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10. James A. Herndon to William H. Herndon.

Quincy May 29th 1865.

Der friend

I resivd your letter som since reusting mee to give you all the information consirning A Lincolns Eirley life so far as I new which I wood have done bee fore this if it had not bin on account of Sickness in my famly well in the firste place I took your letter to Rowen Herndon nooing hee cood give a mutch better histry of Mr Lincoln than I cood. Mr Lincoln borded with hin som time in Salam I Saw J. R. H yesterday hee told Mee hee Sirtnly wood attend to It rite of & give the names of All the canadats I bee came acqanted with Mr Lincoln in 1832 Somtine in the Spring during Durin that Summer J R H & My Self moove A Stock of Goods to Salam after Mr Lincoln was beeting for office him & Wm Barry bought out our Stock I new but littel a bout him after that untell hee came to Springfiled tha Speach he made was at Paps Vill on Ritchland creek at Mr Smiths thar was a large gethering thar on account of a Sale of goods hee was the only canadate thar & was call on to make a Speach

hee commence by Saying Fellow Sitisens I have bin Solisated by many frends to bee come a canadate for the ledeslator I have So concluded to do I prosume you all no ho i am My Name is Abraham Lincoln My politcks is Short & Sweet Like and old womans dance I am in favor of nashonal Bank high & protectif Tarrif & the internal improvement System

if Ellected I will bee thankful if beeting I can do as I have bin doing worke for

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yours in haste
James A H

Library of Congress: Herndon-Weik Collection. Manuscript Division. Library of Congress. Washington, D.C. 2135 — 36; Huntington Library: LN2408, 1:547 — 49

nts

Notes.

1. Presumably David Smith, who sold the land on which Papsville and the store having the sale (Knapp and Pogue) were located.

2. WHH got this speech from James A. Herndon several months earlier and had it printed in the Springfield paper. See WHH to JWW, Nov. 22, 1888, Herndon-Weik Collection. Manuscript Division. Library of Congress. Washington, D.C. , and ISJ, Nov. 5, 1864, p. 2, col. 3.