Herndon on Lincoln: Letters

[Rob Wick]

Ida Tarbell was one of the first, if not the first, biographer to question Herndon's account of the wedding. In her articles in McClure's Magazine and later in the 1900 edition of her two-volume Life of Lincoln, Tarbell shows with detailed evidence a number of people who disputed Herndon's claim. Of course, many who generally accepted Herndon accepted his account, and Tarbell was excoriated by them, especially by Albert J. Beveridge, who had unfettered access to the Herndon-Weik collection. Yet I think Tarbell has some pretty strong evidence to back up her claims. I would also urge those interested to look at her papers for some of the material mentioned in the article and the book. Sadly, much of Tarbell's material from McClure's was destroyed in 1917.

Best
Rob