The Thanatos Archive Forum

Linnie · **Posted:** February 24th, 2010, 3:28 pm

Robert Lincoln did go on to have a busy, accomplished and apparently honorable long life. But he did marry a plain, "shy and sickly" woman (who, ironically, made it to age 90) who only bore him three children (with years in between), one of whom (the only son, named for his grandfather) died around the same age as Robert's brother Tad.

Robert's wife was NOT insane or even erratic--- she was compos-mentis enough to make provisions in her will for her grandchildren and any future descendants (while at the same time providing handsomely for the Christian Science church.) However, she DID have marked social inhibitions.

This has been said of Mary Eunice Harlan Lincoln:
http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/users/d/u/n/Terence-L-Duniho/GENE5-0002.html

"Except for the obvious hold she kept on her daughters, not much is known about Mary Harlan Lincoln. She was so reclusive that Robert seemed always to be making excuses for her and declining invitations.

Her withdrawal was so complete, in fact, that a recent biographer of Mary Todd Lincoln has accused her daughter-in-law of alcoholism (Baker, Mary Todd Lincoln). One is tempted to paraphrase the old joke about General Grant's drinking and prescribe a barrel of whatever Mary Harlan drank--because she lived to be ninety years old!

"A more plausible explanation of Mary Harlan Lincoln's close confinement to home, besides the customary reticence of Abraham Lincoln's heirs, was neurasthenia, a vague psychosomatic illness suffered by many upper-class women of her generation.

One refuge from this paralyzing malady might have been religion, and Mary Harlan Lincoln embraced a religion almost tailored for neurasthenic women and other chronic sufferers: Christian Science. Perhaps by denying the existence of her illness as she grew in spiritual strength, Mary Harlan Lincoln overcame her suffering.

No one will ever know, but Christian Science did leave a lasting impression, for one third of the sizable estate left by her children went to the Christian Science Church." (pp. 34-35, The Lincoln Family Album)

Barnabas · **Joined:** September 13th, 2007, 8:52 pm **Posts:** 2097

I wonder if my grandmother had that! Christian Scientist, and mind did NOT triumph over matter--she refused to have a doctor in until way too late, to which her son's death and her own are directly attributable. It also killed out Christian Science in this family, leaving it with a permanent bad name. $:\$

rhokit · **Joined:** May 13th, 2008, 12:39 pm **Posts:** 46

Help! Both listed links are in denial...???

diabolus · **Posted:** April 10th, 2010, 5:27 pm

rhokit wrote:

Help! Both listed links are in denial...???

The second link works for me, the first I get a "blocked" message... That issue is on their end, not ours.

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