Tag: Grand Tour

A Granddaughter’s Recollection

In the evening of April 15, 2021, the 156th anniversary of the death of President Abraham Lincoln the Arts Club of Washington commemorated his life and legacy with the virtual program, “Lincoln’s Last Breath”.

The program explored Civil War friendship of Mrs. Elizabeth L. C. Dixon, wife of Senator James Dixon of Connecticut and Mrs. Mary Todd Lincoln.

Elizabeth Dixon, was my great great grandmother, and she left us a trove of letters and relics that allow us to retrace her foot prints and friendship with the Lincoln‘s from their first days in Washington until their last.

Elizabeth and her junior congressman husband, James Dixon of Connecticut had first come to Washington in November 1845, during the Polk administration. During these years she kept a journal, a diary, that described those first years in Washington. It had been partially transcribed in the 1970s by my great aunt Elsa, before she donated it to the Connecticut Historical Society, where it remained virtually forgotten.

Elizabeth Dixon was my grandfather’s grandmother. She was my great, great grandmother. This diary, she had dedicated to her daughters Bessie and Clementine. Clementine awas my great grandmother, Mrs. Clementine L.D. Welling.

Journal written during a residence in Washington during the
29th Congress commencing first of Dec, 1845
Dedicated to my daughters
Bessie in Clementine
by their mother,
Elizabeth L. C. Dixon

From 2009-2012 I took on the arduous task and transcribed her 50 page handwritten diary and submitted this transcription to the White House Historical Association, who published; The Diary of Elizabeth Dixon in

White House History, Issue 33.

https://www.whitehousehistory.org/introduction-to-the-transcription-of-the-washington-diary-of-elizabeth-l-c-dixon

During Covid, I have been transcribing another of Elizabeth Dixon‘s diary, the Dixon’s 1840-41 Honeymoon Grand Tour through Europe. Watch for future posts. Until then, Caroline

1840 European Honeymoon diary

A pleasant distraction during this covid pandemic, has been reading the European honeymoon diary of our great-grandparents. Their diary was passed down over the generations, first to their daughter, Mrs. Clementine Welling, then to her daughter, Miss Elizabeth Dixon Welling and then given to me.

The diary, comprised of four leather bound notebooks, began October 10, 1840, shortly after their wedding. Three of the volumes, in the hand of our great grandmother; Elizabeth L. C. Dixon, in which she described departure from New York City, journey across the Atlantic on the SS Great Western steamship, their travel adventures throughout England, France and Italy. The 4th volume of the diary, described the last days in Europe and return home, was written in the hand of our great grandfather, James Dixon, after his young wife, became too ill to write.

Below are images of a few of the pages of the diary. 

Feathers from her palace visit
1840 advertisement of Fontainebleau
Drawing of Queen of France
Invitation to Presentation to French Court

This European Honeymoon diary, was written five years before Elizabeth Dixon’s Washington diary in which she described life as a young mother and wife of a junior congressman in the Capitol during the Mexican War.

Mrs. Elizabeth Dixon was my great-great-grandmother.

I came upon her 1845-1847 diary in the course of archival research, and had been partially transcribed by my great aunt, who had sent an extract to Jackie Kennedy in the 1960s after she had started the White House Historical Association. I finished the entire 50 page diary and submitted the text to editor, William Seale, who published my transcription in Issue 33, White House History journal. This experience opened windows for me on the world of publishing, the interesting times in Washington, and not least at the White House.

Transcription of “Diary of Elizabeth Dixon -Washington 1845-47” is available online at:

https://www.whitehousehistory.org/introduction-to-the-transcription-of-the-washington-diary-of-elizabeth-l-c-dixon

Actually, my interest in archival research began when I discovered letters and family mementos which confirmed the close friendship between Elizabeth Dixon and First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln.

Thus began my long journey of Lost + Found History.