34 Star U.S. Flag President Lincoln's Funeral.

34 Star Grand Luminary Flag used in President Lincoln's Funeral.
U.S. National Flag 34 stars in the Great Star or Great Luminary pattern. Boldly stenciled at the top is "J. DISNEY MAKER" and at the center, faintly hand-penciled in large cursive initials; "NYCRR", for New York Central Railroad.

This flag sports a large, lively Civil War era rendition of the famed "great star" pattern with bold flower-like stars tightly packed together. This flag was once among the holdings of the Hannibal Museum of History and Space in Missouri. It is accompanied by a large museum display card which states that the flag flew above the New York Central Railroad Station at Albany on April 26, 1865, when President Abraham Lincoln's Funeral Train stopped for a day and a night on its journey to Springfield, Illinois.

After Lincoln's assassination and death, on April 14th and 15th, 1865, an elaborate funeral cortege by railroad was planned. Not only would he be honored in Washington where he had died and Springfield, Illinois where he had had his law practice, but at all of the stops that he had made on his journey east in 1861 including stops in Philadelphia, Harrisburg, New York City, Albany, Cleveland, Indianapolis, and Chicago. At each stop his body would lay in state so that the nation might mourn its fallen martyr. This flag, made in 1861 by J. Disney of Albany, New York still was flying when Lincoln's funeral train arrived at Albany on the tracks of the New York Central Railroad on April 26th, 1865. After the passage of the funeral procession, a day later, the station master of the railroad at Albany lowered this flag for the last time and took it home with him as a souvenir of the passage. His family retained it for three generations. It was acquired by the Hannibal museum in the mid 1980's through Americana/militaria dealer Paul Millikan, only to be sold at public auction in the early 90's when the museum was forced to claim bankruptcy. It was subsequently acquired by Missouri antique dealer James Burrus and thereafter added to the Zaricor Collection.

Exhibition History:

First Presidio Exhibit
(ZFC1241)
38-Star Grand Luminary United States Flag.

Special Memorial Day Display
Suspended from ceiling of Moraga Room.
Presidio of San Franciscos Officers Club
Memorial Day 2003

Second Presidio Exhibit, 2003 - Gallery III
(ZFC1241)
38-Star Grand Luminary United States Flag.

Presidential Debate
Washington University at St. Louis
October, 2004
(ZFC1241)

The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation & Library
LIFE AND TIMES OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN: The Exhibit
Simi Valley, CA
1 June 2014 to 30 September 2014

Publication History:
Crump, Anne, David Studarus, photographer, "A Grand Old Obsession." American Spirit: Daughters of the American revolution Magazine: July/August 2003: P.19 (illustrated).

Madaus, Howard M., Dr, Whitney Smith, The American Flag: Two Centuries of Concord and Conflict. Santa Cruz: VZ Publications, 2006, p. 143.

Schrambling, Regina, "A Lifelong Pledge." Collection, Published by Robb Report, June 2014, p. 48D.

Provenance:
• Property of the New York Central Railroad Company.
• Flew over the NY Railroad Depot in Albany when Abraham Lincoln's procession arrived in Albany.
• Preserved by the Station Master and retained in his family for over 100 years.
• Acquired by antique dealer Paul Milikan in the mid-1980s.
• Acquired by the Hannibal Museum of History and Space in Missouri from Paul Milikan.
• Purchased through Auction in 1993 after the Hannibal Museum filed for bankruptcy by James Burrus.
• Acquired by the Zaricor Flag Collection in 1999 from James Burrus.


Sources:

---

Madaus, Howard M.- Whitney Smith, The American Flag: Two Centuries of Concord and Conflict, VZ Publications, Santa Cruz, 2006.

Samuel Chester Reid, Wikipedia, 24 October 2011, from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Chester_Reid

Great Star Flags (U.S.), Flags of the World, 25 October 2011, from: http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/us-gstar.html

Martucci, David, Great Star Flags, US Flags: Part 5, 25 October 2011, from: http://www.midcoast.com/~martucci/flags/us-hist6.html

THE ROUTE OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN'S FUNERAL TRAIN, Abraham Lincoln's Assassination, 28 October 2011, from: http://rogerjnorton.com/Lincoln51.html

Paul Millikan, Manual of Arms, 28 October 2011, from: http://www.themanualofarms.com/store/comersus_Aboutus.asp

Funeral and burial of Abraham Lincoln, Wikipedia, 28 October 2011, from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Funeral_and_burial_of_Abraham_Lincoln

The Funeral Train, Mr. Lincoln & New York, 28 October 2011, from: http://www.mrlincolnandnewyork.org/inside.asp?ID=29&subjectID=2

Image Credits:
Zaricor Flag Collection

Hoist & Fly
Width of Hoist	124
Length of Fly	175

Union/Canton
Width of Union/Canton	57
Length of Union/Canton	97

Stars
Comments on Star Measurements	Stars are larger on obverse side (leading edge facing left) slightly smaller as seen on reverse. Muslin stars
Size of Stars	8

Stripes
Width of 1st Stripe	9
Width of 3rd Stripe	9
Width of 8th Stripe	9
Width of Last Stripe	9
Size of Hoist	3

Frame
Is it framed?	no

Stars
Number of Stars	34
How are the stars embeded?	Single Applique
Are there stars on obverse?	yes
Are there stars on reverse?	yes
Comments on Stars	Obverse
Star Pattern	Grand Luminary or Great Star

Stripes
Number of Stripes	13
Color of Top Stripe	Red
Color of Bottom Stripe	Red
Has a Blood Stripe?	no

Nationality
Nation Represented	United States

Fabric
Fabric	Linen
Comments on Fabric	Single-warp linen bunting

Stitching
Stitching	Machine
Comments on Stitching	Stars are hand stitched, repairs are hand stitched

Thread
Thread Material	Cotton

Attachment
Comments on Method of Attachmen	Three hand-whipped grommets with metal ring reinforcement core Eyelet or grommett through header
Method of Attachment	Whip-stitched

Applica
Applique Sides	Single Faced = Mirror Image Reverse

Documentation
Documents	All original documents and drawings are held in the Zaricor Flag Collection Archives.
Research Documents
Public Copy & Signs
Press

Condition
Condition	Good
Damage	Shows evidence of substantial wear and exposure with the usual holes, tears, etc. common to larger flags. Otherwise, remains physically durable and fundamentally intact. Patching repairs large and small, plus hand-mending of various tears. Although the fly hem is nicely finished by machine, the present proportions of this flag suggest past trimming of a heavily worn fly as a means of extending its useful life.
Displayable	yes

Date
Date	April 26, 1865

Exhibits
Exhibition Copy	First Presidio Exhibit (ZFC1241) GRAND LUMINARY 34-STAR UNITED STATES FLAG Date: 1861-1865 Media: Wool bunting with cotton stars; machine sewn except hand sewn stars Comment: After Lincoln's assassination and death, on April 14th and 15th, 1865, an elaborate funeral cortge by railroad was planned. Not only would he be honored in Washington where he had died and Springfield, Illinois where he had had his law practice, but at all of the stops that he had made on his journey east in 1861 including stops in Philadelphia, Harrisburg, New York City, Albany, Cleveland, Indianapolis, and Chicago. At each stop his body would lay in state so that the nation might mourn its fallen martyr. This flag, made in 1861 by J. Disney of Albany, New York still was flying when Lincoln's funeral train arrived at Albany on the tracks of the New York Central Railroad on April 26th, 1865. After the passage of the funeral procession, a day later, the station master of the railroad at Albany lowered this flag for the last time and took it home with him as a souvenir of the passage. It was retained by his family for three generations. Provenance: Acquired by the Zaricor Flag Collection (ZFC1241) in 1999 from James Burrus; initially acquired by the Hannibal (Missouri) Museum from antique dealer Paul Milikan in the mid-1980s. Special Memorial Day Display Suspended from ceiling of Moraga Room. Presidio of San Francisco's Officers Club Memorial Day 2003 34-Star Grand Luminary United States Flag Date: 1861 (year of manufacture) to 1865 (official on 4 July 1861 subsequent to Kansas admission to statehood 29 January 1861) Comment: Symbolizing the national motto E Pluribus Unum (from many, one), the 34 stars in the canton of this large U.S. flag made by J. Disney of Albany, New York, form a large five-pointed star. This flag flew daily at the train depot in Albany, New York, until April of 1865 when it was hauled down by the stationmaster after Lincoln's funeral cortege passed through Albany as it retraced the route Lincoln had taken on his way to his inauguration in 1861. Acquired by the Zaricor Flag Collection (ZFC1241) in 1999 from James Burrus, who acquired it from a museum in Hannibal, Missouri Second Presidio Exhibit, 2003 - Gallery III (ZFC1241) 38-Star Grand Luminary United States Flag Date: 1861-1865 38 Stars: July 4, 1861-July 3, 1863 (Kansas statehood January 29, 1861) Media: Wool bunting with cotton stars; machine-sewn except hand-sewn stars Comment: After Lincoln's assassination on April 14-15, 1865, an elaborate funeral cortege by railroad was planned to return his body to Springfield, Illinois. Not only was he honored in Washington where he had died and in Springfield, Illinois, where he had had his home and law practice, but at all of the stops that he had made on his journey east in 1861to assume the presidency. That included stops in Philadelphia, Harrisburg, New York City, Albany, Cleveland, Indianapolis, and Chicago. At each his body lay in state so that the nation might mourn its fallen martyr. This flag, made in 1861 by J. Disney of Albany, New York, was still flying when Lincoln's funeral train arrived at Albany on the New York Central Railroad on April 26, 1865. A day after the passage of the funeral procession, the stationmaster of the railroad at Albany lowered this flag for the last time and took it home with him as a souvenir of the passage. It was retained by his family for three generations. Provenance: Acquired by the Zaricor Flag Collection (ZFC1241) in 1999 from James Burrus; initially acquired by the Hannibal (Missouri) Museum from antique dealer Paul Milikan in the mid-1980s. Presidential Debate Washington University at St. Louis October, 2004 (ZFC1241) 34-Star United States Flag Abraham Lincoln Funeral Flag (18611863) After Lincoln's assassination in 1865, his body was transported by train from Washington, D.C. to his home in Springfield, Illinois. There were many stops along the way. This flag flew over the railroad depot in Albany, New York when the funeral train arrived to place the slain presidents body in the State Capitol rotunda on April 25th. After the train departed the station master lowered and retired the flag. It was not flown again until an exhibition at the Presidio of San Francisco in 2003. Lincoln's assassination symbolically marked the end of the American Civil War. The Grand Luminary design was enormously popular throughout the mid 19th century.
Exhibition Images	Washington University 2004 Presidential Debate Poster ZFC1241 on exhibit at Reagan Library & Museum's Lincoln: Railsplitter to Rushmore ZFC1241 on exhibit at Reagan Library & Museum's Lincoln: Railsplitter to Rushmore ZFC1241 on exhibit at Reagan Library & Museum's Lincoln: Railsplitter to Rushmore ZFC1241 on exhibit at Reagan Library & Museum's Lincoln: Railsplitter to Rushmore

Publications
Publication Copy	Crump, Anne, David Studarus, photographer, "A Grand Old Obsession." American Spirit: Daughters of the American revolution Magazine: July/August 2003: P.19 (Illustrated). Madaus, Howard M., Dr, Whitney Smith, The American Flag: Two Centuries of Concord and Conflict. Santa Cruz: VZ Publications, 2006, p. 143. 34-Star Grand Luminary President Abraham Lincoln Funeral Flag, Albany, N.Y. I have often inquired of myself what great principle or idea it was that kept this Confederacy so long together. It was not the mere matter of the separation of the Colonies from the motherland; but that sentiment in the Declaration of Independence which gave liberty, not alone to the people of this country, but, I hope, to the world...But if this country cannot be saved without giving up that principle...I would rather be assassinated on this spot than surrender it...I did not expect to be called upon to say a word when I came here. I suppose it was merely to do something toward raising the flagI have said nothing but what I am willing to live by and, if it be the pleasure of Almighty God, die by. President-Elect Lincoln Address in Independence Hall, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, February 22, 1861 Date: 1861 1865 Size: 124" hoist x 175" fly Media: Wool bunting; machine-sewn with hand-sewn cotton stars Provenance: Acquired by Ben Zaricor from Louise Veninga, who acquired in 1999 from James Burrus, previously in the Museum of Space and History in Hannibal, Missouri. ZFC1241
Publication Images	Cover