Bond of Abraham Lincoln, William F. Berry, and Bowling Green, 6 March 18331
Know all men by these presents we William F Berry a Abraham Lincoln and John Bowling Green are held and firmly bound unto the County Commissioners of Sangamon County in the full sum of three hundred dollars to which payment well and truly to be made
we bind our Selves our heirs Executors and administrators firmly by these presents
Sealed with our Seals and dated this 6th day of March A.D. 1833— Now the Condition of this obligation is such that whereas
the said Berry & Lincoln has obtained a license from the County Commissioners Court to keep a tavern in the Town of New Salem to Continue one year— Now if the said Berry and Lincoln shall be of good behavor and observe all the laws of this State relative to tavern keepers—2 then this obligation to be void or otherwise remain in full force—3
Abraham Lincolnseal Wm F Berry
seal Bowling Green
seal
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Wm F. Berry
Bond filed 6th March 1833
Bond filed 6th March 1833
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1833—
No 5
No 5
2Illinois state law restricted the sale of alcohol and weapons to Native Americans,
imposed limits on the price and quantity of spiritous liquors sold, and required
all tavern owners to offer security before obtaining a license to conduct business.
“An Act to Prevent the Selling of Spiritous Liquors in This State, and for Other Purposes,”
14 February 1823, Revised Laws of Illinois (1833), 594-95.
3In January 1833, Lincoln and William F. Berry purchased a store from Reuben Radford. As a surety for Berry and Lincoln, Green, an established gentleman in New Salem
where the store was located, agreed to be a responsible party should the two young
men fail as tavern keepers to meet their legal responsibilities.
Benjamin P. Thomas, Lincoln's New Salem (Springfield, IL: Abraham Lincoln Association, 1934), 61.
Handwritten Document Signed, 2 page(s), Box 16, Lincoln Collection, Abraham Lincoln Presidential
Library and Museum (Springfield, IL).