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Blatchford, Seward & Griswold to Abraham Lincoln, 23 April 18581
BLATCHFORD, SEWARD & GRISWOLD,
29 NASSAU STREET,
CORNER OF CEDAR,
Room No. 20, (over Bank of Commerce,)
NEW-YORK.
Address Box 217, Post Office.
New York April 23d 1858A. Lincoln Esq[Esquire]Springfield Ill.Dear Sir
We have your favor of 19th inst–
We enclose you original note agt[against] T J V Owen & Bro for $119.28 dated Springfield May 13– 1857 payable 6 mo.[months] after date to order of Miller & Holbrook for value received with 10 pr ct[percent] int[interest] from due, and which is endorsed by Miller & Holbrook & their assignee–2
Our client is willing to give a reasonable extension if O & B will give you satisfactory security– You will have to judge of the propriety of the time to be given and of the character of the security– We think for so small a claim it should hardly be more than 3 mos–[months]
Hoping to hear from you soon.3
We are very trulyBlatchford Seward & Griswold
<Page 2>
[ enclosure ]
05/13/1857T. J. V. Owen & Brother,Miller & HolbrookPromissory Note of T. J. V. Owen & Brother to Miller & Holbrook
$119.28/100
Springfield May 13th 1857.
Six months after date wepromise to Pay to the order of Miller & Holbrook One Hundred & Nineteen 28/100 Dollars.
Value received, with ten per cent int from due
No.
T. J V Owen & Bro4
Springfield Ill[Illinois]5
HAYES & ZELL, 193 MARKET ST., PHILA.
<Page 3>
[ docketing ]
Miller & Holbrook
[p?] Wm H Mason as assignee6
24 Beckman St. N.Y.7
<Page 4>
[Envelope]
NEW YORK.
APR[APRIL] 23Hon A. LincolnSpringfieldIllinois.
[ docketing ]
To our office.8
[ docketing ]
Tom Owens.9
1An unknown person wrote this letter on behalf of Blatchford, Seward & Griswold and signed the firm’s name. The same unknown person also wrote the name and address on the envelope shown in the fourth image.
2The enclosed promissory note is shown in the second and third images.
In this context, an assignee is a person who received real or personal property from an assignor—a person who transferred real or personal property to another person. As noted in the docketing shown in the third image, William H. Mason was Miller & Holbrook’s assignee.
“Assignee,” “Assignor,” Reference, Glossary, 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), https://lawpracticeofabrahamlincoln.org/Reference.aspx?ref=Reference%20html%20files/Glossary.html.
3Lincoln replied to Blatchford, Seward & Griswold on May 2, acknowledging receipt of this April 23 letter and agreeing to arrange for debt collection from T. J. V. Owen & Brother. He and Blatchford, Seward & Griswold subsequently exchanged at least four more letters related to this debt. Lincoln advised Blatchford, Seward & Griswold against initiating a lawsuit to resolve the matter, but it is unclear from extant correspondence whether he was able to resolve the debt either in full or in part.
Abraham Lincoln to Blatchford, Seward & Griswold; Blatchford, Seward, and Griswold to Abraham Lincoln; Abraham Lincoln to Blatchford, Seward & Griswold; Blatchford, Seward & Griswold to Abraham Lincoln.
4An unknown person wrote the script in the blank portions of this check on behalf of T. J. V. Owen & Brother and signed the firm’s name.
5An unknown person wrote this script in pencil at the bottom-right of the check, shown in the second image.
6An unknown person wrote this docketing. William H. Mason could not be positively identified.
7Another unknown person wrote this address in pencil, shown in the third image.
8Lincoln wrote this docketing.
9Lincoln also wrote this docketing.

Autograph Letter Signed, 4 page(s), Abraham Lincoln Papers, Library of Congress (Washington, DC).