Lincoln's last words

[loetar44]

Eva Elisabeth wrote: "I don't know the 1882 interview Kees recalled though, but I'd rather rely on her memory in 1866 than short before her death. Plus if I understood correctly the 1882 source was only secondary and even later ("Noyes W. Minor...later wrote the words down")."

It took me some time, but I've found it. My recollection about the interview in 1882 is false. In fact Rev. Miner had long conversations with Mary and reported this conversations in a manuscript (lecture) entitled “Personal Reminiscences of Abraham Lincoln,” on July 10th, 1882. Mary died at July 16, 1882, so it was indeed very short before her passing. Rev. Miner was a Baptist minister who, with his family lived near the Lincolns in Springfield from 1855 to 1861 and had a (close) personal and social relationship with them. His lecture on Abraham Lincoln is now kept at the Illinois State Historical Library. I have the Original manuscript in pdf format, which was published by the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. The ALPL&M holds all rights and permissions. If you are interested in reading the manuscript (56 pages in Miner's own hand) you can preview (and download) it at my box cloud, by clicking:

https://app.box.com/s/ph2a2nn9krubpzlu24yo

On page 54/55 you can read the exact wording of the text we discussed here.

BTW: I still am suspicious of the religiously charged remembrance retold by this clergyman ....