Conklin, J. B. (ca. 1862)
Nineteenth-century American test medium who gave answers
from departed relatives to mental questions of the sitters
and also did pellet reading.
Conklins chief claim to fame was the patronage of President
Abraham Lincoln. After Lincolns election, Conklin stated in
The Cleveland Plaindealer that the President-elect was a Spiritualist.
Lincoln did not deny the statement, and it is recorded that
for four successive Sundays, prior to the issue of the antislavery
proclamation, Conklin was a guest at the presidential mansion.
The spirit messages delivered by Conklin were reported to
have greatly strengthened the presidents determination to
make the historic step.
Sources
Britten, Emma Hardinge. Nineteenth Century Miracles. New
York William Britten, 1884.
Cooper, Robert. Spiritual Experiences. London Heywood &
Co., 1867.
Shelton, Harriet M. Abraham Lincoln Returns. New York
Evans Publishing, 1957.
