Contract between Abraham Lincoln and Cornelius Ludlum, 23 October 18471
It is hereby agreed by and between Abraham Lincoln of the City of Springfield, Illinois, andCornelius Ludlum of the same place, that the said Lincoln lets to the saidLudlumthe dwelling house in which said Lincoln now lives in said City, together with the
lot on which it stands, and the other appurtenances of said lot for the term of one
year to commence on the first day of November next; for which the saidLudlum agrees to pay said Lincoln the sum of ninety dollars, in quarter yearly payments;
to be especially careful to prevent any destruction by fire; to allow said Lincoln
the use of the North-up-stairs room during the term, in which to store his furniture,
and to return the premises at the end of the year in as good repair as he may receive
them, ordinary decay only excepted.2
October 23rd 1847A LincolnC Ludlum[ endorsement
]
02/01/1848
02/01/1848
February 1st 1848, Recd[Received] of C Ludlum Twenty two Dollars Fifty cents for Three months RentJohn Irwin & Co
[ endorsement
]
08/04/1848
08/04/1848
August 4th 1848. Recd of M Brayman Twenty two & 50/100 Dollars for three months Rent ending April 20th 1848John Irwin & Co
[ endorsement
]
11/18/1848
11/18/1848
Novr[November] 18th 1848. Received of M. Brayman, fiftyfive dollars, including five allowed for repairing
fence, which is in full of rent, on the above up to the first instant, [and?] ten dollars on the next quarte[r] . . .
[ endorsement
]
05/09/1849
05/09/1849
Received, May 9. 1849. of M. [Brayman] . . . for rent of house up to . . . the same, & all other accounts . . .
<Page 2>
[ docketing
]
Lincoln with Ludlum
Lease.
Fr.[From] Nov.[November] 1. 1847.
Lease.
Fr.[From] Nov.[November] 1. 1847.
[ docketing
]
Lincoln Rent
Pd[Paid] in full
Pd[Paid] in full
2Lincoln rented out his family’s home for the term he spent in Congress, during which time he lived in Washington, DC. His family accompanied him to Washington and spent the remainder of his term with
Mary Lincoln’s family in Lexington, Kentucky.
Michael Burlingame, Abraham Lincoln: A Life (Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 2008), 1:253-54, 262; Abraham Lincoln to Mary Lincoln.
Autograph Document Signed, 2 page(s), Lincoln Collection, Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum (Springfield, IL).