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Rail Splinters

Tad Makes His Mark

July 4, 2021

Antique dealers Brian and Rachel Ellison recently purchased a chest of drawers at a country auction in West Virginia for $300. Someone had carved the name “Tad” on the top. There also appears to be a sketch on the back side which Brian & Rachel think shows Abe Lincoln holding a fishing pole. They speculate that the carvings were done by Tad Lincoln who was known as a precocious child. That fact, along with the age of the chest (1840-1860), has bolstered them in their theory. Unfortunately, at this point, there is no documentation or provenance to support the claim. In the end, they may simply have a $300 chest. We provide some close-up pictures of the piece of furniture in question, along with a link to a newspaper article dealing with the “find”. tadlincolnssecret.com