Episode 49: Caroline Welling Van Deusen, Elizabeth Dixon, Who Was She and Why Was She at President Lincoln's Deathbed?

In this episode, Anne Marie talks to Caroline Welling VanDeusen. Caroline is the author of Diary of Elizabeth Dixon, 1845-47 published in White House History, Issue 33, by the White House Historical Association. You may wonder who Elizabeth Dixon is because Elizabeth actually worked hard to erase herself from history. She went so far as to pay off reporters not to write about her. She did, however, leave behind her diaries and letters, which were passed down from generation to generation until they landed in the hands of Caroline, Elizabeth’s direct descendent.

Caroline talks in-depth about her 3rd great-grandmother Elizabeth Dixon, whose presence was requested by first lady Mary Todd Lincoln during the dark hours following her husband’s fatal shooting. Elizabeth is depicted in the painting The Last Hours of Abraham Lincoln, by Alonzo Chappel seated next to Mary who is sprawled across the dead body of President Lincoln.

To find out more on Caroline Welling Van Deusen: https://bio.site/carolinewvandeusen

Elizabeth Dixon's published diary: https://bit.ly/3gmAgvU

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