and then we had old photographs of the way mary todd lincoln had draped the lincoln bed with the purple and gold and fringe and lace, really high victorian decorating, and we did have later photographs, not contemporary with lincoln, but of the bed still dressed the way she had dressed it. so we did that again. it was really a very interesting and enjoyable time to study the history of all the things the lincolns had here and the way the house was when they were here, and then to re-do and refurbish the bedroom that way. >> you're a reader and there are books all over. how many of these books on these shelves are books that you put there and were some left from the last president? >> all of these books are ours, that are on our shelves. these are books that we've been given and that we've read over the time that we're here, because i had left our large library at the ranch. i also knew that we would the issue that people would give us books. that american authors would give us books, that we would buy and friends would give us books, contemporary best sellers as well as histories they c

todds today, and so i'm just going to tell you two of their stories. and their impacts on the lincolns. one, who had a negative impact on mary lincoln herself, and the other, a positive impact on abraham lincoln. we'll start with david todd. david todd was born in 1832, even as a kid, he was difficult to control. he grew up wild. at 14, he ran off to fight in the mexican war and never came home, never returned to school, never really returned to kentucky. his father hoped at least in the army he would get some army discipline. robert didn't know much about the army that fought in the mexican war, what david learned was to smoke, chew, curse, gamble and worse. and he was sort of swept early into this hyper masculine world, a marshal world really of sinning and hard fighting. after the mexican war, he didn't want to go home, so he joined the california gold rush. i don't think he found very much. i found him in the census in 1850 listed as a farm hand in california. when that didn't pan out, as it were -- [ laughter ] i don't know i went there. he shipped out as a soldier for hire. if you know about the 1850s, there are a lot

lincoln and the todd family. author and history professor steven barry discusses the relationships of president abraham lincoln and the todd family. the brothers and sisters of first lady mary todd lincoln. american history tv in prime-time beginning tonight at 8:00 p.m. eastern. here on c-span3. and live this weekend on our companion network c-span the national governor's association 2012 winter meeting being held here in washington. our coverage gets under way at 10:00 a.m. eastern tomorrow with an opening news conference. later in the day, a couple of breakout sessions looking at state economies. and our coverage continues on sunday, with a look at education and childhood hunger, as well as homeland security, and the role of the national guard. live coverage of the annual national governor's association winter meeting this weekend on c-span. >> it is our cause to dispel the foggy which avoids hard decisions in the delusion that a world of conflict will somehow mysteriously resolve itself in to a world of harmony. if we just don't rock the boat, or irritate the forces of aggression, and this is holewash. >> as candidates campaign for president this year we look back at 14

lincoln and the todd family. the brothers and sisters of first lady mary todd lincoln. professor berry spoke in gettysburg, pennsylvania. this is a little over 50 minutes. >> i am delighted to be here. there are a lot of lincoln lovers in georgia, though this is the densest population of lincoln lovers i've ever been in. i'm truly delighted. i am going to be speaking today about inlaws. you hear that word and you have a visceral reaction, i think. you know that we're in some trouble already. presidential relatives have been a problem, as we know, throughout history. we don't have to go very far back. this, of course, is roger clinton. he was multiple duis, sold cocaine. that's a bit of a problem. here are the reagans as they wanted to be seen, right? but we all know that they had their problems, too. of course, ron pursued ballet. not a problem in itself, though it didn't fit with reagan's own image as a cold warrior. he went on to perform the tom cruise underwear dance from "risk question business" on saturday night live. patty, of course, wrote a tell-all biography, c

starting 8:00 eastern c-span todd family brothers and sisters of first laid mary todd lincoln beginning at 8:00 eastern on c-span3. coming up live this weekend on our companion network c-span national governor association 2012 meeting in our nation's capital. coverage under way 10:00 a.m. eastern tomorrow with an opening news conference and later discussions on economies. our coverage will continue sunday on education and childhood hunger as well as homeland security and role of the national guard. live coverage of the annual governor's winter meeting this weekend on c-span. at the 1968 olympic games john carlos and tommy smith raised their fist in the black power salute. >> they said black power. they intimidated so many people, white people in particular by using that phrase, black power. because when they use that word or that phrase plaque power, it made many people think black power meant destruction, blowing up the statue of liberty or ground zero, destroying america. it wasn't anything about destroying america. it was about rebuilding america. having america have a new paradigm i

together and were enormously close, and it's her daughter who writes the first biography of mary todd lincoln, and it's a very kind biography, so, yeah, this is of a moment that she feels this, but, you know, underneath these resentments and these political disagreements there's affection buried still. >> joseph holt, judge advocate general, had the same problem with his family. he started out as a slave owner, and he split off and became a union man, anti-slavery as well, and his family was not happy with him, and he tried to reconcile with it afterward. he did with thome them. not all of them would. the other rumor i have is a letter from them, george who served with alex todd. in this he is writing to helm and saying that todd had been killed and he shows in a map where todd is buried. so the family can claim him if they wish to afterward. did they? >> they did try to find him, and the record is unclear. there are men who sort of fleeced and made a business of trying to say that they knew where confederate dead were, and emily wasn't sure the degree to which she was being played. i'm not c

this has to do with our 16th president's wife, mary todd lincoln. do with a portrait that's been hanging in the presidential library museum in springfield, illinois for years and years. well, guess what? turns out this portrait that you're looking at is a fraud. that's what it should be looking like. that's the original. this was purchased in 1929 by the lincoln family, donated to the museum and the curator wanted it restored. in the process, they learned that this portrait had been modified. so you can see she's wearing a cross necklace. in the next picture right there, she's wearing a broach of abraham lincoln. this walls allegedly a portrait penned by mr. carpenter there, but they don't even know it was done by him either. her facial features have been mod feed. her hair has been modified. they don't know who the sitter was or the artist was. but they decided it's the most famous painting in the museum, they're going to keep it around. >> now, that is a saturday night mystery. >> indeed. >> indeed. >> all right. our next story, this is interestin

the way, william todd, the pioneer who drew the flag on a bedsheet, was the nephew of mary todd, abraham lincoln'sfe. with "flag facts," i'm kristen. >> stress is an all-too-familiar feeling, but you can do something about it. here's scott. >> here's some good news for all you gamesters out there. professor of psychology dr. sian beilock says video games can actually be good for your brain. >> it's true. let's start with early childhood first. there's research that shows that some types of video games may help develop motor skills. and then there are studies with college students. according to the data, playing video games actually helps improve memory and attention. >> so does that mean the more games i play, the better? >> no. you can't, unfortunately, swap video games for doing your homework. that's because the benefits of playing games max out after a certain point. like everything else, all things are best in moderation. >> thanks, dr. beilock. >> you're welcome. .. soft... and d totally irresistible. your lip butter? likewise. new revlon® colorburst™ lip butter. a hydrating buttery balm for