Abraham Lincoln Papers, 1862-1864

A two-page document, on vellum, signed November 12, 1862, authorizes the Smithsonian Institution's agents in London to recover the residue of Smithson's bequest so that it may be used for the benefit of the Institution. This is one of the few documents on which Lincoln signed his full name--he usually used only the initial of his first name. The paper is countersigned by William H. Seward, Secretary of State, and Charles Dodd.

Two of the papers deal with grants of land, one a deed to an Aaron T. Lane, and the other pertaining to a treaty with the Kansas Indians.

A limited number of printed copies of Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation were signed personally by the President and Secretary Seward and sold for the benefit of the Sanitary Fair held in Philadelphia during the Civil War to raise funds for the care of wounded soldiers. One such copy is included in this collection.

Interesting item: A tiny scrap of paper dated June 15, 1864, has this one sentence: "Let this Indian be discharged," and is signed "A. Lincoln," all in his hand.