That's 2 (Gerald Ford)

[Alex]

Originally Posted by innerSpaceman

But mythology supported by more than mere conjecture. There was a vein running through correspondence between the two men about "holding on" until the 50th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. It's likely as not to have been the subject of Adams' dying ponderances about T.Jefferson.

No, it is supported by the wishful thinking and hyperbole of contemporary eulogists. And matches with later conjecture. The people who began the "Thomas Jefferson survives" last words story had no knowledge of the correspondence between Jefferson and Adams.


It's a nice story and a perfectly good piece of hagiography and historical myth-making. It has value as that. I was just pointing out that there is no evidence of it actually happening the way it has come to be described (the only person present when he said it said she couldn't understand what he was saying). Just persnickety myth piercing on my part.

Like noting that Gerald Ford never actually literally said (as so many have come to believe) "drop dead" to New York City.





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