Funeral and Burial of Abraham Lincoln - Movements of Other Lincoln Caskets

Movements of Other Lincoln Caskets

On May 4, 1865 (Lincoln’s arrival at Oak Ridge Cemetery, 19 days after his death) another coffin, containing the body of Lincoln’s son William “Willie” Wallace Lincoln (11), was placed with Lincoln’s in the Receiving Vault. Willie, born Dec. 21, 1850, died Feb. 20, 1862 in the White House and was first interred (Feb 24, 1862) in the Carroll family tomb at the Oak Hill Cemetery in Georgetown. The casket bearing his remains was carried to Springfield on the funeral train of the assassinated president.

On Dec 21, 1865 the two caskets were moved to the temporary vault, half-way up the hillside, where the Lincoln Tomb was in construction at the top of the hill. The body of Lincoln’s son Edward “Eddie” Baker Lincoln (3 years 10 months) was already placed there on Dec. 13, 1865. Eddie, born March 10, 1846, died Feb 1, 1850 and was first buried at the Hutchinson Cemetery, Illinois. The three bodies rested in the temporary vault while the Lincoln tomb was being built. The three bodies were moved to the catacomb of the tomb on Sept 19, 1871. They were not the first. Two months earlier (on July 17, 1871) it was Lincoln’s son Thomas (“Tad”) Lincoln, born April 4, 1853, who was the first Lincoln placed into a crypt in the Lincoln Tomb. Tad died on 15 July 1871 in Chicago, aged 18.

Lincoln’s wife, Mary Todd Lincoln, born December 13, 1818, died July 16, 1882. She was buried July 19, 1882 in one of the family crypts in the Lincoln Tomb. In the night of July 21, 1882 Mary Todd’s casket was secretly taken from the crypt and at Robert Todd Lincoln's (her eldest son) request, buried alongside the President. On April 14, 1887 both caskets were moved to Memorial Hall.

Lincoln’s grandson Abraham Lincoln II (“Jack”), born Aug 14, 1873, died March 5, 1890 in London and was temporarily buried in Kensal Green Cemetery, London until his father returned to the US with his body and on November 8, 1890 was placed in one of the crypts in the Lincoln Tomb. His body remained in the tomb until May 27, 1930 when he was re-interred at the family plot of his father, Robert Todd Lincoln (Aug 1, 1843 – July 25, 1926), at the Arlington National Cemetery, Va.

During the first Lincoln Tomb reconstruction (1900–1901) the Lincoln family was disinterred and moved to the temporary vault northeast of the Lincoln Tomb. On April 24, 1901 the Lincoln family was removed from the temporary vault and placed back into the Lincoln Tomb.

While President Lincoln was finally at rest, the remainder of the Lincoln family was moved two more times. The coffins containing the bodies of Mary, Eddie, Willie, and Tad Lincoln were removed during the second tomb reconstruction (1930–1931) from their crypts and transported to the Oak Ridge mausoleum, located near the south gate of the cemetery. After the second reconstruction was completed, the bodies were returned to their crypts (June 1931).