SUMMARY: A woman identified only as Mrs. Lincoln died in Long Island, New York in 1837 after Dr. Joseph L. Craft gave her an abortifacient.

Though Dr. Craft had a wife and children, he kept Mrs. Lincoln as a mistress in another home. When she was in an advanced state of pregnancy, Craft gave her the abortifacient. I have been unable to determine if the baby survived the abortion attempt, since the source only says “the child was never seen after its birth.”

Mrs. Lincoln remained ill and finally died. The source does not indicate how the abortion was detected by the authorities.

Source:

• “A Doctor in Difficulty,” Long Island Star, Dec. 11, 1837