Lincoln twice ferried

[STS Lincolnite]

(12-23-2014 10:45 PM)LincolnToddFan Wrote:  In the excellent book "How A Nation Grieves" covering the period of the assassination, funeral and trial there is a copy of a newspaper article from the week of April 18th 1865. It mentions that an undertaking firm had been ordered to remove the remains of Willie Lincoln from the temporary Carroll vault Georgetown and "prepare" them to accompany those of president to Springfield.

So now I have a rather morbid question. Were poor Willie's remains actually removed from the faux rosewood coffin in which he was buried and placed in a new one? I remember reading somewhere-I can't remember where-that the small coffin that accompanied that of his father to Springfield was a new one. In other words Willie was NOT interred at Oakwood Cemetery in the original coffin in which he was interred in Washington.

Anyone know anything about this?

From what I remember reading, Willie's remains stayed in the original coffin. That coffin was then placed inside the newer coffin. I am at work, but when back home I will see if I can find the source on that.