Microfilm of the Herndon-Weik Collection of Lincolniana

Location: Microfilm E457.H538

Scope

“The largest known collection of papers incident to Lincoln’s law practice and other business relationships before and after his emergence as a political figure, a large quantity of early memoirs and other reminiscent material, correspondence of Herndon and Weik with various public men who knew Lincoln and drafts of the writings of Herndon and Weik about Lincoln”–Annual report of the Librarian of Congress for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1941, p. 99.

Microfilm omits photographs and printed materials from the collection except for clippings on the slavery question and Lincoln’s campaign book consisting of miscellaneous clippings used principally in the Lincoln-Douglas debates.

How to search the collection

” The papers of the collection are divided into five main groups.

Group I. Association Pieces: a) a sheet from the home-made arithmetic book of Abraham Lincoln; b) a small volume of clippings on the slavery question; c) Lincoln’s “Campaign Book,” consisting of miscellaneous clippings, said by William H. Herndon to have been used principally in the Lincoln-Douglas debates.

Group II. Letters and documents written by or to Lincoln: a) Letters and documents in Lincoln’s hand or signed by him; b) Copies, letters and documents included as by Lincoln; c) Letters to Lincoln: originals and copies.” (Some of the letters are microfilmed again in Groups IV and V.)

“Group III. Legal documents in the Herndon-Weik collection described as “Lincoln Law Cases.” Cases are filmed alphabetically by name of plaintiff. The reversal of title in a case on appeal is followed only when new papers were made out for the case. The separate papers for each case are filmed chronologically, according to the dates upon which they are entered with the clerk of the court.

Group IV: Correspondence, miscellaneous documents, and copy for proposed publication, directly associated with William H. Herndon.

Group V. Correspondence, miscellaneous documents and copy for proposed publication, directly associated with Jesse W. Weik”. (from the first reel of the microfilm collection). Herndon’s Life of Lincoln: The History and Personal Recollections of Abraham Lincoln as Originally Written by William H. Herndon and Jesse W. Weik.