Election Returns for the New Salem Precinct in Sangamon County, Illinois, 5 May 18341
Voters Names David Dickinson Garrett Elkin Zechariah Peter
1 Samuel Berry /
2 Joel Slinker. /
Isaac Gulihur /
John J. Bragg /
Baxter B. Berry. /
John Rentfro— /
Henry Miller /
William Jones2 /
James Berry. /
Philemon Morris /
John M. Berry /
Richard Rafety /
John M Rutledge /
Caleb Carman /
John Moore /
George A Davidson /
Peter Lukins /
Felix G Green /
William Duff /
William Webb. /
John Wansing /
Travice Elmore /
George Kerby. /
Johnson Elmore /
Gregory Lukins /
Elijah Jones /
Squire Hall /
Elijah Potter /
Peyton Elmore /
John C Vance /
John Armstrong /
William Trent /
William Green /
Samuel Watkins /
Enoch Eastep /
John Ritter /
Jesse Sherley. /
Thomas Duff /
William Hohimer /
Samuel Ritchie /
11 27 2
<Page 2>
Voters Names David Dickinson Garrett Elkin Zechariah Peter
Edward Potter /
Williamson Trent /
Pollard Simmons. /
Henry Clark /
William W Balding /
Samuel Carman /
Thomas S. Edwards /
John B. Slinker /
49 Bartley Welton /
Willia Robert Caven /
Noah King. /
James H. Hornbuckle /
Alfred Summers /
Martin Edwards /
James Hudspeth /
John Miller /
Levi Summers /
Syon Wadrup /
Jesse Witt /
G. W. Nance /
61 Bennett Abel /
John Jones /
Robert A. Melton /
G. W. Wilson /
Josiah Cook /
Cyrus Elmore /
Cary Nance /
Cyrus Kerby /
Benjamin Gibbs /
Peter S Harvil /
William Thomas /
James Short /
Wm G Jeter /
Jesse Baker /
Jacob Bale /
William White /
Joshua Short /
David M Pantiers /
Ephraim Bruner. /
William Rutledge /
Joseph Watkins /
John Wiseman /
16 24 2
<Page 3>
Voters Names David Dickinson Garrett Elkin Zechariah Peter
Charles Bell /
Pleasant Armstrong /
William Gumm /
Benjamin Conner /
Martin Waddle /
Peyton Harrison /
George Davis /
Jesse Gumm /
Benjamin Carpenter /
James Goldsby /
Thomas Wynne /
Thomas Watkins /
Robert Cownover /
Bowling Green /
Hugh Armstrong /
David Whray /
A Lincoln /
Mentor Graham. /
<Page 4>
Voters Names David Dickinson Garrett Elkin Zechariah Elkin ^Peter^
<Page 5>
Voters Names David Dickinson Garrett Elkin Zechariah Peter
Julius Elmore /
James Rutledge /
James Pantier /
William Armstrong /
Manaweather Brown /
William White /
Edmund Greer /
Jordan Marshall /
91 Ephraim Wilcox /
Robert Carter /
Lewis Watkins /
Christopher
Elias Green /
James Baxter /
William Baxter /
John A. Kelso /
William Marshall /
William Cummings. /
Aaron Green. /
David R. Short. /
Benjamin Wiseman. /
Jeremiah Graham. /
John Clary /
Solomon Bale /
107 Zechariah Clary. /
Matthew Holland. /
Henry Holland. /
William Cox /
Jacob Bell /
Gibson Carter /
Henry Bell /
Solomon Spear. /
Silas Watkins /
24 8
<Page 6>
Voters Names David Dickinson3 Garrett Elkin Zechariah Peter
Andrew Beard /
James Spear /
Daniel Atterbarry /
Henry Bell Sen /
John Potter /
John Erwin /
Joseph England /
Alfred Hash /
Washington Hornbuckle /
John Watkins /
James Clemment /
Samuel McNabb /
Josiah Crawford /
Peter Elmore /
John Purkapile /
Elisha Loward /
Tarleton Loyed /
A. Latimer /
Joshua Miller /
James Purkapile /
Tilmon Hornbuckle /
E. B. Harrison /
John F Harrison /
John Allen /
Thomas F Dowell /
Royal Potter /
William Watkins. /
John Loyed /
William McNealy. /
James White /
E. J. B. Harrison /
Robert M Johnson /
Royal Armstrong /
17 16
<Page 7>
Voters Names David Dickinson Garret Elkin Zechariah Peter

<Page 8>
[ certification ]
05/05/1834
At an election held at the house of William F. Berry the New Salem precinct in the county of Sangamon and State of Illinois on the fifth day of May in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and thirtyfour the following named persons received the number of votes annexed to their respective names for the following described office to Wit4
Garrett Elkin had eighty four votes for Sheriff
David Dickinson had Seventy seven votes for Sheriff
Zechariah Peter had four votes for Sheriff
Certified by us
Bowling Green }
Hugh Armstrong Judges of the election
David Whray5.
[ certification ]
Attest
A. Lincoln } Clerks of the election
Mentor Graham6
[ certification ]
Green, Bowling
I certify that Hugh Armstrong David Whray Mentor Graham and A Lincoln were qualified by me according to law as Judges and Clerks of the election
Bowling Green J. P.[Justice of the Peace]
[ certification ]
Graham, Mentor
I certify that Bowling Green was qualified by me according to law as Judge of the election
Mentor Graham
1Acting as Clerk of the election, Abraham Lincoln wrote the entirety of this document, including the endorsements of Bowling Green and Mentor Graham. Green and Graham signed their own names.
Illinois’ 1818 constitution provided for state elections to be conducted viva voce, in which a voter would present himself in person to the election judges and declare his votes publicly. An election official would record the votes in a poll book. In 1819, the First General Assembly reversed this provision in favor of voting by ballot. The legislature mandated a return to viva voce in 1821, ballots in 1823, viva voce again in 1829, and finally settled on ballots in 1849.
Ill. Const. (1818), art. 2, §28; Sec. 13 of “An Act Regulating Elections,” 1 March 1819, Laws of Illinois (1819), 93; Sec. 5 of “An Act Regulating Elections,” 3 February 1821, Laws of Illinois (1821), 75-76; Sec. 14 of “An Act Regulating Elections,” 3 January 1823, Laws of Illinois (1823), 57; Sec. 10 of “An Act Regulating Elections,” 10 January 1829, Revised Laws of Illinois (1829), 57; Sec. 13 of “An Act to Provide for the Mode of Voting by Ballot, and for the Manner of Returning, Canvassing and Certifying Votes,” 12 February 1849, Laws of Illinois (1849), 73.
2There were two men named William Jones living in this area at this time. This could person could have been either of them.
3“Dockinson” changed to “Dickinson”.
4Sangamon County held this special election to fill the vacancy brought by the death of James D. Henry.
Harry E. Pratt, Lincoln 1809-1839: Being the Day-by-Day Activities of Abraham Lincoln from February 12, 1809 to December 31, 1839 (Springfield, IL: Abraham Lincoln Association, 1941), 28.
5Lincoln wrote all three signatures.
6Lincoln wrote both his and Graham’s signatures.

Handwritten Document Signed, 8 page(s), Lincoln Collection, Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum (Springfield, IL).