Abraham lincon and a story.

The only known photo of Abraham Lincoln in his coffin.

It was lost at one point for over 90 years.

In April 1865, Abraham Lincoln‘s funeral train left Washington, D.C., on a three-week journey on its way to Springfield, Illinois.

Mary Lincoln had decreed that no photographs were to be taken of his body during the funeral procession.

But there was one exception.

A New York photographer had secretly been given permission to take photographs by Brig. Gen. E.D. Townsend, who was attending the viewing, and in charge of Lincoln’s funeral train.

Just before the doors opened to the public, photographer Jeremiah Gurney Jr. was allowed to come in and set up his equipment to take a daguerreotype photo of the solemn moment as Lincolns body lay in the rotunda of New York's City Hall, viewed by 120,000.

Secretary of War Edwin Stanton found out and ordered all plates and prints destroyed immediately. But even he could not bring himself to do so to the last one.

• He buried the photo deep in his files and it was lost to history for almost 90 years.

• In 1952 a 14 year old boy was visiting the Lincoln Home historic site in Springfield, Illinois. He was looking through some old folders when he came across the faded brown photograph, which after careful research, was deemed to be authentic by experts.

Samuel sat on the floor of the ship that conveyed them out of the land of America to the tropical continent. He was certainly not used to boarding a ship even though it had been a while they had started this journey.

He looked at the corner where his family huddled together. The sea was peaceful now. It was turbulent some hours ago which made him doubt his decision to leave America with his family for the umpteenth time.

He raised the sleeve of his shirt and caressed that familiar marking. The s l a v e marking.

Memories of his life as a slave flooded in. He certainly missed Texas but he had to move on. Samuel had escaped from his Master's plantation. The suffering and torture was too much. He fled with his family and they hid for a while because of the s l a v e hunters on their tail.

On a particular day, Samuel was wandering on the streets to look for what they would eat when he saw a crowd of his own skin colour gathered around a white man. They wanted to take s l a v e s out of the streets of America to the tropical continent of Africa.

Samuel had always heard about Africa from his grandfather when he was little. His grandfather claimed that was where he was from. His ancient roots.

Samuel jumped on this opportunity to take his family out of s l a v e r y. As long as he was taking his family out of that environment and to his ancient roots, he had no worries.

In the morning, they got to the land after two weeks of being on the ship.

He and 87 other n e g r o e s and three officials got to the land. The present land of Liberia.

He hoped one day, the s l a v e s would be freed and his wish was granted 42 years later by the Emancipation law proclaimed by Abraham Lincoln