SPRINGFIELD – Newly revealed letters written by Abraham Lincoln’s widow in the months after the president’s assassination show her frantic mindset as she grappled with enormous debts that left her feeling humiliated and fearful of prolonged homelessness.

Three letters written by Mary Lincoln and her son Robert were donated Saturday to the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield and will go on display after cleaning and other preparations. The museum is a center for Lincoln research, drawing scholars and even a visit by actor Daniel Day-Lewis as he studied for his portrayal of the 16th president in Steven Spielberg’s historical epic “Lincoln,” which opens nationwide next week.

Only an incomplete portion of one of the letters had ever been published. The rest is new to historians.