Lincolns Funeral Train Passing By Schodack

Circa April 24/25 1865 President A. Lincolns funeral train passed through the Town of Schodack. This is easily accessed public history. A distant memory of the Kennedy assassination was of Sunset. All the church bells tolled , long and slow through Schodack. A sad national mourning was occurring. The same was taking place back then only on a slower time scale.
The train was heading for Albany.....people as they had in other places lined up to see the slain President. The one thing I have heard from the Great Grandchildren of residents of the area was people felt a need to pay their respects. I believe the train passed along the tracks on the eastern side of the town. It passed by some of my ancestors farm land. The timetables were published so the average person knew of the appx arrival time . Some farmers and laborers stopped work early , schools were let out early, people dressed up in "Sunday Best". Family's rode wagons , saddled horses or walked to the tracks. It was told to me that it was not uncommon to see people with a bible.
The train moved slowly , men removed their hats , many prayed. The weight of the war hung heavy in the air...and now a dead President. Even with a Congressional Medal of Honor winner from Schodack a Patrick McEnrow , an immigrant from Ireland who had for a time settled in the town we had suffered like all parts of the nation. Many unemotional hardened people from a hard life shed a tear as the train passed by. History came to them slowly passed us by it was over. Or was it One thing expressed to me by a couple of older people was they felt the story was passed down in all most religious terms. The secular and the political merged. The churches were full the following Sunday. There was a need to find meaning .
A final note , it appears that at sundown the church bells tolled in Schodack as they did in other towns the funeral train had passed through. A final goodby , a last moment to reflect as one finished the chores of the day.