"Phantoms" at Lincoln's deathbed

[Donet D. Graves]

(09-02-2014 08:32 AM)loetar44 Wrote:  I use the word "phantoms" to indicate persons who said they witnessed the death of Lincoln, or who were made a witness by others, but in reality were not there (in the death chamber at Petersen's) at all. What to think about the following three individuals?

(1) James Wormley (owner and operater of the Wormley Hotel in D.C.) was widely reported in 1865 to be at the bedside of Abraham Lincoln when he died. His presence at Lincoln's deathbed was cited in numerous obituaries and articles , however, I did not find any corroborating documentation of this presence.

(2) "Tributes to Abraham Lincoln", a compilation of newspaper articles, says: Gen. O'Beirne is the only man living who was present at the death of Lincoln. He waa sent to the house as provost-marshal by Secretary of War Stanton. Also here I did not find any corroborating documentation.

(3) Salmon P. Chase is pictured on a lot of deathbed scenes as witness but I doubt he was ever there at all. I thought he was only included so that beside family all branches (executive, legislative and judicial) might be represented.

I'm searching for a list of all (proven) persons who were at Lincoln's deathbed. Persons who are not mentioned once but at least twice in seperate documentations. Is such a list existing? And where can I retrieve (or download) that list? Or have someone such a list and willing to share? Thanks.

While I have yet to locate clear and convincing fist hand evidence of the presence of James Wormely at the deathbed, I would like to point out the following:
1. James had been noted as a "nurse" of famous men of the 19th century in Washington having been called to the bedside of Daniel Webster, John Calhoun, Clay and others having grown up around them since the early part of the century. His parents had been acquainted with the Madison's, Monroe, Jefferson, Francis Scott Key (who had represented his father Lynch in court in DC in 1815), Richard Cutts, Richard Rush and others.
2. James was a favorite caterer of most of President Lincoln's Cabinet members and would be with them on many occasions during the war.
3. James' restaurant and boarding house on I St. bet. 15th and 16th was the dwelling for General Winfield Scott when he was in DC until 1861.
4. In the late summer of 1861 Gen. McClellan used it as his favorite dining place.
5. Lincoln's secretaries Hay and Nicolay would frequent the restaurant across Lafayette Square from the White House both during and after Lincoln's administration.
6. James was reportedly called in to nurse Lincoln's sons early in the Presidency.
7. James was actively engaged with Seward in slave freedom efforts.
8. James was a friend and associate of William Slade , Lincoln's White House steward.
9. James' two sons were married during the war to William Slade's two daughters.
10. James was a good friend and supporter of Elizabeth Keckley who were both members of the same 15th Street Baptist Church and who attended the wedding of James' niece in 1868.
11. James was asked by Assistant Treasury Secretary Harrington to lead the "colored" section of the Lincoln funeral procession.
12. James catered the wedding of Robert Lincoln in September of 1868 also attended by Mary Lincoln and her other son.
13. Thereafter James was at the bedside of William Corcoran the financier and he was present at the deathbed of his good friend Charles Sumner.
14. James was called to the deathbed of the dying President Garfield and was called upon to prepare many of the President's meals during his dying days at the White House.
As I said while there is still no direct proof uncovered it would seem that if anyone were called to be with the dying president, it would have been James Wormley. The resentment of people of color was most prevalent in those days and there was rarely an effort to include people who were not "white" in representations of important events. Even in the subsequent descriptive articles about his presence men like Charles Sumner complained that the deathbed images of the day specifically excluded James even though he had been present.