Willie Lincoln plaque

[STS Lincolnite]

This has been a topic of interest for me for a while. Like others here, I have done some searching (Newspapers, etc.) but have been unable to find any primary sources to support the story of Lincoln visiting Willie in the Carroll tomb. As Steve mentioned, trying to choose the correct keyword to search online newspaper databases is a challenge along with the sheer volume of possible newspapers (that aren't in online databases as well as those that are) make it hard to narrow down. Although, it seems to me it should be easier to find a primary source than it has proven to be if this story is true. I also did a quick check in Michael Burlingame's extensively referenced biography of Lincoln. As far as I could find, he made no mention of Lincoln having visited Willie in the Carroll tomb. I will have a chance to speak with Burlingame in a couple of weeks and if I remember, I will ask him about the topic.

Twenty Days seems to be what most be people who repeat this story use as a source. As much as I like the book Twenty Days, there has been more than one thing that appears in there that I have not been able to find a primary source for (and in at least one case where I have found primary sources that in fact contradict what they wrote). I wish they would have cited sources. It would even be great if there was some sort of access to their papers or notes – the material they wrote the book from. That may lead to more clues as to primary sourcing. Maybe someday the family will donate that material to one library or another. But until then…

Regarding the Mary Miner Hill papers. I have seen them at the library in Springfield, IL. As Terry noted in post #30, with a close read, they clearly state that it was Rev. Noyes Miner himself that visited Willie in the Carroll tomb. Any manuscript that uses those papers as a supporting source for the story that Lincoln or Mary visited the tomb is flat out wrong. Ms. Hill describes two letters that her father (Rev. Noyes Miner) sent home while visiting the Lincolns in 1862 after Willie’s death. One of the letters was to Ms. Hill’s mother and one was to Ms. Hill’s sister. She seemed to have had both of the letters in her possession at the time she was writing her “memoir.” In the “memoir,” it seems she, for all intents and purposes, transcribed her father’s letters (it’s unfortunate she did include a photostatic copy or a photograph of the original letters – that would have certainly heightened the credibility of the account).

I have a couple of research leads to follow up on with regards to this topic, but they require me to travel to Washington, DC. Due to the pandemic they have been on hold for quite a while. I haven’t been to DC in probably two years and don’t know when I’ll get down that way again. I hope maybe this winter, but we’ll see.