The Man Who Wrote the Man Who Killed Lincoln

[Donna McCreary]

Robert Lincoln, may or may not, have burned papers, but it is known that he encouraged his Todd family relations to destroy letters. According to Emily Huntington Stuart, the wife of John Todd Stuart Jr.:

"My eldest son, George, at the time, was collecting autographs. He was probably ten or eleven years old. Hearing from Mrs. Stuart that my father-in-law had been requested by Robert Lincoln to destroy all family and confidential or business lettres, appertaining to either Mr. or Mrs. Lincoln, and also hearing that he was complying with the request as rapidly as possible, by burning the same, I gave George permission to write his grandfather, asking for autographs of famous men he knew."
John Todd Stuart granted his grandson's request and gave him one letter from Lincoln and one from Judge Davis.

This story was published in the Illinois Society DAR genealogy records, 1940-1941.