How did Mary Todd Lincoln overcome obstacles?

Answer 1

She didn't. Mary never recovered from President Lincoln's assassination. Overnight, she went from being a sheltered and protected wife to a frightened, grieving widow. Her oldest son Robert was not sympathetic to her plight, and distanced himself emotionally from her. Mary refused to return to the family home in Springfield, Illinois, to live. Instead, she took up residence with Robert and his younger brother Tad in a Chicago hotel. She believed herself to be poor. Although Lincoln had left a sizeable estate, it was tied up in probate for three years. Mary, Robert, and Tad each received an allowance from the estate's executor. If Mary had lived in Springfield, she could probably have managed nicely. But Chicago was expensive, and after Robert moved into his own lodgings, Mary and Tad were forced to seek cheaper rooms.

Unknown to Robert, Mary was deeply in debt. She had spent freely and lavishly as the First Lady, and she charged everything. With Lincoln's death, creditors demanded their money. Mary contracted with a pair of dishonest brokers in New York to sell her old clothes to pay off her debts. Since she would wear black for the rest of her life, she thought that the beautiful gowns she had worn as First Lady would fetch a large sum. Instead, the brokers advertised and charged admission for the public to view Mary's gowns. The newspapers got hold of the story, and Robert learned the truth. He was acutely embarrassed and "raving," according to his mother. Eventually, Mary paid to have the clothes returned to her. They were soiled and torn from being exhibited, making them worthless. This was probably the only time Mary attempted to "overcome obstacles." She had debts, and she tried to sell her possessions to pay those debts.