I agree he does deserve to be remembered for his remarkable life . Thank you for sharing this very interesting information. I had never heard this before . Take care & God bless .❤
His father would have been so proud of him. It's a shame he's not better known for all his own accomplishments. Thank you for sharing this extraordinary man's life story.
@@josephhewes7081 Pretty much...like most big people. They're rich because their great, great, great, great grandpappy did something...or because they have a really nice rear end.
@@josephhewes7081 Agreed, but he also showed courage, i.e. wanting to fight in the civil war (he wanted to be in the actual front, but the staff position was a compromise since his father, as commander in chief could negate him entrance into the union army altogether), and he showed great personal fortitude, considering that his father was assassinated, his three brothers had died, and his mother went insane. I mean, most people, no matter how famous their last name, DON'T recover from that wholly or partially, but he did.
I’m so glad you touched on the story where he was saved by Booth’s older brother who was the most famous actor at the time. I heard it somewhere else but can’t remember where. It was such an interesting story that I started telling people and then got nervous that maybe I remembered wrong or something since I couldn’t remember where I heard it, but now I know that I got the facts correct. Still an incredible story
I’m so glad to hear a more balanced summary of Robert Lincoln’s life! Rarely do I see him written about as if he was anything more than a disappointment compared to his father, even while his accomplishments were duly acknowledged. All things considered, he was a man of considerable merit who led a remarkable life!
Robert had a pretty tragic life. He was always somewhat estranged from the rest of his family, but he still loved them and cared about them (and he was the only son of the Lincolns to survive to adulthood). The brother that would've been his playmate, Edward, died in infancy. During Lincoln's White House years, Robert was somewhat estranged from his father, because Lincoln had always been on the run with work during Robert's childhood, and Robert was away at Harvard while Lincoln was in office. Just as Robert and his father were starting to rise above it, and bond, Lincoln was assassinated, leaving Robert at age 22, the primary caretaker for his mother and his surviving younger brother, Tad. In the following years, Robert essentially took care of, but remained estranged from Tad, as the two brothers had a 10-year age gap, and were bipolar opposites in personality. Just as the age gap was starting to close, and Tad started to mature, Robert was prepared to rise to the occasion of being the loving supportive older brother, but then, Tad got sick and died. Robert became estranged to the breaking point with his mother when her mental instability pushed him to commit her to a private sanitarium. Although she was released soon after, they never fully reconciled. Robert later had to bury his own son at a young age, and found himself unwittingly around for the assassinations of both James Garfield and William McKinley, and his whole life, he always felt he was living in the shadow of his father. (Oh, and did I mention, about a year before Lincoln's assassinated, Robert was nearly killed, but was saved by, of all people, famous actor Edwin Thomas Booth, older brother of John Wilkes Booth. And Edwin's life story was just as tragic as Robert's)
Agreed, for as famous as his last name was and how many doors it opened, it took amazing mental fortitude to continue onwards, having to deal with that much personal death and tragedy over and over and over again.
Robert Todd Lincoln was named after his maternal grandfather, Mary Lincoln's father. People who met Robert Lincoln said he looked more like his mother Mary anyway than he did his father Abraham Lincoln.
Just like this video, you make a lot of great points but you also have quite a few errors. 1. Robert was never estranged from his brothers or father. 2. Robert actually was close to his father. He started the rumor of scarcely seeing him to get people to stop bothering him. Every single day he had upwards of 100 people asking him to provide information on his father. 3. Robert was 21, not 22, when he became head of the family after his father’s murder. 4. There is no such term as “bipolar opposites”. Robert and Tad were not polar opposites in personality. There was a lot of overlap in characteristics. 5. All of Robert’s life he was a loving brother to Tad. After the assassination, he was like a second father to him. 6. Robert did not become estranged from his mother until the insanity trial in 1875. She greatly benefitted from her 4 months there. They did fully reconcile about a year before her death. 7. Bibliography: Emerson, Jason “Giant in the Shadows: The Life of Robert T. Lincoln” (2012) Goff, John S. “Robert Todd Lincoln: A Man in His Own Right” (1968) Keckley, Elizabeth “Behind the Scenes or, Thirty Years a Slave, and Four Years in the White House” (1868) Randall, Ruth Painter “Lincoln’s Sons” (1955)
I've got two big toes and they break right through my best socks! He's so compelling describing the stories he chooses to tell us! How he can keep it to a quarter of an hour is beyond me! His enthusiasm shows his love for "untold" or "forgotten" pieces of history, however obscure they may be to the "general" public. 10-Q H.G.!
JFK, was Murdered by a conspiracy of his own V.P. Lyndon B. Johnson, J. Edgar Hoover, C.I.A. agent Geo. H. W. BUSH, & others. @ The Original now Hidden 13th Amendment.
To everyone in this comment group. Sorry I didn't respond earlier from past comments. I revisited this report and how the History Guy made this true tale intriguing. Respect to you all
and I wonder what would have happened around reconstruction after the civil war, had Lincoln not been killed and been able to serve out his second term.
Awesome! If you had been my history teacher in school, I would have paid more attention but then on the other hand, they never taught this kind of history in school but should have! I too love history and you have an amazing way of how you present it, makes it very interesting! Thanks for posting this video, thoroughly enjoyed it!
Quite informative!! I had read that he and his mother did not get along and that he had her institutionalized at one point. I wish that he could have treated her more kindly!! She had seen three of her four sons die in childhood (the youngest, Tad, lived to be about seventeen,) plus she was sitting beside her husband when he was shot!! I don't know if I could have handled all those tragedies!! Plus, her mother died when she was only six. She had several siblings already, when her father brought a new stepmother into the home. This woman resented Mary and her siblings! Then she had I think six or seven kids by Mary's father, so the house was full! Mary left as a teenager and went to live with an older sister. I read that she was an "Hysteric" and very, very neurotic. While living in the White House, she loved to hold seances in hopes of seeing her dead sons, then after her husband was killed she really got heavily involved in them! And she had crossed swords with important men in the government while First Lady, to the point that they deliberately held up her "widow's pension" for years out of spite for the way she had mistreated them, and wound up having to sell much of her clothing just to afford the necessities - like food for herself and Tad, and rent! So she had a very hard life! I wish that Robert had been able to treat her with more respect and kindness!!
What a wonderful report of a man who didn't waste his life, not living in his father's shadow, but doing what he wanted. I'm a Canadian and I found this very interesting and inspirational. Thank you.
How in the world did the highly accomplished son of one of our most famous Presidents manage to fly so far under the radar of history?! An amazing history lesson! And on top of that, how did it take me this long to come across this channel?! New sub.
Even the brightest star pales in comparison to a supernova. Hard to live up to your father when your father was, quite literally, the man who saved the country.
@@wmpetroff2307 I think John Hays mentioned in asides that Robert spent much more time with his father than he says he did but chose to have his actual role air-brushed out of the historical picture. Of course he felt enormous guilt that he literally slept through the assassination. Gore Vidal, who wrote a historical novel about Lincoln, Make him an into,mate of John Hays. They were the same age.
This is such a fascinating story. I never knew any of this information. He deserves to be mentioned ... his life in History Books. The “Booth’s Story” and the “Assassinations” that he witnessed ... WOW. He had a life like no other that’s for sure.
I once visited Robert Lincolns Home up in Manchester, Vermont and even bought some peonies from his estate which I brought back home and planted in my garden and now enjoy each year.
Such a fascinating history, indeed, with Robert Todd Lincoln. While I was aware of his presence during Lee's surrender to Grant, I was NOT aware of his association with Garfield and McKinley! What an incredible life he led. Thanks so much for these videos that you produce. I get so much out of your efforts.
David Wolf,.after the McKinley assassination, he was know to have that he would NEVER AGAIN visit a sitting president due to being in the wrong place at the wrong time. He, also, considered himself a jinx to presidents.✌✌✌✌
Not sure if that would've been the case. He might have been proud of his success, but Robert became a wealthy industry mogul who crushed unions and reveled in high society - not exactly the kind of values or policies that Abraham Lincoln espoused. In any case, Robert's been said to be more Mary Todd than Abe, for better or worse.
@The Vinyl Music Life I agree that there are pros & cons to Unions. A badly broken system governing collective bargaining has eroded unions and worker power more broadly, contributing to both the suffering during the pandemic and the extreme economic inequality exacerbated by the pandemic. In spite of efforts to push policy reforms, the U.S. entered the COVID-19 pandemic with a weak system of labor protections. As a result, working people, particularly low-wage workers-who are disproportionately women and workers of color-have largely borne the costs of the pandemic. While providing the “essential” services we rely on, many of these workers have been forced to work without protective gear; many have no access to paid sick leave; and when workers have spoken up about health and safety concerns, they have been fired. Unions would be an unnecessary counterbalance or voice of the working class if Corporate leaders were equally concerned with pleasing the engine or workforce of their business as they are with shareholder appeasement.
I read a lot about Abraham and his family over my long life. I felt so much pity for that family that couldn’t escape tragedy. In the end I really felt more sorry for Robert because of the situation with his mother.
I very much enjoyed your history lesson on Robert Todd. I agree not enough is known of his accomplishments. I love history but sorry to say i have not read enough about Robert Lincoln. Now I will. Thank you!
@@wlouise1960 he has no accommodations though. He locked up his mom in an asylum and totally abondoned her. His success was given to his privilege and his name.
You may inherit a name but your accomplishments are your own. As for his mother and her mental illness, unless you have dealt with it you don’t understand how it can devastate a family. Today we have other options not afforded people back in Victorian times.
Tragedy lol. Lincoln caused 600,000 battle field deathsthen add the men with injuries that worse than death,and add in all the widows and orphans. He ruined about two million lives. Without a care in the world-Yeah me and my family going to the theatre gonna have a good time who cares about the lives i ruined ha ha. He was a total dirtbag, married a crazy because no decent women would have had him. No consideration for anybody or anything. Nobody was surprised but him when his second term ended early. The SOB deserved exactly what he got. He was worthless that's why John Frederick Parker was his body guard that night at Ford's Theatre. Well, Parker didn't waste his time at the theatre. He went to the nearest tavern to get drunk and boogie woogie dance with the local harlots. That's exactly what I would have done. It's documentedthat a few days later Mary Todd started yelling at him. Why would anybody care about her? ABe and Mary Todd didn't give a damn about anybody else. It's called KARMA! The best part is Parker was fired three years later, YEAH 3 YEARS for making a real mistake. He got caught sleeping on duty. He made a real mistake in 1868 and lost the job. The fascination with this murdering amoral scumbag is baffling. No man in history has done more to earn his fate than lincoln.
Robert Todd Lincoln did wonder if he was star crossed ( or what the exact term ) in his personal life as he outlived 3 of his brothers and one of his own children ( plus dealing with the health problems of his mother ). Also he was at the location where President Garfield and President McKinley were shot. He later told Theodore Roosevelt not to have him in his presence less he put the deadly curse on Roosevelt. My great grandfather knew him well personally and joined him for golf with friends at Robert Lincoln's summer home in Manchester, Vt.
While committing his mother...taking away her right to decide what was best for her. Who got him into Harvard? His rail-splitting father, who overcame enormous obstacles to become a professional man -- the ultimate professional man.
@@ALANRLEAKE Oh, how COOL! 🙂 During his lifetime, did your great grandfather ever talk or write about Robert Todd Lincoln - for instance, did he ask him about his father? I LOVE history; there's always something fascinating to be learned from it. Until just now, I had never been sure if any of Pres. Lincoln's children lived to adulthood.
Fascinating. So many times we hear of children in the same situation who never get out of the shadow of their famous parent(s), often times with tragic consequences. Thanks!!
The summer home of Robert T. Lincoln still stands in Manchester, Vermont and is open to the general public to visit. I had the pleasure of visiting it and it remains, right down to the furniture, in the same condition it was during Lincoln's time. Obviously, there are many reproductions in the home. The name of his estate is "Hildene" and if your a history buff you will enjoy visit.
Joe Candela - he built Hildene to be a family estate, but regrettably, none of his children had children themselves. His portion of the family died out
@@nancyayers6355 I have go there some time. When Lincoln bought the home it originally was 1 floor house he put 2 extensions on it. One going back and another going up (second story).
Thank you for this valuable bit of education. Yes, Mr Lincoln does deserve recognition. And I especially like that he was rescued by Mr Booth. I'm glad it did something good for Mr Booth's heart, as well.
Extremely interesting vignette! I had no idea how accomplished Robert Todd Lincoln became in his lifetime. One of the only things I'd known about him was the fact that his life had once been saved by Edwin Booth. Thank you for this!
...wait Lincolns son had met and bumped into John Wilkes booths brother???? There really are some unseen forces at work. He even saw assisinations of others...wow!
I heard all this about Robert except I did not know he was at Robert Lee's surrender. But yes, he seemed to have a very interesting life for sure. Lincoln does not have immediate family but he does have cousins that are still alive today.
If you call having your life saved by someone “meeting and bumping into” someone. I agree though. The incident is quite poetic. Serendipity of a sort. Thank goodness things like this occur during such trying times. It seems a balance is being struck.
Robert Todd Lincoln was NOT born poor. Abraham Lincoln was a very successful attorney. And good for him, Lincoln had a brilliant mind and a soft heart.Has this historian ever visited the Lincoln home in Springfield, Ill?
Wow I just found this and I am feeling blessed to have learned about Robert Todd Lincoln's great success in life and the totally strange coincident moments of his life.
Robert Lincoln had great success and great tragedies. Seeing family members die, having to commit his mother to an "insane" asylum because her mind was delusional. She was truly in danger (tried suicide). Robert wept during that court hearing. Had Mrs. Lincoln lived in the modern world, better therapies and medicine would have helped her. This should never carry a stigma.
Well, he had to accept his father was a piece of sh&t and his mother was crazy. He did quite well for himself despite an unpbringing of the lowest quality.
@@steveshapiro326 Well, I briefly entered Ford's Theatre on April 14th. I escorted a mentaly ill woman and her husband of low moral character to a viewing room on the balcony. It seemed somebody said Iwas supposed to stay there for a whole play. But, that was BS. There was nothing I cared about in that stupid theatre. So, I walked down to the nearest tavern. man, let me tell you it was great all the brandy I wanted and 25 harlots doing the boogie woogie on the dance floor. I did some dancin' and pinched 3 or 4 of them on the butt. Next thing I know they were saying the king ass clown had been shot at Ford's. oh well, I simply told the truth "And??? Like anybody even cares" My boss asked me a couple of questions, and told him I was at the tavern, and besides that SOB had had it coming. a few days later or maybe a week , I don't care one way or the otherI ran into the crazy woman herself mary todd was there. That bitch started yelling at me for something like I even cared. Her butt boy created over a million widows and orphans and were clueless anything was wrong. I just left I more about the harlots on the dance floor than that nut. i heard they locked her up in the nut farm, but I don't know or care. Life went on and I made a real mistake Three years later. In 1868 I got caught sleeping on duty and got fired. So, turned in my badge and gun laughing the whole time. I shook my bosses hand and said "That SOB got exactly what he deserved". The boss and the other guys gave a little chuckle . Because, it was good ridance to bad rubbish!
What I would like to know is who are the 73 dolts who didn't like this presentation? How can you know where you are, if you don't know where you came from? Better yet; how can you know where you are going, if you don't know where you are? Understanding history is fundamental!
People dislike videos for all kinds of reasons. Maybe they didn't like the video quality or the sound quality. It's better to look at the amount of people who gave it thumbs up, and compare it. More than 12,000 people liked the video and only 120 disliked it. That's only 1%.
Skip Russell how does this have anything to do with politics, or democrats specifically? Please keep your whataboutism to yourself when trying to put everyone on the internet into a single box mentally
The first battle of Bull Run partially took place on Mclean's property in Manassas,VA . He later moved to Appomattox Courthouse where the Confederacy surrendered inside his house. He said 'The Civil War began in my back yard and ended in my front parlor'.
@@clmaynor And technically, the Civil War began with the first (mortar) shot fired above Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor, SC. So Mr. McLean was stretching it a bit with his claim.
Great video. I’ve toured his home and Pullman Car in Mass. I have a photograph like the one behind you of my Uncle Lonnie Preston Smith’s platoon when he did basic training before he shipped off to Europe during WWI. He was at Verdun during the great battle. Terrible battle. I also have the flag my great great grandparents flew in their window until he returned. His sister, my great aunt Carrie Mae McDonald, who drove until she was 100 and lived to be 110, had the picture in her house and I’d always admired it. When she asked me, “Joe is there anything in this house you might want after I’m gone?” all I could think of was that picture. It’s hanging beside my bed and is my favorite physical possession. I know the world is going to lose all of this history but I appreciate the ones like you that are keeping it alive as long as possible. Again, great video. Keep up the good work
I remember hearing the stories about how he had been present during Garfield’s assassination and was saved from the train by Edwin Booth. So fascinating.
I am not sure what you mean by "accomplished". RTL benefited from his father's status as President as well, I'm sure, from the sympathy people felt for him after the assassination. His acceptance to Harvard, appointment to the military as an officer, and all his remaining positions smack of cronyism and favoritism. RTL was NOT self-made like his father.
@@jimcactus9265 Once a son leaves home it's up to him to make the right choices leading to success. However, looking at the Hunter Biden situation, I do agree with you that some sons of famous fathers have undeserved success handed to them. but Hunter Biden and Robert Lincoln are on the opposite ends of the presidents' sons spectrum.
Abraham Lincoln may have had acromegaly and as such his features would have been altered by such. it would have affected any resemblence of father and son.
Upon futher reading although it's plausible that Lincoln suffered from a mild case of acromegaly as evidenced by his long thin jaw he may have had some other issue. Marfa's syndrome is another possibility as it is noted by long thin arms and legs with an average length torso which Lincoln most definitly possessed. However. he most likely had Endocrine neoplasia that causes similar symptoms. Whatever the case we will never know for sure, but it did affect his physical apperance and would change him in a way that made him look different and so Robert Todd would never have resembled his famous father. One last note; Lincoln had long powerful arms with a very muscular back and shoulders. Necessary hard work gave him an extremely powerful physique; born a long thin baby he developed into a 6'4" powerfully built but very slim man weighing probably less than 180 pounds. ( His father was 5'10" and his mother was 5'8" tall. She was of the Hanks family and Tom Hanks can claim her and Lincoln as his forebearers.)
Robert Todd Lincoln was 'born poor"? But his father was a fast-climbing lawyer/politician who married a woman from a leading Kentucky family, Mary Todd. He attended Harvard while his father was president and was on Grant's staff. Sounds like a rare and privileged upbringing.
It was in a sense.. universal restitution. A positive deed traded for the negative between the 2 families. Surely a sign to us all that yes... Something much bigger is watching.
@@wholeNwon Those things you list are earthly things. Pain and suffering, and then ultimately death is normal and natural for us. We are caged in our flesh and our existence is violent because we must pay the debt, in kind, for the pleasures of flesh and the fruits of the earth. Who are you to ask the earth spin on its side? To demand from God for more earthly pleasure and ease? Millions and millions of people in generations before us have lived, starved, suffered and died quickly under conditions of violence and poverty that we cannot comprehend. We are incredibly blessed if you look through the eyes of men from 100 or a 1000 ago. I may add, you may well get the opportunity to ask God that question, so I wouldn't waste the time asking in the RU-vid comment section.
Loved this episode. Thank-you for it. Totally agree about Robert’s life & accomplishments. He deserves to be remembered for his greatness. Did not know he was there when the Lincoln Memorial was presented. I hope he felt some honor for them building a unbelievable monument to the probably our greatest President. Such a shame he really had no “life” with his father.
I enjoyed this overview of Robert Todd Lincoln's life. As president of the Pullman Car Co. where did he stand politically during the infamous labor strike of that company and the decision to use violence violence to quell the strike?
@@greyghostscsa394 Any hard feelings there? Lincoln was just a simple man, who played a very important role in America's history. Now we have Antifa and other communist/fascist groups and CRT who want to not only erase the Legacy of Lincoln, but that of the Confederate South as well. Seems to be working. Statues and other Dixie memorabilia of General Robert E Lee and other brave Confederate souls are being erased more and more from the public eye. Doesn't seem to fit their agenda or narrative, so they want to rewrite and usurp actual history.🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸 Patriots stand strong. PS: I had kin who fought on both sides. I stand for an United America. The Republic, for Which it Stands, One Nation, Under GOD, Indivisible and Justice for All.
My grandmother told we children about her trips to the park in Washington, D.C. when Mr. Lincoln would be at the park. He played with the children, including my grandmother on occasion.
I am always seeking info about RTL. I have read that he was seriously depressed over having very little relationship with his father throughout his life, whereas the 2 younger sons were doted upon. I’ve always felt sad for him - if this were true, of course. Thank you!
Robert suffered from chronic anxiety. He did not suffer from chronic depression, but he did come close to having a nervous breakdown after his brother Tad died and also after his son Jack died. Robert did have a good relationship with his father. That "little" part was a rumor that he started to keep reporters and others from bothering him. These books are excellent: Emerson, Jason: "Giant in the Shadows: The Life of Robert T. Lincoln" (2012) Goff, John S: "Robert Todd Lincoln: A Man in His Own Right" (1968) Randall, Ruth Painter: "Lincoln’s Sons" (1955)
I have his father's autograph. My great, great, great grandfather was a law student at Harvard and got it in his head to write every member of congress a letter asking for advice running for public office. 37 responded including Lincoln in 1848, ironically no one from is own state responded. So My father inherited the letter in 1955 and I inherited it in 1976. Alas my 3rd great grandfather lost interest in politics after that.
History's Forrest Gump. No one in American history has ever been close to such a direct part of multiple world changing events. He was witness to Lee's surrender, Garfield's assasination, and proximate to 2 other (out of the 4) presidential assasinations. Unbelievable, but true.
@@StanSwan You would be surprised how many people have grandfather's that far back. I do genealogy and a 72 year old man I work with, grandfather was born in 1864. I am 60 and my own grandfather was born in 1884, so it is possible to have a grandfather going back even further (considering that is from 2 trees I have worked on).
Sorry hate to knit pick, but since you're a historian, focusing on many details, just thought I'd point out that Robert Todd Lincoln couldn't have traveled to Washington DC and turned down an invitation to the theater on April 15th since his father died in the early morning hours of April 15th after being shot the previous night.
Think about the actual history that Robert T. Lincoln not only witnessed, but lived on a very personal level...kind of hard to comprehend actually. (59 dislikes thus far, from those unfortunate closed minded personages).
AEROMAGNUM TV , Enjoying all the snippets thus far and not the boneheaded arguments in conversations (?), I too wonder why there is even one thumbs down in response to these wonderful videos 😝🗽.
Imagine all the changes that Robert Tod Lincoln saw during his lifetime. He witnessed the change from the horse-drawn carriage to automobile and to aircraft. He saw the change from relatively small, wooden, sail-powered battleships to the modern, steel hull warships with giant, rifled artillery. When he died, man was only 43 years away from walking on the moon. Now, changes are proceeding exponentially, think of all the things that you will have witnessed during your lifetime.
DrDread - You and I think alike. I'm always rewinding and fast forwarding the lives of relatively famous people and those who never made the books. I was a history teacher for 30 years and believe me it was more a passion than a job or career. Have you seen the RU-vid videos that show photographs of the last survivors of Washington's Continental Army? The camera didn't appear until around 1840, so these veterans are well on in age when their pictures were taken. One is even wearing his tricorn! I have always wished both still and moving pictures had been invented long before they were - it would be extraordinarily special to see actual photos of people such as Martin Luther, King Henry VIII, Queen Elizabeth I and George Washington.
I started in nursing in 1979 & regularly worked with people 90yo+, one being 104 yo. Some of them suffered from various dementias, but some were still pretty sharp in the noggin. Great history from people who went through it. One of my patients was a vaudeville comedienne in the 1910s, another was a Broadway actress. One of the JFK administration higher ups who was a patient showed me photos of himself playing football with the Kennedy men, boating with Jacqueline, attending meetings in the Oval Office, etc. He actually had an engraved invitation to dinner at the WH that was scheduled for several days after JFK was supposed to return from Dallas - very cool. I took care of a man who was very prominent in the Civil Rights Movement. Amazing people!
DrDrea Robert Lincoln and my great grandfather or born and died in the same year and I always wondered about all that changed they obviously saw during their lifetimes both were born in the 1840s and probably went to their graves in an automobile hearse
The more of your videos I watch, the more I am astonished at what history goes by without people knowing about it. Thank you for this wonderful trail through time.
Our two family ancestors worked for Pullman while Robert Lincoln was the President. Pullman is now a historic place as of its dedication the last few weeks. Robert Lincoln was also the benefactor for the Glenwood School for Boys in Glenwood, Illinois. It’s still there.
Robert Todd Lincoln was also a serious amateur astronomer and had a custom made observatory built on his estate. Both the estate and the the observatory housing are still there today and a convention of amateur astronomers meets there annually where they show off their own personally made telescopes and share information and knowledge on telescope construction and astronomy.
Robert Todd Lincoln built an observatory at his home in Manchester, Vermont. Robert purchased 500 hundred aces there and built what would become the Lincoln family home for 70 years. 412 acres of the original estate is still intact. It is called Hildene and it is a fabulous place to visit and tour. Been there three times and I want to go again.
@@tonykiburis8068 it sure is! I am hoping to see it again. What I would really like to do is volunteer there. Even though I am from Boston, I now live far away in Oregon. Enjoyed your reply.
@@dottiefrashure8457 Yes, Hildene is beautiful. They have a large artisans' craft fair there every summer. I bought a beautiful Shaker dining table; my children's Christmas presents there. One was a beautiful doll,made of wool, which looked much like a lady in Elizabethan era. She had the large white ruff. Wonderful jewelry, lamps, soaps and lotions, etc. If you get a chance to go there, please do. It is situated in a beautiful meadow down below the home.
My daughter and I visited his home in Vermont this past summer. It was beautiful and they had lots of pictures of the Lincoln family. We even got to see President Lincoln’s stove top hat under glass display. Beautiful gardens too.
I opened this recommendation because I honestly knew nothing about Robert Lincoln, and I thought I should. The only thing I knew was that he was the only son of the president who lived to adulthood. He was quite a statesman. I will need to spend some time researching further.
I highly recommend these books: Emerson, Jason: "Giant in the Shadows: The Life of Robert T. Lincoln" (2012) Goff, John S: "Robert Todd Lincoln: A Man in His Own Right" (1968) Randall, Ruth Painter: "Lincoln’s Sons" (1955)
There are a number of sons of famous families unknown in history. In reading World War 2 history a number of historic names appear as minor characters in events of the time. Many of the officers mentioned in historic summaries are names related to other historic figures, but seldom validated.
This is an excellent and very interesting video! It also brings up a potential subject for a future episode, at least it give me an idea for one. You mentioned that Mr. Lincoln had children and that (to me) always begs the question, does he have living relatives today? I've done a small amount of research into famous families who have living relatives (mostly I'm talking grand children and great grandchildren etc.) and I think that might make an interesting and somewhat unique video.
Robert Lincoln's son, Abraham II, died in his late teens, his daughter Mary died in 1938, and his youngest daughter, Jessie, died in 1948. Robert's three grandchildren all died without issue. President Abraham Lincoln's line has become extinct.
Loved the story of Edwin Booth rescuing Robert. My dad’s mother, Ruth Booth Unklesbay was a great niece to the Booth brothers. I remember my dad and his brother discussing the Booth dueling pistols, in which one killed Mr. Lincoln. I wish I had listened closer as a child! My father was born 1910 so you can see his mother easily fit the time era. Love history!
I consider myself an amateur historian. A hobbyist, but after listening to this, just an amateur. Truly great stuff. Feltonesque in fascinating fine points of history.
Thank you "History Guy" from this "History Buff". I am a 68-yo retired engineer, but often entertained the idea of getting a PhD in History just for the love of it😊
I love your channel always interesting and informative. Robert Todd Lincoln looks an awful lot like Raymond Burr, " Perry Mason & Old Ironsides, IMO. Anyone familiar with Hildene his (RTL) cottage in Manchester VT?
Thanks, HG, for this leap across Robert's life events. Be interesting to learn more about the *man*. Fate seemed to have arranged that the Lincoln line would die out. Robert must have been quite damaged with his brothers dying, his father murdered, his mother going stark ravers, then President Garfield killed and *then* President McKinley being shot down. And that was in only the first half of his life. Remarkable that he pushed on.
His mother did not go stark Ravers you lose three sons and then your husband (or in your case your wife) She was terrified of going on and Robert showed no empathy as far as I am concerned.
Excellent information! I understand that he was instrumental in President Lincoln’s casket becoming encased in concrete as the body had been attempted to be stolen a time or two. Thank you for sharing your love of history!!
I am curious to know since Robert T. Lincoln had 3 children has the line continued , to this day ? I am well read but don't recall any mention of Lincoln survivord
Robert Todd Lincoln Beckwith died in 1985 and was the last direct descendant of Abraham Lincoln. Anyone living today that can legitimately claim to be related to Abraham Lincoln is descended from the Hanks family. Actor Tom Hanks is related to Abraham Lincoln, but is not a descendant.
I hate how we never got any super early video interviews with Todd before he passed away. I would've loved to hear someone who was at the courthouse describe the surrender of Lee and his army.
There have been several done over the years. "Young Mr. Lincoln", (Henry Fonda 1939) and "Abe Lincoln in Illinois (Raymond Massey 1940) considered among the best.
Robert Todd Lincoln must have been one of the most traumatised people to have existed, he was relatively close at hand for three of the four presidential assassinations. What are the odds?
@twfljeb I didn't say that he witnessed four of them but that he was relatively close at hand. Besides, Robert Todd Lincoln was dead by the time of the fourth assassination. Pay attention to the whole comment next time my friend
@twfljeb watch the video and you will see what I meant by what I said, if things panned out differently, he would have followed the same fate as his father on Good Friday 1865 and was in William Mckinley's cabinet and could well have been at the Pan American Exhibition at Buffalo, New York in 1901
Just found your site & as a great history buff of all things Lincoln I loved your talk of Robert Todd. When we lived in New England we visited several times at Hildene, Robert’s home in Manchester, Vermont. I didn’t recall Robert had three children as I don’t believe they were mentioned on that tour. Did they not survive? I believe there are no living Lincoln descendants, true? Guess I’ve got to get a few biographies of Robert! I’ll certainly keep following your videos, and thank you for doing them.
Robert Todd Lincoln had three children, but the middle child (his only son) died at age 16. He had Three grandchildren, all of whom died without issue, ending the direct line of Abraham Lincoln.
I love History too. Abraham Lincoln's youngest son 'Thomas "Tad" Lincoln, lived to age 18. William, 'Willie' died at sge 11. It hurts my heart at what Mary Todd Lincoln, the mom went through. Losing three of her children as well as her husband. It's tragic. Robert Lincoln certainly lived up to his father's good name. Thanks for sharing.
Kuddos to you HG, for mentioning how Edwin Booth had most likely saved Richard's life. That incident very likely proved to be a world of difference for Mr. Booth's well being. I'd read about that years ago and personally believe the coincidence had some divine intervention involved to make that happen. As usual...thank you for excellence in your works.
This was a very interesting thing about history. I'm in Canton Ohio and President McKinley is interred at the McKinley Monument not far north of where I live.
