  Unpublished Official Documents A Discovery—Documents of Historic Value—Lincoln Owned Land in Iowa—Copy of Letters Patent from United States, under James Buchanan, to Abraham Lincoln, in 1860—Copy of Deed Executed by Honorable Robert T. Lincoln and Wife in 1892—Other Transfers—The Present Owner. A few months ago I learned through a newspaper that Abraham Lincoln, at the time of his death, owned land in the State of Iowa, by virtue of his having served in the Black Hawk War of 1832. He was given a land script, good for one hundred and twenty acres, which he located in what is now Crawford County, Iowa. Having never heard of this before, I went to Denison, the county-seat, and, through the law and abstract office of Shaw, Sims & Kuehnle, obtained the information where the records could be found in the county recorder's office. The above-named Shaw is the Honorable Leslie M. Shaw, ex-Governor of Iowa and ex-Secretary of the United States Treasury under President Roosevelt. Through the kindness of the county recorder, W. E. Terry, I was allowed to copy the records in the case. Probably Abraham Lincoln never saw the land, but because of their historical value the records are here given. The first is the letters-patent from the United States to Abraham Lincoln. Record D, page 18. Original Entry, page 125. "The United States of America. "To All Whom, These Presents Shall Come, Greeting: "Know ye, That there is, therefore, granted by the United States unto the said Abraham Lincoln, heirs, and assigns forever. "In Testimony, whereof, I, James Buchanan, President of the United States of America, have caused these Letters to be made Patent, and the seal of the General Land Office to be hereto affixed. "[Seal.] "Given under my hand, at the City of Washington, the tenth day of September, in the year of our Lord One Thousand Eight Hundred and Sixty, and of the Independence of the United States the Eighty-fifth. "By the President: James Buchanan. "By J. B. Leonard, Sec. "G. W. Granger, Recorder of the General Land Office. "Recorded vol. 468, page 53." The following copy of the warranty deed from Robert T. Lincoln and wife to Henry Edwards is recorded in Deed Record 13, page 208. Robert T. Lincoln at this time was minister from the United States to Great "Warranty Deed. "Filed April 26, A. D. 1892, at 2:10 P.M., W. W. Cushman, Recorder. "The east half of the northeast quarter, and the northwest quarter of the northeast quarter of section eighteen (18) in Township eighty-four (84), north of Range thirty-nine (39), west of the Principal Meridian. "And we covenant with the said Henry Edwards that we hold said premises by good and perfect title, that we have good right and lawful authority to sell and convey the same, that they are free and clear of all liens and all encumbrances, whatsoever, excepting the taxes levied, or to be levied, for the year 1892, and excepting also a lease of said land expiring on or about the fourth day of May, A. D. 1894, and we covenant to warrant and defend the title to said premises against the lawful claims of all persons, whomsoever, excepting as against the said taxes, and the said lease, the obligation and discharge of both of which are hereby assumed by the said Henry Edwards. "The said Robert T. Lincoln hereby declares that his title to said land is wholly by descent, and derived as follows, namely: "That Abraham Lincoln, the patentee of said land, died on the 15th day of April, 1865, intestate, leaving heirs surviving, his widow, Mary Lincoln, and his two sons, Robert T. Lincoln and Thomas Lincoln, and no other heirs; that said Thomas Lincoln died on the 15th day of July, A. D. 1871, in the nineteenth year of his age, intestate, and unmarried, leaving him surviving as his only heirs his mother, said "Signed the twenty-second day of March, A. D. 1892. "Robert T. Lincoln. "United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. "Legation of the United States of America at London on this 22d day of March, A. D. 1892, before me Larz Anderson, a secretary of the Legation of the United States of America at London, aforesaid, came Robert T. Lincoln and Mary H. Lincoln, his wife, personally to me known to be the identical persons whose names are affixed to the above instrument as grantors thereof, and acknowledged the execution of the same to be their voluntary act and deed for the purpose therein expressed. "Witness my hand and the seal of said Legation the day and year last above written. "The Legation of the United States of America to Great Britain. Larz Anderson, On the 20th of April, 1892, the above-named Henry Edwards sold the land to Enoch T. Cochran, consideration $1,500. Recorded May 2, 1892, Deed Book 12, page 624. On the 20th of October, 1892, Enoch T. Cochran sold the land to the present owner, Peter F. Jepsen, consideration $1,925. Recorded October 24, 1892, Deed Book 15, page 135. I copied the foregoing records in the recorder's office, in Dennison, Crawford County, Iowa, in the afternoon THE OLD STILL-HOUSE SITE In Indiana, where Lincoln worked the latter part of the winter before going to Illinois, in March, 1830. GIDEON WELLS HASKINS ABRAHAM LINCOLN HASKINS SIMON CAMERON HASKINS Triplets named by Abraham Lincoln in 1861. They are still living. HOUSE IN WHICH LINCOLN DIED LINCOLN'S MILL |
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