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Lincoln Home National Historic Site
Mary's Wedding Ring
When historians refer to the wedding ring that Abraham Lincoln gave to Mary on November 4, 1842, they usually claim that the inscription read "Love is eternal." However, according to the Chicago Tribune edition of July 18, 1882, there were more than three words engraved.

Prior to her death, Mary removed her wedding ring from her finger. On July 16, 1882, in her sister Elizabeth Edwards' house, the same house where she had married Abraham Lincoln forty years before, she passed away. The following day, some of Elizabeth's friends found the ring and discovered that the inscription read, "A.L. to Mary, Nov. 4, 1842. Love is Eternal." The ring was subsequently placed on Mary's finger, where it had been for forty years, and was buried with her remains in Oak Ridge Cemetery, Springfield, Illinois.

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Mary Todd Lincoln

Did You Know?
Mary Lincoln never returned to the family home in Springfield after the death of Abraham Lincoln. She instead lived in Chicago and in Europe until returning to her sister's house in Springfield later in life. Lincoln Home National Historic Site, Illinois
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Last Updated: September 05, 2007 at 18:18 MST