Eleven-year old Willie Lincoln, the President's third son, dies of typhoid in the White House

William Wallace Lincoln, called "Willie" by all, was the admired and precocious third son of President and Mrs. Lincoln.  He had fallen ill with symptoms of typhoid around two weeks before and died in the White House, after a long struggle, at around five o'clock in the afternoon of a cold, dull day.  He was eleven years old. The loss of their favorite son was a powerful blow for the family, especially Mary Todd Lincoln.  He died in the bed that now occupies the Lincoln bedroom in the White House.  (By John Osborne)