The Grace Bedell Story

That especially should be the case for the small town of Westfield, New York, straddling the intersection of US Route 20 and State Highway NY 394.

It all started with a letter a young resident of the town wrote to the Presidential aspirant of this nation. The day was October 15, 1860.

Apparently an innocent venture for a little girl at that time, she never would have thought that she and the letter as well as the recipient of that letter would be permanently etched in the history of the world's most powerful nation.

She was eleven years old. Her mind was vexed with a "nagging thought". It didn't concern her but a man soon to be the President of her nation, though at that time he was still contesting as a candidate.

She didn't like the clean shaven appearance of her favorite candidate. Ladies of her time liked men growing whiskers. She was afraid that her favorite would not get enough votes if he didn't grow whiskers.

So she wrote to him in highly respectful words that his thin face "would look a great deal better" if he grew whiskers on his face. That would also make it easier for her to canvass votes for him. She even suggested that whisker-loving women folk also would "tease" votes out of their husbands.

She politely suggested that if he cannot reply in person, it can be entrusted to his "daughter", if he had any.

Abraham Lincoln of Springfield, Illinois to whom the letter was addressed, did reply to his young supporter's letter four days later on October 19, 1860.

He regretted he didn't have any daughters. His family consisted of only his wife and three sons. "As to the whiskers" he had never worn any. He then asked her opinion whether she would not think people would call it "a piece of silly affectation" if he were to start growing whiskers from then on.

History did not stop with those letters.

Four months later, one day in the February of 1861, President-elect Abraham Lincoln was on his inaugural journey from Illinois to Washington, D.C.

Yes, one of the greatest human beings ever created by God was sporting a beard at the request of a small girl. The train stopped in Westfield, New York on the way.

At the station, standing at the door of his train compartment Abraham Lincoln told the waiting crowd about the letter a young resident of their town wrote him. Then he requested that if that young lady was in the crowd he should be glad to see her.

Yes, young Grace Bedell was in the crowd. She came forward clinging to the arms of her father. Lincoln climbed down to the platform. Sitting beside her, he showed "Gracie" the whiskers he had been growing for her sake. He kissed her goodbye and left.

That was the first and last time Grace saw Lincoln.

Recently, a second letter written by Grace has surfaced. She was fifteen years old at tthe time of this second correspondence. Her father had lost most of the property and her family was in dire straits. She wanted to help her family and asked for Abraham Lincoln's help in getting a job at the Treasury in Washington. She was willing to provide respectable references familiar to him regarding her employability.

According to her it was the second time she was writing on that subject. She felt the first letter should have been lost in transit.

Grace Bedell never got the Treasury job. But to me it is still a mystery why the President Lincoln never replied to Grace. According to history, Abraham Lincoln was never one to shy away from or ignore any correspondence even from his worst adversaries. Also, he never discriminated between the poor and the rich in his personal dealings.

As for saying "No", Lincoln is still the best role model in this world for saying that in the most polished, nonhurting way. He was one of the rarest of humans blessed with such facility of language that nobody would have felt hurt with his "No."

The only reason I can think of is that such communications were screened away before reaching the President to save his valuable time. Or, letters seeking his intervention and help in personal matters might have been too many to deal with. Jobs were not as many as we have today.

According to public records Grace Bedell was born on November 4, 1848, moved to Dephos, Kansas after marriage and died there on November 2, 1936.

Whenever I remember this incident I am reminded of the words of Jesus Christ that whoever treats a child well is actually treating God well.

If you ever happen to pass through Chautauqua County of Western New York and reach the intersection US 20 and NY 394, remember to look around for two statues the grateful town of Westfield had erected in memory of Abraham Lincoln and little Grace Bedell.