Scope and Content Note for Additions to the Collection
Addenda to the Abraham Lincoln Papers consist mostly of reproductions of government and military documents made from originals in the holdings of the National Archives and Records Administration, 1774-1887. Original documents and mementoes which span the years 1834-1948 have also been added to the Lincoln Papers. The Addenda include material acquired since 1960 and papers omitted as not being integral to the collection when it was microfilmed and indexed in 1960. The Addenda are designated as Series 4 and organized in subseries by the year each addition was processed. Material added to the Lincoln Papers from 1979 to 1987, previously designated as Series 5-7, is now consolidated with Series 4.
The 1973 Addition includes original correspondence, chiefly letters written by Lincoln; an original autobiographical sketch; reproductions of documents arranged chronologically; miscellaneous printed matter, including mourning cards and mementoes such as a pen purportedly used by Lincoln; and notes, envelopes, and photocopies of documents removed before microfilming from Series 1, General Correspondence and Related Documents . The autobiographical sketch was written in 1859 at the request of a political supporter, Jesse W. Fell, who believed that Lincoln might become president if he were better known. It is not signed, but a statement signed by David Davis, Lyman Trumbull, and Charles Sumner dated 20 March 1872 certifies that the document was written by Lincoln.
The 1979 Addition, formerly designated as Series 5, includes four original manuscripts and reproductions of letters, notes, and endorsements by Lincoln. Most of the reproductions are copies of applications and recommendations for military appointments made from originals in the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA).
The 1985 Addition, formerly Series 6, consists entirely of reproductions from original letters and documents at NARA pertaining to Lincoln. The material is organized according to the government department that created the record. The largest group comes from the adjutant general's office of the War Department and concerns military commissions.
The 1987 Addition, formerly Series 7, contains three original items and reproductions of documents from NARA.
Original items in the 1996 Addition include a deed for property held by John and Nancy Johnston and stepmother Sarah Johnston Lincoln in Illinois dated 1852, a message dated 1861 by Lincoln to Major George Douglas Ramsay, Chief of Ordnance, United States Army, requesting that he find employment for gunsmiths from Harper's Ferry, and a message dated 1862 by Lincoln to the surgeon general concerning a mother's request that her son be discharged. Also included are reproductions of documents from NARA organized according to the government department that created the record. Most of the documents are from the War Department. Notable exceptions are copies of a patent application Lincoln filed in 1849 for a device to lift riverboats over shoals and the report of the Washington, D.C., municipal police force detective corps on the investigation of Lincoln's assassination.
The 2010 Addition consists of a legal document from Lincoln's Springfield, Illinois law practice. The 2013 Addition includes a clipped signature of Lincoln from a memorandum dated July 29, 1862, concerning a request in person by Mrs. Robert Knight for her husband to be appointed assessor. A copy of the memorandum is provided. Also included is a U.S. State Department warrant dated 6 January 1865, for affixing the seal of the United States to a letter to Dom Pedro II of Brazil, signed by Lincoln.