Abraham Lincoln to George B. Kinkead, 30 September 18531
Peoria, Ills. Sept 30. 1853.Geo.. B. Kinkead, Esq[Esquire]Lexington, Ky–Dear SirYour letter of the 22nd has just reached me through Mr Edwards; and for which I thank you heartily–2 I now feel that the case is entirely managable– I well know who Hawley and Edwards are– The "Hawley" of that firm is Eliphalet B.. Hawley; and the "Edwards" is no other than Ninian
W.. Edwards, whom you know nearly as well as I do, ^&^ being the same who, on behalf of himself, and the rest of us here, has conducted
all the business ^with you,^ here, in relation to Mr Todd's estate–3 Mr Hawley still lives at Springfield; and I will thank you to give a notice to take his deposition at the same time and
place named in my former letter for the taking of that of Mr Edwards & others at Springfield–4
Very truly Yours &c.[etc.]A. Lincoln–P. S. Still write me, under cover to Mr Edwards at Springfield, who will forward to me–5A. L.<Page 2>
2Neither George B. Kinkead’s September 22, 1853 letter, nor Ninian W. Edwards’ letter
to Lincoln, forwarding Kinkead’s letter, have been located.
3Edwards was involved in Todd et al. v. Wickliffe, a case related to the estate of Robert S. Todd, father of Mary Lincoln. After Todd’s death, Abraham and Mary Lincoln reactivated this case in the Kentucky Fayette County Circuit Court, with them as plaintiffs, because property was at stake which they believed they
were legally entitled to as Todd’s heirs.
Edwards was also involved in the case Oldham & Hemingway v. Lincoln et al. In this case, which also arose after Todd’s death, Edward Oldham and Thomas Hemingway, the surviving partners of Oldham, Todd and Company, which had included Todd, claimed that the company had hired Lincoln and Edwards
to collect some debts for them in Illinois. Oldham and Hemingway claimed that Lincoln, Edwards, and Kinkead (who was acting
as Lincoln's attorney in Lexington) failed to pay them $472.54. In June 1853, Oldham
and Hemingway sued Lincoln and others in a chancery action in the Kentucky Fayette
County Circuit Court to recover the debt.
For full details on the Todd et al. v. Wickliffe case, see Todd et al. v. Wickliffe, Martha L. Benner and Cullom Davis et al., eds., The Law Practice of Abraham Lincoln: Complete Documentary Edition, 2d edition (Springfield: Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, 2009), http://www.lawpracticeofabrahamlincoln.org/Details.aspx?case=141847; For full details on the Oldham & Hemingway v. Lincoln et al. case, see Oldham & Hemingway v. Lincoln et al., Martha L. Benner and Cullom Davis et al., eds., The Law Practice of Abraham Lincoln: Complete Documentary Edition, http://www.lawpracticeofabrahamlincoln.org/Details.aspx?case=141851; Harry E. Pratt, The Personal Finances of Abraham Lincoln (Springfield, IL: Abraham Lincoln Association, 1943), 118.
4Lincoln’s letter to Kinkead naming the time and place for depositions to be taken
in Springfield has not been located. However, on September 22, 1853, he provided notice
to Oldham and Hemingway that he planned to take the depositions of “J. T. Stuart and others” in Springfield on November 12, 1853. Both Edwards and Hawley were deposed
on November 12.
5Neither Kinkead’s reply nor a letter from Edwards to Lincoln on this matter have been
located. However, Lincoln wrote Kinkead at least one more letter related to this case after this letter.
In February 1854, after depositions Lincoln took supported his version of events,
Oldham and Hemingway dismissed the case.
Oldham & Hemingway v. Lincoln et al., Martha L. Benner and Cullom Davis et al., eds., The Law Practice of Abraham Lincoln: Complete Documentary Edition, http://www.lawpracticeofabrahamlincoln.org/Details.aspx?case=141851.
Autograph Letter Signed, 2 page(s), Box 4, Lincoln Collection, Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum (Springfield, IL).