Abraham Lincoln to James M. Loughborough, 12 December 18551
Springfield, Dec: 12. 1855James M. Loughborough, Esq.[Esquire]Dear SirTo-day I received from Louisville, an unrecorded deed from your uncle P. S. L. to Laurence Young, of date March 10– 1845,2 for
| S.E.[Southeast] | 27– | T[Township]21. N. [North] | R.[Range] 7 E.[East] | 160 | acres |
| E1/2 SW[Southwest] | 27 | " | " | 80 | " |
| S[South]1/2 N.E.[Northeast] | 27 | " | " | 80 | " |
| W[West]1/2 S.W. | 26 | " | " | 80 | " |
| W1/2 NE. | 15 | " | " | 80 | " |
| 480 | " |
It was sent me with the request that I should have it recorded, and make some search for tax-titles–
I have written back declining to do either; & saying I hold the deed subject to order–3
I have thought proper to notify you of this at once–
Yours trulyA. Lincoln–<Page 2>
SPRINGFIELD ^Ill[Illinois]^[DEC][December] 13James M. Loughborough, EsqSt LouisMo.
1Abraham Lincoln wrote and signed this letter including the address on the last sheet,
which was folded to make an envelope.
2Joshua F. Speed sent Lincoln the deed in a letter dated December 7, 1855.
In 1836, Preston S. Loughborough purchased around 3,000 acres in the western portion
of Champaign County, Illinois. In 1845, Loughborough conveyed the majority of that land to J. Graves of Kentucky
and the remainder to Lawrence Young, but did not record the deeds at the time. In
1873, Young still owned 400 acres in that county, which he directed to be sold in
his will. The 480 acres listed here was located in Newcomb Township
Urbana Union (Urbana, IL), 11 March 1858, 3:1; Abraham Lincoln to Joshua F. Speed; Kentucky, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1774-1989, 6 January 1873, Jefferson County
(Lehi, UT: Ancestry.com Operations, 2015).
3Abraham Lincoln declined Preston S. Loughborough’s request because James M. Loughborough,
Peter S. Loughborough’s nephew, had already retained Lincoln for an unrelated legal
matter. The only extant legal case where Lincoln represented James M. Loughborough
was a lawsuit against James F. Gamble in the Champaign County Circuit Court.
In a letter to Speed dated December 12, Lincoln recommended Henry C. Whitney as a suitable person to handle the work. On December 17, Speed wrote Lincoln requesting
that he send the deed to Whitney. This letter has not been located, and no further
correspondence regarding the deed is extant, so the final disposition of the matter
is unknown.
Lincoln referred Speed to Whitney, 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=141359; Loughborough v. Gamble 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=136571.
Autograph Letter Signed, 2 page(s), Lincoln Collection, Chicago Historical Society (Chicago, IL).