Background
The eldest child of James Harlan and Ann Eliza Peck, Mary Eunice Harlan was born in Iowa City, Iowa on September 25, 1846.
The eldest child of James Harlan and Ann Eliza Peck, Mary Eunice Harlan was born in Iowa City, Iowa on September 25, 1846.
She was educated in Mount Pleasant and at Madame Smith"s Finishing School in Washington.
The only one of James Harlan"s children to live to adulthood, she was raised in Mount Pleasant, Iowa and Washington, District of Columbia In 1864 Robert Lincoln noticed the teenaged Mary and began to court her. She had also come to the attention of Robert"s mother Mary Lincoln, who approved and attempted to play matchmaker. President Abraham Lincoln became aware of his wife"s activities and aided her by asking Senator Harlan to escort Mistress
Lincoln to Lincoln"s 1865 presidential inaugural, enabling Robert to escort Mary Harlan.
Their marriage was delayed by the assassination of Robert"s father and the subsequent mourning period.
