William B. Warren to Abraham Lincoln, 14 May 18491
Jacksonville May 14th 1849A Lincoln Esqr[Esquire]Dear SirSeveral of the good Whigs around Princeton Cass county have desired me to write you on the subject of a change in the Post Master at this
place– Eli W Redding was removed from the office and Chas Epler appointed by Poke– 2 Redding is an old Baptist preacher a good man, well qualified, and had been the Post Master there, for many
years– Epler has allways been an active democrat at all times busy at elections– Your friends would all be pleased to see the change–
3 There is also a movement in this place in favour of William Lindsay for Post Master and I think it would be well for the Department to wait a short time to let the citizens decide who which they prefer Miller or Lindsay they are both good men–4 I suppose Illinois has been forgotten alltogether at Washington.
Clark will get the Surveyor Genls[General's] place so says the Republican– But he has not got it, & perhaps a letter to Ewing, (stating the number of offices given to Missouri, whilst Illinois has as yet received none,) might do some good– I shall write to
Baker to day and make a like request of him–5 I would go on but my family are greatly opposed to it, and the approach of Cholera
so alarming, I cannot think of leaving home–
Your friendW B Warren2Warren was actually referencing who would be postmaster at Jersey Prairie, Illinois. President James K. Polk removed Eli W. Redding in September 1845, replacing him
with Charles B. Epler.
Record of Appointment of Postmasters, 1832-1971, NARA Microfilm Publication, M841, 145 rolls, Records of the Post Office Department,
RG 28, 1845-1855, 18:20, National Archives Building, Washington, DC; Register of all
Officers and Agents, Civil, Military, and Naval, in the Service of the United States,
on the Thirtieth September, 1845 (Washington, DC: J. & G. S. Gideon, 1845), *389;
Register of all Officers and Agents, Civil, Military, and Naval, in the Service of
the United States, on the Thirtieth September, 1847 (Washington, DC: J. & G. S. Gideon, 1847), *415.
3Redding replaced Epler in June 1849, holding the office until August 1849, when Jacob
F. Bergen received the appointment.
Record of Appointment of Postmasters, 1832-1971, NARA Microfilm Publication, M841, 145 rolls, Records of the Post Office Department,
RG 28, 1845-1855, 18:20, National Archives Building, Washington, DC.
4Ebenezer T. Miller would receive the appointment and hold the job until April 1853.
Illinois Daily Journal
(Springfield), 3 July 1849, 3:1; Record of Appointment of Postmasters, 1832-1971, NARA Microfilm Publication, M841, 145 rolls, Records of the Post Office Department,
RG 28, 1845-1855, 18:144, National Archives Building, Washington, DC; Register of all Officers and Agents, Civil, Military, and Naval, in the Service of
the United States, on the Thirtieth September, 1851
(Washington, DC: Gideon, 1851), *535; Register of Officers and Agents, Civil, Military, and Naval, in the Service of the
United States, on the Thirtieth September, 1853
(Washington, DC: Robert Armstrong, 1853), *507.
5Abraham Lincoln’s letter endorsing someone from Illinois for the position, if he wrote
one, has not been located. Meriwether L. Clark received the appointment as surveyor-general
for the Districts of Illinois and Missouri, holding the position until 1853.
Illinois Daily Journal
(Springfield), 30 April 1849, 2:1; Register of all Officers and Agents, Civil, Military, and Naval, in the Service of
the United States, on the Thirtieth September, 1849 (Washington, DC: Gideon, 1849), 141; Register of all Officers and Agents, Civil, Military, and Naval, in the Service of
the United States, on the Thirtieth September, 1851, 137; Register of Officers and Agents, Civil, Military, and Naval, in the Service of the
United States, on the Thirtieth September, 1853, 135.
Autograph Letter Signed, 1 page(s),
Abraham Lincoln Papers, Library of Congress (Washington, DC).