, Indianapolis, IN
Lincoln had four boys: Robert (b. 1843), Edward or Eddie (b. 1846), William or Willie (b. 1850), and Thomas or Tad (b. 1853). Robert was the oldest son who graduated from Harvard, served briefly in the Union army, and later became Secretary of War. He died in 1926. Eddie, age 3 ½, died in 1850 after an illness. Willie also died after an illness in 1862 at the age of twelve. Tad outlived his father but died shortly after the Civil War in 1871 at the age of 18, also from illness. Both parents, but Mary Lincoln in particular, suffered a great deal from the deaths of their children.
Dr. Matthew Pinsker
Dickinson College
