Borne by Loving Hands

[Bob Cecil]

Rich,

Your response is the first time I've heard the name of Thomas Gourlay. Since it sounds as though you know something about him, could you please elaborate, perhaps providing some substantiation of his claim? If so, I'll add his name to the spreadsheet I developed re the people who claimed to have helped carry Lincoln's body.

Who was he?
Did he mention carrying Lincoln in a dated letter to a family member?
Is there a newspaper or magazine article that mentions his claim? If so, in what publication and on what date?
What else is there that gives credence to his claim (made for him by family members)?

There were nineteen people listed on my spreadsheet. If Gourlay might also have a claim, he would make twenty. In your response above, however, you said that "no less than twenty-five" people made similar claims. If you have the information, who were the other five and what can you tell us about them that would help substantiate their claims?

Best, Bob (Robert Downing) Cecil