The Jefferson Lemen Compact - Was it True

[RJNorton]

(01-24-2016 10:40 PM)Rob Wick Wrote:  One last point....if James Lemen Jr., had been such a close friend to Abraham Lincoln and was such a trusted spiritual adviser, where was he when Lincoln's body was buried in Springfield? There were six Protestant ministers involved in the services at the receiving vault, including Matthew Simpson and Phineas Gurley, yet Lemen had not even been invited to participate. Seems strange for someone who was said to have been so close to Lincoln, which, undoubtedly Lincoln's friends and family would have known.

I agree with Rob, and I think another important fact is that Lemen, Jr. was not interviewed by Herndon. After the assassination Herndon contacted Lincoln's friends and those who knew him. Certainly Herndon would have known if Lincoln and Lemen were friends. But Lemen was not interviewed by Herndon. None of the other folks who knew/befriended Lincoln mentioned Lemen either.

Additionally, there are no letters to Lemen in The Collected Works, and no mention of him in Lincoln Day by Day.