Julia Taft Bayne
Encyclopedia
Julia Taft Bayne was an American author
who wrote a memoir
of the Lincoln White House
entitled Tad Lincoln's Father.
A daughter of Horatio Nelson Taft, an attorney and examiner in the U.S. Patent Office, Julia Bayne lived in Washington D.C. as a child and young woman. In 1861, she watched over her two brothers, who were playmates of the President Abraham Lincoln
's two sons, Willie Lincoln and Tad Lincoln
. When the Lincoln boys had no playmates at the White House, First Lady Mary Lincoln
asked Horatio Taft's wife if she had children. Mrs. Taft asked her daughter Julia to bring 14-year-old Horatio Nelson Jr., or Bud, and 11-year-old Halsey Cook Taft, called Holly, with her to the White House. During this time, Julia Taft also became a friend to President Lincoln and his wife. After Willie died on February 20, 1862, the Taft children stopped visiting the White House.
Julia Bayne's half brother Charles Sabin Taft
was one of the first physicians on the scene when President Lincoln was shot on April 14, 1865. He remained with the President until his death.
In 2001, Tad Lincoln's Father was reprinted by Bison Books, University of Nebraska Press (ISBN 0803261918).
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
who wrote a memoir
Memoir
A memoir , is a literary genre, forming a subclass of autobiography – although the terms 'memoir' and 'autobiography' are almost interchangeable. Memoir is autobiographical writing, but not all autobiographical writing follows the criteria for memoir set out below...
of the Lincoln White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
entitled Tad Lincoln's Father.
A daughter of Horatio Nelson Taft, an attorney and examiner in the U.S. Patent Office, Julia Bayne lived in Washington D.C. as a child and young woman. In 1861, she watched over her two brothers, who were playmates of the President Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
's two sons, Willie Lincoln and Tad Lincoln
Tad Lincoln
Thomas "Tad" Lincoln was the fourth and youngest son of Abraham and Mary Lincoln. The nickname "Tad" was given to him by his father who found Thomas "as wriggly as a tadpole" when he was a baby. Tad was known to be impulsive, unrestrained, and did not attend school...
. When the Lincoln boys had no playmates at the White House, First Lady Mary Lincoln
Mary Todd Lincoln
Mary Ann Lincoln was the wife of the 16th President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln, and was First Lady of the United States from 1861 to 1865.-Life before the White House:...
asked Horatio Taft's wife if she had children. Mrs. Taft asked her daughter Julia to bring 14-year-old Horatio Nelson Jr., or Bud, and 11-year-old Halsey Cook Taft, called Holly, with her to the White House. During this time, Julia Taft also became a friend to President Lincoln and his wife. After Willie died on February 20, 1862, the Taft children stopped visiting the White House.
Julia Bayne's half brother Charles Sabin Taft
Charles Sabin Taft
Charles Sabin Taft, M.D. was a bystander physician who was pressed into service during the assassination of Abraham Lincoln.-Lincoln's assassination:...
was one of the first physicians on the scene when President Lincoln was shot on April 14, 1865. He remained with the President until his death.
Publication
In 1931, just two years before her death, Julia Bayne wrote the book Tad Lincoln's Father based on her experiences in the White House. Bayne's memoirs provide a unique glimpse into the social and family life of the Lincoln White House. In the work, she speaks of her initial fear of the towering, rough-and-tumble Lincoln, who won her over with teasing. She also discusses an emerging relationship with Mary, who had no daughters and so took particular comfort in Julia's presence.In 2001, Tad Lincoln's Father was reprinted by Bison Books, University of Nebraska Press (ISBN 0803261918).