Closest living Lincoln descendant

[Juan Marrero]

Without invading anyone's privacy who doesn't want ot be identifed as such, I wonder who is the closest living collateral descendant of President Lincoln. There appears to be no direct descendant and his only sister died in childbirth, so the remaining candidates would have to be descendant's of any cousins he may have had. I'm sure that l'm not the only one who wished that there were linear descendants. Funny thing, there is a young man in my office who says he is a direct descendant of Jefferson Davis. I guess in the War to Pass on the Genes, it was no contest.

The bloodline of very great men/women (at least based on anecdote) seems to run dry qickly...Washington, Shakespeare.

[Eva Elisabeth]

Have you read "The Last Lincolns"? It seems, in terms of generations, the last Lincoln promising to be great (to refer to your last sentence) was Robert's son Jack (A. L. II)

[Juan Marrero]

Yes, I read the book and it is indeed a sad story. Antibiotics is probably the greatest accomplishment of the 20th century. Jack's story is very similar to that of Calvin Coolidge's son. I don't know whether it is apocryphal but I read that some thought that Cal Jr.'s blood poisoning resulted from wearing dyed socks while playing tennis at the White house. The poisonous dye penetrated through a foot blister. Hence, people have play sports with white socks.

Jack's death has an eerie echo in JFK Jr's premature end. I don't buy into the mystical side of the AL-JFK coincidence paradigm but there certainly are some parallels. I believe that Mrs. Kennedy and Mrs. Lincoln died at approximately the same age.

[LincolnToddFan]

I know that actor Tom Hanks is a Lincoln descendant through the matrilineal line, but my understanding is that AL's last direct descendant died in December 1985. (Robert Lincoln Beckwith, great grandson)

It's rather sad but maybe it's for the best. AL's grandchildren had no interest at all in their famous ancestor and seemed a spoiled, feckless lot. The late president's "good genes" apparently died with his own offspring.

Who knows what disgrace and embarrassment future generations would have brought to his legendary name.

[RJNorton]

I know that actor Tom Hanks is a Lincoln descendant through the matrilineal line

For anyone interested in Hanks' genealogy...one of our forum members, Vicky Reany Paulson, has written an excellent book on this topic:

http://www.amazon.com/Abraham-Lincolns-H...+Genealogy

[LincolnToddFan]

Excellent....THANK YOU Roger! I knew nothing about that book!

[ReignetteC]

Although Robert Todd Lincoln Beckwith died childless, wasn't there an alleged offspring from one of his dalliances?

[Juan Marrero]

I believe Mr. Beckwith's young, German wife had a son, but the paternity was disputed because Mr. Beckwith had had a vasectomy years earlier. After Mr. Beckwith's death, the child received a settlement from the Lincoln estate to give clear title to the organizations that were designated as beneficiaries, including the Christian Science Church. It seems that the matter has ended there without any further claim that there is yet a direct Lincoln descendant alive.

[Eva Elisabeth]

Juan, please don't miss posts #80&#82 here:
http://rogerjnorton.com/LincolnDiscussio...y#pid42163

[L Verge]

This is the only thing I have found so far – taken from NY Times in 1989.

The Lincoln relatives, descended from the President's uncle, were seated at a table with Eleanor Axson Sayre, Woodrow Wilson's granddaughter and a curator emeritus at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. ''Yours was a Democrat, and mine was a Republican,'' said Capt. Horatio A. Lincoln, who is retired from the United States Navy. ''But,'' replied Mrs. Sayre, ''he was a liberal Republican.''

Anyone want to follow up on this lead?

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I believe Mr. Beckwith's young, German wife had a son, but the paternity was disputed because Mr. Beckwith had had a vasectomy years earlier. After Mr. Beckwith's death, the child received a settlement from the Lincoln estate to give clear title to the organizations that were designated as beneficiaries, including the Christian Science Church. It seems that the matter has ended there without any further claim that there is yet a direct Lincoln descendant alive.

The last I heard (from a Surratt House visitor years ago), that child was then working with the state's attorney's office somewhere in Florida.