Daughter and one of six children of Dr. John and Elizabeth Smith Todd. She was the cousin of Mary Todd Lincoln; their fathers were brothers.
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ELIZABETH J. was born January, 1825, at Edwardsville, Illinois, married in Springfield July 21, 1846, to Harrison J. Grimsley. They had two children. JOHN T., born Feb. 3, 1848, in Springfield, married Dec. 12, 1871, in Summerfield, New Jersey, to Cornelia Meesler, daughter of Rev. A. Meesler, D.D., pastor of the Dutch Reformed Church of that place. They have one child, MARY SWIFT. John T. Grimsley is a partner in the mercantile firm of Herndon & Co., and resides in Springfield, Illinois. WILLIAM L., born March 17, 1852, is a clerk with Herndon & Co., and resides in Springfield, Illinois.
H. J. Grimsley died in 1865, and his widow [* see note below] married in January, 1867, to Rev. John H. Brown, D.D., pastor of the First Presbyterian Church in Springfield, and later of the Thirty-first Street Presbyterian Church of Chicago. Dr. Brown died Feb. 23, 1872, in Chicago, and was buried in Oak Ridge Cemetery, Springfield. His widow resides in Springfield, Illinois.
~~History of the Early Settlers of Sangamon County, Illinois: "Centennial Record" by John Carroll Power, 1876, Springfield, IL, E. A. Wilson & Co, p. 716. Excerpt from her father Dr. John Todd's biography
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Elizabeth was "Cousin Lizzie," Mary Todd Lincoln's cousin. She came to the White House with the Lincolns. Mary Todd Lincoln was fond of her cousin: "She is a noble, good woman & has been purified, through much trial."
Mrs. Lincoln prevailed on her cousin to delay her departure from Washington as long as possible. Writing later about her six months in the White House, Mrs. Grimsley recalled how her duties came in to include taking care of Willie and Tad. "I was inveigled into the nursery, and by way of a pet name, was dubbed 'Grandmother,' though a younger woman than the mother."
The President was worried at Grimsley's—and Mary's—desire that she be appointed as Springfield's postmaster. Mrs. Grimsley herself never got a job. In August 1863, President Lincoln appointed Grimsley's son to the Naval Academy, but he failed to fulfill entrance requirements. Before he left for Washington, President-elect Lincoln gave Elizabeth Grimsley some of his important papers. Her maid subsequently burned many of them.
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*Note: Elizabeth actually divorced her first husband Harrison Grimsley for desertion in October 1859 in Sangamon County.
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ELIZABETH J. was born January, 1825, at Edwardsville, Illinois, married in Springfield July 21, 1846, to Harrison J. Grimsley. They had two children. JOHN T., born Feb. 3, 1848, in Springfield, married Dec. 12, 1871, in Summerfield, New Jersey, to Cornelia Meesler, daughter of Rev. A. Meesler, D.D., pastor of the Dutch Reformed Church of that place. They have one child, MARY SWIFT. John T. Grimsley is a partner in the mercantile firm of Herndon & Co., and resides in Springfield, Illinois. WILLIAM L., born March 17, 1852, is a clerk with Herndon & Co., and resides in Springfield, Illinois.
H. J. Grimsley died in 1865, and his widow [* see note below] married in January, 1867, to Rev. John H. Brown, D.D., pastor of the First Presbyterian Church in Springfield, and later of the Thirty-first Street Presbyterian Church of Chicago. Dr. Brown died Feb. 23, 1872, in Chicago, and was buried in Oak Ridge Cemetery, Springfield. His widow resides in Springfield, Illinois.
~~History of the Early Settlers of Sangamon County, Illinois: "Centennial Record" by John Carroll Power, 1876, Springfield, IL, E. A. Wilson & Co, p. 716. Excerpt from her father Dr. John Todd's biography
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Elizabeth was "Cousin Lizzie," Mary Todd Lincoln's cousin. She came to the White House with the Lincolns. Mary Todd Lincoln was fond of her cousin: "She is a noble, good woman & has been purified, through much trial."
Mrs. Lincoln prevailed on her cousin to delay her departure from Washington as long as possible. Writing later about her six months in the White House, Mrs. Grimsley recalled how her duties came in to include taking care of Willie and Tad. "I was inveigled into the nursery, and by way of a pet name, was dubbed 'Grandmother,' though a younger woman than the mother."
The President was worried at Grimsley's—and Mary's—desire that she be appointed as Springfield's postmaster. Mrs. Grimsley herself never got a job. In August 1863, President Lincoln appointed Grimsley's son to the Naval Academy, but he failed to fulfill entrance requirements. Before he left for Washington, President-elect Lincoln gave Elizabeth Grimsley some of his important papers. Her maid subsequently burned many of them.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
*Note: Elizabeth actually divorced her first husband Harrison Grimsley for desertion in October 1859 in Sangamon County.
Daughter and one of six children of Dr. John and Elizabeth Smith Todd. She was the cousin of Mary Todd Lincoln; their fathers were brothers.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ELIZABETH J. was born January, 1825, at Edwardsville, Illinois, married in Springfield July 21, 1846, to Harrison J. Grimsley. They had two children. JOHN T., born Feb. 3, 1848, in Springfield, married Dec. 12, 1871, in Summerfield, New Jersey, to Cornelia Meesler, daughter of Rev. A. Meesler, D.D., pastor of the Dutch Reformed Church of that place. They have one child, MARY SWIFT. John T. Grimsley is a partner in the mercantile firm of Herndon & Co., and resides in Springfield, Illinois. WILLIAM L., born March 17, 1852, is a clerk with Herndon & Co., and resides in Springfield, Illinois.
H. J. Grimsley died in 1865, and his widow [* see note below] married in January, 1867, to Rev. John H. Brown, D.D., pastor of the First Presbyterian Church in Springfield, and later of the Thirty-first Street Presbyterian Church of Chicago. Dr. Brown died Feb. 23, 1872, in Chicago, and was buried in Oak Ridge Cemetery, Springfield. His widow resides in Springfield, Illinois.
~~History of the Early Settlers of Sangamon County, Illinois: "Centennial Record" by John Carroll Power, 1876, Springfield, IL, E. A. Wilson & Co, p. 716. Excerpt from her father Dr. John Todd's biography
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Elizabeth was "Cousin Lizzie," Mary Todd Lincoln's cousin. She came to the White House with the Lincolns. Mary Todd Lincoln was fond of her cousin: "She is a noble, good woman & has been purified, through much trial."
Mrs. Lincoln prevailed on her cousin to delay her departure from Washington as long as possible. Writing later about her six months in the White House, Mrs. Grimsley recalled how her duties came in to include taking care of Willie and Tad. "I was inveigled into the nursery, and by way of a pet name, was dubbed 'Grandmother,' though a younger woman than the mother."
The President was worried at Grimsley's—and Mary's—desire that she be appointed as Springfield's postmaster. Mrs. Grimsley herself never got a job. In August 1863, President Lincoln appointed Grimsley's son to the Naval Academy, but he failed to fulfill entrance requirements. Before he left for Washington, President-elect Lincoln gave Elizabeth Grimsley some of his important papers. Her maid subsequently burned many of them.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
*Note: Elizabeth actually divorced her first husband Harrison Grimsley for desertion in October 1859 in Sangamon County.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ELIZABETH J. was born January, 1825, at Edwardsville, Illinois, married in Springfield July 21, 1846, to Harrison J. Grimsley. They had two children. JOHN T., born Feb. 3, 1848, in Springfield, married Dec. 12, 1871, in Summerfield, New Jersey, to Cornelia Meesler, daughter of Rev. A. Meesler, D.D., pastor of the Dutch Reformed Church of that place. They have one child, MARY SWIFT. John T. Grimsley is a partner in the mercantile firm of Herndon & Co., and resides in Springfield, Illinois. WILLIAM L., born March 17, 1852, is a clerk with Herndon & Co., and resides in Springfield, Illinois.
H. J. Grimsley died in 1865, and his widow [* see note below] married in January, 1867, to Rev. John H. Brown, D.D., pastor of the First Presbyterian Church in Springfield, and later of the Thirty-first Street Presbyterian Church of Chicago. Dr. Brown died Feb. 23, 1872, in Chicago, and was buried in Oak Ridge Cemetery, Springfield. His widow resides in Springfield, Illinois.
~~History of the Early Settlers of Sangamon County, Illinois: "Centennial Record" by John Carroll Power, 1876, Springfield, IL, E. A. Wilson & Co, p. 716. Excerpt from her father Dr. John Todd's biography
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Elizabeth was "Cousin Lizzie," Mary Todd Lincoln's cousin. She came to the White House with the Lincolns. Mary Todd Lincoln was fond of her cousin: "She is a noble, good woman & has been purified, through much trial."
Mrs. Lincoln prevailed on her cousin to delay her departure from Washington as long as possible. Writing later about her six months in the White House, Mrs. Grimsley recalled how her duties came in to include taking care of Willie and Tad. "I was inveigled into the nursery, and by way of a pet name, was dubbed 'Grandmother,' though a younger woman than the mother."
The President was worried at Grimsley's—and Mary's—desire that she be appointed as Springfield's postmaster. Mrs. Grimsley herself never got a job. In August 1863, President Lincoln appointed Grimsley's son to the Naval Academy, but he failed to fulfill entrance requirements. Before he left for Washington, President-elect Lincoln gave Elizabeth Grimsley some of his important papers. Her maid subsequently burned many of them.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
*Note: Elizabeth actually divorced her first husband Harrison Grimsley for desertion in October 1859 in Sangamon County.
