She didn’t even mention Abe

In a falling-apart expanding file are a number of beautiful little envelopes of private correspondence to Ellie Stoneroad Patterson, my three-greats grandmother. Inside are handwritten letters, embossed, on paper still substantial and barely yellowed, even after all these years. The handwriting is exquisite but light, not written darkly and faded over time. They’re tough to read, but not impossible.

One letter, dated March 9, 1861, comes from S.E. Dixon, one of Ellie’s friends. Mrs. Dixon writes from Harrisburg of her travels to Baltimore, Annapolis, and Maryland over the previous week.

We spent Sunday at Annapolis, had a delightful time, Monday we went to Washington, where we remained until Wednesday afternoon.

She tells of the crowds she saw in Washington, D.C., and of the beauty of the grounds.

I had very little idea of the magnificence of the public buildings before. The Capitol is grand–superb–and the public grounds beautiful. … The city was crowded to overflowing and many persons could not find lodgings at all.

Mrs. Dixon put pen to paper on a Saturday. Assuming she did not wait to tell Ellie of her travels, the previous Monday through Wednesday would have been March 4, 5, and 6.

Abraham Lincoln’s first inauguration was on Monday, March 4, 1861.

I’m holding a letter, with paper in pristine condition, written to my great great great grandmother, telling of a visit to Washington, D.C., during Lincoln’s first inauguration. And the letter doesn’t even mention the president or the event. Did Mrs. Dixon not realize what was happening? Surely she knew she was in town during the inauguration. So why did she not think to include this detail in her letter?