April 21: Lincoln's Funeral Train

On this date in History ..... April 21, 1865:

Marker on the lawn of the Indiana State House, Indianapolis IN

Lincoln’s funeral train leaves Washington in what became the nation’s first national funeral. The train also carried the exhumed coffin of his 11 year old son Willie (who had died in 1862) so he could be buried next to his father. 

The train traveled through seven states and 180 cities on its way to the burial site in Illinois, where Lincoln would be buried on May 4th.  It stopped in small & large cities with millions lining the railway in the rain, wind & during the night to see the train. It was reported that people waited in line as long as five hours to walk past Lincoln's coffin.

When the train went through (my hometown of) Richmond, Indiana, Governor Oliver P. Morton boarded the train. At least 50,000 walked through the Indianapolis State House rotunda to view the open casket that sat on display.

The train car that carried Lincoln's body was destroyed in a fire in 1911.

February 2: Queen Victoria's Funeral

On this date in History .... 1901:

The military state funeral of Queen Victoria is held in St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle. Queen Victoria's funeral was one of the earliest events recorded by British Pathe.

 

After 63 years on the throne, Victoria died at the age of 81 at Osborne House on The Isle of Wight as the longest reigning monarch in history, ruling from 1837 to 1901. She saw ten Prime Ministers come and go.

 

She had left detailed instructions on how she wanted her funeral, including a list of items that she wanted in the coffin with her, such as her late husband’s dressing gown, some photos, and her wedding veil placed over her face. Her coffin was carried by a gun carriage and pulled by eight white horses, to honor her request for a white military funeral.

 

She became queen at an early age (18) after her father and three uncles died at early ages.  Her marriage to Prince Albert in 1840 produced nine children, most of whom married into other royal families.  The death of her husband at the young age of 42, left her in a deep depression and she wore mourning black for the rest of her reign.

 

Queen Victoria and
Prince Albert on their
Wedding Day.

She is credited for the famous quote "We are not amused" and for her influence on wedding fashion. While she was not the first royal bride to wear a white gow, she was the first to wear one in the age of the newly developed science of photography, making her white wedding dress world news. Her style still influences wedding gown designs today.