Robert Smith Todd

Robert Smith Todd
Undated daguerreotype of Todd
Member of the Kentucky Senate for Fayette County
In office 1848–1849
Personal details
Born	(1791-02-25)February 25, 1791 Whig
Spouses	Elizabeth Parker ​ ​ (m. 1812; died 1825)​ Elizabeth Humphreys ​ (m. 1826)​
Relations	Transylvania College

Robert Smith Todd (February 25, 1791 – July 17, 1849) was an American lawyer, soldier, banker, businessman and politician. He was the father of First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln.

Early life

Todd was born on February 25, 1791, in

Even before what became known as the War of 1812 started, Todd was active in a militia company that eventually merged into the Lexington light artillery of the 5th Kentucky Regiment. In the winter of 1811 to 1812, he asked to be recommended for a commission from Senator Henry Clay through Parker family members.^[1]

In July 1812, when the 5th Kentucky Regiment left Lexington, it contained Robert, three of his brothers, and eight Todd cousins. Initially, Todd himself did not receive his officer commission, although his two older brothers did, so along with his younger brother Samuel, he enlisted as a

On November 13, 1812, Todd was married to his second cousin, Elizabeth "Eliza" Parker (1794–1825). Eliza was the daughter of Robert Porter Parker, a prominent landowner and merchant who had died in 1800. Eliza's mother, Elizabeth Rittenhouse (née Porter) Parker,[7] a daughter of Col. Andrew Porter did not remarry prior to her death in 1850.^[8][b] Together, Eliza and Robert were the parents of seven children, six of whom survived to maturity, before her death in 1825, from complications during George's birth. Their children were:^[5]

• Elizabeth Todd (1813–1888), who married Ninian Edwards Jr., the son of the Illinois Governor Ninian Edwards.^[11]
• Levi Oldham Todd (1816–1864), who married Louise Searle and remained in Lexington until his death.^[12]
• Frances Jane Todd (1817–1899), who married Dr. William Smith Wallace.^[13]
• Mary Ann Todd (1818–1882), who married Abraham Lincoln, later the 16th President of the United States.
• Ann Maria Todd Smith (1820–1891), who married Clark Moulton Smith, a successful merchant.^[13]
• Robert Parker Todd (1821–1822), who died in infancy.^[5]
• George Rogers Clark Todd (1825–1900), a surgeon who served in a Confederate hospital in South Carolina.^[14]

Six months after the death of his first wife, he proposed to Elizabeth "Betsy" Humphreys, and they married on November 1, 1826.^[15] Betsy was the daughter of Dr. Alexander Humphreys and Mary (née Brown) Humphreys. Her maternal uncle was John Brown.^[c] Together, Betsy and Robert were the parents of nine additional children, eight of whom survived to maturity:^[5]

• Robert Humphrey Todd (1827–1827), who died in infancy.^[5]
• Margaret Todd (1828–1904), who married Charles Henry Kellogg.^[14]
• Samuel Brown Todd (1830–1862), a Confederate soldier who was killed on the second day of the Battle of Shiloh.^[13]
• David Humphreys Todd (1832–1871), a commandant of the Richmond prisons and served in the 21st Louisiana Infantry Regiment.^[13]
• Martha Todd (1833–1868), who married C. B. White of Alabama.^[2]
• Emilie Pariet Todd (1836–1930), who married Confederate Gen. Benjamin Hardin Helm, and son of the Kentucky Governor John L. Helm.^[13]
• Alexander Humphreys Todd (1839–1862), a Confederate soldier killed at the Battle of Baton Rouge.^[13]
• Elodie Breck Todd (1840–1877), who married Brig. General
  U.S. Commissioner of Education.^[16][17]
• Catherine Bodley Todd (1841–1875), who married William Wallace Herr.[13]

In 1832, Todd purchased a three-story, fourteen room, brick residence at 578 West Main Street in Lexington. The new Todd family home was built c. 1803 – c. 1806 as an inn and tavern and known as "The Sign of the Green Tree".^[5] Today, the home has been preserved and is known as the Mary Todd Lincoln House.^[5]

Todd died suddenly from cholera on July 17, 1849, aged 58, in Liberty Heights, a neighborhood in Lexington.^[18]

Notes