Helen Nicolay

Born in 1866, Helen Nicolay was the daughter of John G. Nicolay, Abraham Lincoln’s private secretary and later one of Lincoln’s major biographers. That family connection gave her unusual access to Lincoln material, and she went on to write books that helped share Lincoln’s life with younger readers.

She is best known for works such as The Boys’ Life of Abraham Lincoln, which drew on the Nicolay family’s deep knowledge of Lincoln’s world. Sources describing her also identify her as an artist as well as an author.

Helen Nicolay died in 1954. Her papers and related historical materials are preserved in collections such as the New Hampshire Historical Society, reflecting her place in the long tradition of Lincoln remembrance.