Manuscript Collection: Abraham Lincoln
Collection Overview
Collection summary derived from "Guidebook to Manuscripts", 1969: 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.
Access Restrictions
Available by appointment only at the Helmerich Center for American Research (HCAR) with the exception of materials with donor restrictions. Contact Library staff in advance to inquire if materials exist pertaining to your research interests.
Use Restrictions
Please contact the Rights and Reproduction Department for information on publishing or reproducing materials included in these records. Permission will be granted by the Gilcrease Museum as the owner of the physical materials, and does not imply permission from the copyright holder. It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain all necessary permissions from the copyright holder.
Provenance
The Gilcrease Foundation acquired these materials before 1964 and is housed in the Helmerich Center for American Research (HCAR). The library currently receives most materials through community donation, board members, artists and the acquisition of manuscript collections.
Staff, interns, and volunteers of the Thomas Gilcrease Library and Archive have contributed to the organization and maintenance of the files since the collection passed to the City of Tulsa in the 1950s.