Robert Todd papers, 1797-1852 1797-1817 (bulk dates) | WorldCat.org (original) (raw)

Summary:The materials consist of fragments of legal cases concerning the settlement of estates of the Todd and Parker families of Lexington, Kentucky. Included are notices (1816-1817) from the case of Robert Parker's heirs vs. Robert Todd's heirs; a decree (1797) in the case of Robert Todd vs. William McConnell's heirs; a typescript of an advertisement from the Kentuycky Gazette offering "Mansfield", the home of Colonel John Todd, near Lexington, Kentucky, for sale; and the answer (1852) of Robert Todd's heirs in the case of Todd's heirs vs. Todd's administrators and several summonses. The plaintiffs in the latter case consist of Robert Todd's daughters and their husbands, including Mary Todd and Abraham Lincoln. Their separate answer which includes Lincoln's signature, taken together with the answers of Mrs. Lincoln's sisters, illustrate the subordinate position of women in the mid-nineteenth century because of their lack of income and their dependence upon male family members for financial security