Robert Todd Lincoln --The vitals

[Susan Higginbotham]

(01-06-2018 12:52 PM)kerry Wrote:  I think Robert made sure everyone kept a low profile and the press therefore didn't get much information, so I have no idea what we don't know, but based on what we do know I can't come up with much of a judgment on Mary Harlan Lincoln. I feel like a narrative has grown up around her that isn't based on any much information. One of the few pieces of info I can think of was that Jessie's ex-husband claimed Mary Harlan Lincoln basically took his kids away from him. I had never heard that his daughters could not attend the burial. My only speculation as to that would be that I don't think it was a very religious service - wasn't Robert an atheist? As the rest of the family was into Christian Science, perhaps their mother wanted to honor Robert's wishes without admitting this to the kids. And also, maybe after his traumatic life full of funerals of family members, he didn't wish his kids to go through it, and wanted them to just remember him alive.

According to Jason Emerson, there was a funeral held at Hildene two days after Robert's death, which the immediate family and two close friends attended. Presumably the daughters were at that ceremony, which was presided over by a Congregationalist pastor and included some selections from biblical texts.

Later in 1926, Mary Harlan Lincoln had her husband's body moved to a temporary vault at Arlington, where it remained until its permanent interment in 1928. Emerson disputes the story of the final interment being kept secret from Robert's daughters, which apparently rests solely on the account of the Reverend Dr. Sizoo. It does seem to have been kept extremely private, though.