Genetic Lincoln

[RJNorton]

I am sharing an email I received today:

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Hello,

My name is Suzanne Hallstrom, administrator of the Hanks DNA Project at FTDNA where the results of the Nancy Hanks Lincoln mtDNA Study were announced in 2015. A new website, Genetic Lincoln has just been launched to expand our knowledge of the genetic ancestry of Abraham Lincoln.

The website will include additional detailed information about the Nancy Hanks Lincoln mtDNA Study, as well as a discussion of the results of Y chromosome testing of paternally-linked Hanks participants. Descendants of Abraham Lincoln’s extended maternal family are being encouraged to participate in autosomal DNA studies.

Genetic Lincoln will maintain a comprehensive repository of factual, fully footnoted Hanks (and related families) research reports for the free, non-profit use of our readers.

Although some sections of the website are still under construction, I decided to go ahead and launch early so our readers can help it grow. All comments and questions are welcome.

https://geneticlincoln.com/

Sincerely,
Suzanne W Hallstrom
GeneticLincoln.com
Nancy Hanks Lincoln mtDNA Study

[David Lockmiller]

On this subject, I think that Abraham Lincoln himself said it best:

"I don't know who my grandfather was. I am much more concerned to know who his
grandson will be." A. Lincoln

[Gene C]

This is new to me

From the above mentioned website link
"Interestingly, there are accounts of a young Abraham Lincoln seeing the meteor storm after he was rousted from his bed in New Salem, Illinois by a church deacon proclaiming the end of the world."

[RJNorton]

(08-30-2018 11:44 AM)Gene C Wrote:  This is new to me

From the above mentioned website link
"Interestingly, there are accounts of a young Abraham Lincoln seeing the meteor storm after he was rousted from his bed in New Salem, Illinois by a church deacon proclaiming the end of the world."

Gene, I do not know John F. Kennedy's source, but in a speech in St Louis on October 2, 1960, he said:

"There will be crises, both within and without. But it is, I think, our intention to bear in mind the words of Lincoln during the darkest days of the Civil War. Many were fearful of the outcome and many were concerned about our survival, and when a delegation called on the President to express its fears, Lincoln told them of an experience of his youth. "One night in November," he said, "a shower of meteors fell from the clear night sky. A friend standing by was frightened. But I looked up and between the falling stars I saw the fixed stars beyond, shining serene in the firmament, and I said, 'Let us not mind the meteors, let us keep our eyes on the stars.' "

(The story is in Lincoln Talks by Emanuel Hertz, and Hertz noted his source as Francis Carpenter. However, I checked Carpenter's book, which is listed in Hertz' bibliography, and cannot find the story. Maybe JFK was using Hertz' book, or it is in Carpenter's book, and I cannot find it.)

[Steve]

(08-30-2018 12:39 PM)RJNorton Wrote:  

(08-30-2018 11:44 AM)Gene C Wrote:  This is new to me

From the above mentioned website link
"Interestingly, there are accounts of a young Abraham Lincoln seeing the meteor storm after he was rousted from his bed in New Salem, Illinois by a church deacon proclaiming the end of the world."

Gene, I do not know John F. Kennedy's source, but in a speech in St Louis on October 2, 1960, he said:

"There will be crises, both within and without. But it is, I think, our intention to bear in mind the words of Lincoln during the darkest days of the Civil War. Many were fearful of the outcome and many were concerned about our survival, and when a delegation called on the President to express its fears, Lincoln told them of an experience of his youth. "One night in November," he said, "a shower of meteors fell from the clear night sky. A friend standing by was frightened. But I looked up and between the falling stars I saw the fixed stars beyond, shining serene in the firmament, and I said, 'Let us not mind the meteors, let us keep our eyes on the stars.' "

(The story is in Lincoln Talks by Emanuel Hertz, and Hertz noted his source as Francis Carpenter. However, I checked Carpenter's book, which is listed in Hertz' bibliography, and cannot find the story. Maybe JFK was using Hertz' book, or it is in Carpenter's book, and I cannot find it.)

JFK (or his speechwriter) got the quote wrong. The story comes from an 1874 book by Maunsell B. Field, Assistant Secretary of the Treasury from 1863 -1865:

https://books.google.com/books?id=qDUQAA...&q&f=false

Excerpts from Field's book, including the story, were first published in the 28 Dec. 1873 Chicago Tribune. According to Field, Lincoln told the story to a group of bankers during the war.

[RJNorton]

Thanks, Steve. Walt Whitman also told the story. I assume he got it from Field.

https://www.bartleby.com/229/3017.html

Lincoln boarded with several people at New Salem. I assume Lincoln's reference is to the 1833 Leonid Meteor Storm. Personally I have never read that Lincoln boarded with a deacon of the Presbyterian Church. Possibly Henry Onstott?

[Steve]

Maybe Lincoln was thinking of Abraham Bale, but he morphed from a Baptist to a Presbyterian in Field's retelling of the speech when he wrote about it about a decade later:

https://books.google.com/books?id=ahhCAA...tt&f=false


Articles on the 1833 Leonids:

https://www.pigeonroost.net/the-great-me...m-of-1833/

and

https://www.richmond-dailynews.com/2012/...e-went-on/

---

Scratch the Abraham Bale suggestion. This description of Onstott as a devout Presbyterian seems to match and also describes him as the co-founder of a Sunday school in Salem, which seems like something a deacon would do:

https://wc.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?...&id=I22215

Also see this description of Osnott as a devout Presbyterian:

https://archive.org/stream/recordofresto...li#page/52

[Steve Whitlock]

I just received the following message from Suzanne Hallstrom:

"All,

Great news to report... A few days ago I received the analysis report from the DNA testing that was done on the Abraham Lincoln assassination relic featured on Genetic Lincoln. Although the DNA on the relic did not match Lincoln, it did match the mtDNA profile of Major Henry Reed Rathbone as determined by the Major Rathbone mtDNA study that Steve and I did a couple of years ago.

I have just announced this news on Genetic Lincoln but am waiting to get FBI clearance to post the full analysis.

I’ll keep you posted,
Suzanne"

Suzanne W. Hallstrom
GENETIC LINCOLN
https://geneticlincoln.com
***********************
In another email Suzanne also acknowledged that Genetic Lincoln was their source for Abraham Lincoln's X1c testing and the Rathbone D4i2 mtdna. The relic used was a wood chip from a chair.

As an aside I would like to mention that one of the donors was a lady who at first declined and later, on her deathbed, insisted that her son take her mtdna for our project as her contribution to history.

Her name is Beverly Ann (Hazen) Donovan.

We are hopeful this might encourage testing of more artifacts, and perhaps we may get a result matching Mr. Lincoln.

[RJNorton]

Steve, on the website it says:

“This is a piece of the chair and piece of curtain President Lincoln was leaning against in Ford’s Theatre when he was shot.”

Do you know which chair in the State Box at Ford's this piece came from?

[Steve Whitlock]

(03-30-2020 03:00 PM)RJNorton Wrote:  Steve, on the website it says:

“This is a piece of the chair and piece of curtain President Lincoln was leaning against in Ford’s Theatre when he was shot.”

Do you know which chair in the State Box at Ford's this piece came from?

Roger,

All I have in my notes is what you quoted. I would expect it to be from the chair where Mr. Lincoln was sitting, since that's likely where Henry Rathbone and John Wilkes Booth struggled; however, it might have even been Rathbone's chair. The way the statement reads I would expect it to be Lincoln's chair, since he is mentioned.

I checked with Suzanne, who has checked with the owner of the relic, and there is no further information.

I have a photo of the rocking chair that Lincoln sat in, but I can't say with any conviction that the very small piece in question came from his chair.

[RJNorton]

Steve, the reason I asked was because Mary Lincoln was sitting on a chair next to Lincoln's rocker. I have seen her chair described as a "carved-back, cane-seat parlor chair." Personally, I do not think I've ever read that Lincoln's rocking chair is missing any pieces of wood, but I could be wrong on that.

[Steve Whitlock]

(03-30-2020 05:31 PM)RJNorton Wrote:  Steve, the reason I asked was because Mary Lincoln was sitting on a chair next to Lincoln's rocker. I have seen her chair described as a "carved-back, cane-seat parlor chair." Personally, I do not think I've ever read that Lincoln's rocking chair is missing any pieces of wood, but I could be wrong on that.

Roger,

Don't be deceived by the photo. It is a very small piece that wouldn't be missed. Perhaps just a sliver. I haven't seen the original in person, so I can't state size. I'll check with Suzanne again, but I'm guessing maybe an inch in length, give or take. The piece used was the shorter of the 2 in a V formation.

---

(03-30-2020 05:31 PM)RJNorton Wrote:  Steve, the reason I asked was because Mary Lincoln was sitting on a chair next to Lincoln's rocker. I have seen her chair described as a "carved-back, cane-seat parlor chair." Personally, I do not think I've ever read that Lincoln's rocking chair is missing any pieces of wood, but I could be wrong on that.

Roger,

You may be on to something if that other piece in the upper right corner, that looks like wicker, is from the same chair. It obviously isn't from the same chair Abraham Lincoln sat in. I was researching people and lineages for provenance without considering which chair was involved.

From my notes there is a way to know more:

How Abraham Lincoln's assassination chair ended up in Michigan
Updated Jan 20, 2019; Posted Apr 14, 2015

“The chair has been in the Henry Ford collection ever since.

In the mid 1990s, a major conservation effort was taken on the chair. The silk fabric is fragile and was encased in a polyester sheer fabric to keep the original silk in place.

A chemical analysis of the material found three locations of blood. "But what we don't know is whose blood it is." Major Henry Rathbone was stabbed in the arm by Booth during the assassination and bled a fair amount.”
*********************
If those blood stains are still available after the conservation effort we can answer the question posed above, "But what we don't know is whose blood it is." An mtdna study will tell whether it is Lincoln or Rathbone's blood, conclusively.

[Steve Whitlock]

(03-30-2020 05:31 PM)RJNorton Wrote:  Steve, the reason I asked was because Mary Lincoln was sitting on a chair next to Lincoln's rocker. I have seen her chair described as a "carved-back, cane-seat parlor chair." Personally, I do not think I've ever read that Lincoln's rocking chair is missing any pieces of wood, but I could be wrong on that.

Roger,

Do you have a photo, or have you seen the chair Mary Todd Lincoln was sitting on at Ford's Theatre? I found 2 pics, but the chair for Mary would be so much less elegant than Abe's, or the chair and couch that Clara Harris and Major Henry Reed Rathbone were in on the right.The description I have for her chair is from an article:

"Ford Theatre gets Mary Lincoln's chair

WASHINGTON, Dec. 12 (UPI) -- Washington's Ford Theatre now has the chair Mary Todd Lincoln was believed sitting in the night her husband, President Abraham Lincoln, was killed.

The carved-back, cane-seat parlor chair from the presidential box was donated to the U.S. government by an anonymous Virginia family last week, the Washington Post reported Monday.

"This is a fabulous thing we've been given. We're very excited about it," Gloria Swift, the National Park Service's curator for Ford's Theatre, told the newspaper.

The chair apparently made its way out of the building via a construction worker on the crew charged with turning the theater into an office building after John Wilkes Booth assassinated the president.

The worker gave the parlor chair to the Virginia family, where it was handed down for generations, Swift said.

The space was restored in the 1950s with replicas of the chairs on which Lincoln and his wife were sitting that night. Lincoln's chair is in the Henry Ford Museum in Dearbon, Mich."

I take it the area where she sat was the "cane" part of "carved-back, cane-seat parlor chair". The attached photos are for Ford's Theatre, and the last part of the article does state the space was restored with replicas of the chairs the Lincolns were sitting on.

According to the many written accounts I've read of that fateful night Mary and Abe had their arms entwined, and Mary expressed concern that Clara might think badly of her at being so shameless with her affection, so likely the chair was as in the first attachment.

The position of the chair matters to try picturing the chain of events, and how Rathbone's blood was on Mary's chair. You are correct that the relic had to come from Mary's chair. Thank you for noting that.

[RJNorton]

Steve, here is the information I have on the chair.

*******************************************************

Va. Family Donates Relic to Ford's Theatre

Chair Was Removed From Lincoln's Box After Assassination

By Petula Dvorak
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, December 12, 2005; Page B03

Inside the box at Ford's Theatre where President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated, most of the furnishings are carefully chosen replicas: the heavy gold drapes and tassels, the red, gold and white floral carpet, the presidential rocker.

But last week, the National Park Service got hold of the real thing. A carved-back, cane-seat parlor chair that was in the presidential box the night Lincoln was shot by actor John Wilkes Booth -- perhaps the one Mary Todd Lincoln was sitting in -- was donated to the government by a Virginia family that had kept the artifact for 140 years.

The carved-back, cane-seat parlor chair was taken when the theater was converted to an office building. (Gloria Swift)

"This is a fabulous thing we've been given. We're very excited about it," said Gloria Swift, the Park Service's curator for Ford's Theatre.

After the assassination darkened the theater in 1865, the government bought the structure on 10th Street NW and turned it into a three-story office building. One of the workers dismantling the theater claimed that his boss had told him to take anything he wanted out of the presidential box. He removed the parlor chair and gave it to the Virginia family, where it was handed down for generations, Swift said.

The family, which Swift said has asked to remain anonymous, tried to sell the chair to the Park Service in the 1950s, when the theater box was being reconditioned as a historic site. But the agency didn't have the cash to buy it and made a replica instead, Swift said.

The current matriarch of the family told the Park Service recently that ownership of the chair was weighing on her.

"All her friends told her she is crazy, that she should sell it on eBay," Swift said. "But she said that giving it to us felt like the right thing to do."

Historians checked the chair for authenticity; the age, markings, style, material and documentation all checked out. And it perfectly matches the chair that Mary Lincoln is sitting on, as well as one empty chair, in a sketch of the assassination in Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper, the period's paper of record.

The chair was put back in the box last week and can be viewed from behind plexiglass on tours of the theater or during performances. It was reunited with two other authentic pieces from that night -- a tufted settee and a portrait of George Washington.

The crown jewel of that tableau, however, remains out of reach for Swift.

"We'd love to have the rocker that President Lincoln was sitting in," she said, sighing. That chair, seized as evidence by the U.S. War Department for the conspirators' trials, was returned in 1921 to the family who owned the theater, then sold in an auction to Henry Ford (who is no relation to the theater Fords).

It remains in the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Mich.

"Our replica is pretty good, though," Swift said.

[Steve Whitlock]

(05-06-2020 05:13 AM)RJNorton Wrote:  Steve, here is the information I have on the chair.

*******************************************************

Va. Family Donates Relic to Ford's Theatre

Chair Was Removed From Lincoln's Box After Assassination

By Petula Dvorak
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, December 12, 2005; Page B03

Inside the box at Ford's Theatre where President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated, most of the furnishings are carefully chosen replicas: the heavy gold drapes and tassels, the red, gold and white floral carpet, the presidential rocker.

But last week, the National Park Service got hold of the real thing. A carved-back, cane-seat parlor chair that was in the presidential box the night Lincoln was shot by actor John Wilkes Booth -- perhaps the one Mary Todd Lincoln was sitting in -- was donated to the government by a Virginia family that had kept the artifact for 140 years.

The carved-back, cane-seat parlor chair was taken when the theater was converted to an office building. (Gloria Swift)

"This is a fabulous thing we've been given. We're very excited about it," said Gloria Swift, the Park Service's curator for Ford's Theatre.

After the assassination darkened the theater in 1865, the government bought the structure on 10th Street NW and turned it into a three-story office building. One of the workers dismantling the theater claimed that his boss had told him to take anything he wanted out of the presidential box. He removed the parlor chair and gave it to the Virginia family, where it was handed down for generations, Swift said.

The family, which Swift said has asked to remain anonymous, tried to sell the chair to the Park Service in the 1950s, when the theater box was being reconditioned as a historic site. But the agency didn't have the cash to buy it and made a replica instead, Swift said.

The current matriarch of the family told the Park Service recently that ownership of the chair was weighing on her.

"All her friends told her she is crazy, that she should sell it on eBay," Swift said. "But she said that giving it to us felt like the right thing to do."

Historians checked the chair for authenticity; the age, markings, style, material and documentation all checked out. And it perfectly matches the chair that Mary Lincoln is sitting on, as well as one empty chair, in a sketch of the assassination in Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper, the period's paper of record.

The chair was put back in the box last week and can be viewed from behind plexiglass on tours of the theater or during performances. It was reunited with two other authentic pieces from that night -- a tufted settee and a portrait of George Washington.

The crown jewel of that tableau, however, remains out of reach for Swift.

"We'd love to have the rocker that President Lincoln was sitting in," she said, sighing. That chair, seized as evidence by the U.S. War Department for the conspirators' trials, was returned in 1921 to the family who owned the theater, then sold in an auction to Henry Ford (who is no relation to the theater Fords).

It remains in the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Mich.

"Our replica is pretty good, though," Swift said.

Roger,

Thank you very much!! Yep, that's it.