Mary Todd Lincoln’s séances

Record summary

Mary Todd Lincoln was reported to have attended or hosted séances after the deaths of her son Willie and President Abraham Lincoln, including alleged attempts to communicate with deceased family members. The reports are relevant for comparing grief, political celebrity, séance culture, and the conversion of private spiritual practices into public legend. Accounts differ over dates, participants, and locations, and many details come from memoirs, newspapers, or later biographical retellings. They document historical belief and reported practice, not verified contact with apparitions or the dead.