Mary Lincoln's presence at Abraham's death-bed

[Laurie Verge]

Years ago, a student of Dr. Terry Alford did an excellent paper on The Rubber Room discussing how many people could actually verify that they were present at the moment Lincoln was declared dead. Anyone who has visited the Petersen House knows that the house itself is small before you even consider the room in which the President died. The student's title of her paper was later transferred to a small booklet done by Frank Williams and Harold Holzer of The Lincoln forum.

That said, I cannot confidently list all the people who were supposedly in that room. I can say that Robert Lincoln was there -- and that begs the question as to what was his reaction upon hearing his mother ordered out of and barred from the room... I would think that the son's wishes would have been listened to - even going against the powerful Stanton.

As for Henry Rathbone: From what I have read, he was at the Petersen House for a short period before he became so weak from loss of blood that he was sent to the Harris home to be tended.