In preparation for the upcoming term of the Tazewell County Circuit Court, Lincoln writes and mails a notice of motion to Alexander McNaghton and William Cromwell, the plaintiffs in the Tazewell County Circuit Court case of Cromwell & McNaghton v. Baker and Tazewell County, Illinois. Lincoln represents defendant Edward D. Baker in the case regarding a mortgage foreclosure. Notice of Motion (copy), 5 April 1852, Cromwell & McNaghton v. Baker and Tazewell County, Illinois, copy files, IHi, Springfield, IL.

Lincoln buys "1¾ yds. Paper Cambric @ .15" at John Williams' store. Pratt, Personal Finances, 145.

[A Springfield paper prints Lincoln's name, along with the names of approximately 200 other Whigs, called to attend a meeting "at the court house...this evening at 7 o'clock to nominate candidates for the coming city election." The attendees nominate a Whig slate of candidates, and they also adopt a resolution asking Ninian W. Edwards "to resign his seat as the representative of the county of Sangamon in the State Legislature." Edwards's fellow Sangamon County Whig members pass the resolution because they feel that Edwards has "abandoned the party who elevated him to office and the principles he professed when canvassing for the seat." Even though Lincoln's name appears in the newspaper notice as one of the local Whigs requested to attend the meeting, it is unclear whether or not he is at the meeting. He is likely on his way to Pekin, Illinois, to participate in the spring term of court taking place there. Illinois Daily Journal (Springfield), 7 April 1852, 2:1; Call for a Whig Meeting, 7 April 1852, CW, 2:120; Illinois Daily Journal (Springfield), 9 April 1852, 2:1.

The spring term of the Tazewell County Circuit Court begins in Pekin. Judge's Docket Entries, April 1852 term, Judge's Docket, Tazewell County Circuit Court, Tazewell County Courthouse, Pekin, IL.

]

Lincoln arrives in Pekin on the second day of the Tazewell County Circuit Court in time to participate in several cases in which he represents Gideon Hawley. In a criminal case for obstructing a road, People v. Hawley, Lincoln defends Hawley. The jury cannot agree on a verdict, and Judge Davis discharges the jury and sets the case aside for a rehearing. In Gibson et al. v. Hawley, the court rules in favor of Hawley by arresting an earlier judgment against him. The plaintiffs in Cullom et al. v. Hawley and in Gibson et al. v. Hawley dismiss their cases against Hawley. Order, 8 April 1852, People v. Hawley, General Record F, 352; Judgment, 8 April 1852, Gibson et al. v. Hawley, General Record F, 353; Judgment, 8 April 1852,Cullom et al. v. Hawley, General Record F, 353; Judgment, 8 April 1852,Gibson et al. v. Hawley, General Record F, 355, all in Tazewell County Circuit Court, Tazewell County Courthouse, Pekin, IL.

In the Tazewell County Circuit Court, Judge David Davis hears the testimony and the evidence in the case of Tremont Female Seminary Trustees v. Hamilton. He reverses a lower court decision and rules in favor of Lincoln's and Alexander H. Saltonstall's client Lorenzo D. Hamilton. Lincoln takes the affidavit of defendant Remington K. Webster and files a plea for him in the case of Gill & Rupert v. Webster. Lincoln and Halsey O. Merriman represent defendant William B. Doolittle in the appeal case, Doolittle v. Doolittle. Doolittle is the administrator of his brother Irwin Doolittle's estate, and Irwin's widow Anne Maria Doolittle is suing William Doolittle to stop the sale of property to pay Irwin Doolittle's debts. Lincoln and Merriman make a motion to dismiss the appeal. The court takes the motion into consideration and continues the case. Lincoln serves as a juror to hear the petition of Mary Fitting in Ex Parte Mary Fitting. Mary Fitting's attorney presents evidence regarding the mental state of Fitting's husband John Fitting. The jury determines that John Fitting is a "distracted" person, and Judge Davis appoints Alexander Robinson as a conservator to oversee John Fitting's estate. Lincoln files a notice to the plaintiffs that he intends to ask the court "to enter satisfaction of said Decree" in the case of Cromwell and McNaghton v. Baker and Tazewell County, Illinois. Logan & Lincoln represent Edward D. Baker in a dispute over money the plaintiffs claim that Baker owes to the estate of Nathan Cromwell.Order, 9 April 1852, Tremont Female Seminary Trustees v. Hamilton, General Record F, 371-72, Tazewell County Circuit Court, Tazewell County Courthouse, Pekin IL; Affidavit, 9 April 1852, Gill & Rupert v. Webster, Herndon-Weik Collection, Library of Congress, Washington, DC; Plea, 9 April 1852, Gill & Rupert v. Webster, New York Public Library, New York, NY; Motion to Dismiss, 9 April 1852, Doolittle v. Doolittle, case file, box 78; Decree, 9 April 1852, Doolittle v. Doolittle, General Record F, 361; Judgment, 9 April 1852, Ex Parte Mary Fitting, General Record F, 374, all in Tazewell County Circuit Court, Tazewell County Courthouse, Pekin, IL; Notice of Motion (copy), filed 9 April 1852, Cromwell and McNaghton v. Baker and Tazewell County, Illinois, copy files, Henry Horner Lincoln Collection, IHi, Springfield, IL .

In the Tazewell County Circuit Court, Lincoln and William B. Parker represent attorney Edward Jones, who seeks $5,000 in damages from Dr. Joseph S. Maus in the case of Jones v. Maus. Jones claims that Maus caused injury to Jones's eyesight during a fight the two men had after Jones questioned Maus's medical training. The parties file an agreement which stipulates that Maus will pay all of the court costs. The court hears arguments in the case of Gill and Rupert v. Webster, in which Lincoln represents defendant Remington K. Webster, and James Haines represents plaintiffs Thomas Gill and Columbus J. D. Rupert. Lincoln and Haines sign an agreement for Webster to pay the money he owes to the plaintiffs. As part of the agreement, the attorneys also sign an award to credit Webster $4 for twenty gallons of peach liquor that Gill and Rupert had in their possession. Judge David Davis enters the judgment against Webster for the agreed amount of $437.55 and court costs. Lincoln files a bond for costs in the case of Harris Lime Rock Company v. Harris. Lincoln represents the Harris Lime Rock Company, which is suing Samuel B. Harris for the money it claims Harris illegally took from the company. Affidavit of Edward Jones, 24 July 1851, Jones v. Maus, case file, box 32; Judgment, 10 April 1852, Jones v. Maus, General Record F, 379, both in Tazewell County Circuit Court, Tazewell County Courthouse, Pekin, IL; Agreement, filed 10 April 1852, Gill and Rupert v. Webster, Herndon-Weik Collection, Library of Congress, Washington, DC; Plea, 9 April 1852, Gill and Rupert v. Webster, New York Public Library, New York, NY; Judgment, 10 April 1852, Gill and Rupert v. Webster, General Record F, 379-80, Tazewell County Circuit Court, Tazewell County Courthouse, Pekin, IL; Bond for Costs, Harris Lime Rock Company v. Harris, Tazewell County Circuit Court, Illinois State Archives, Springfield, IL.

In the Tazewell County Circuit Court, Lincoln and Clifton H. Moore, attorneys for the defendants in Wisner v. T. E. Sawyer & Company, ask for a continuance, and the court continues the case until the next term. Lincoln enters a motion for plaintiff Stacy B. Opdycke in the case of Opdycke v. Opdycke & Opdycke. Stacy B. Opdycke requests more time to sell the land that his children, Thomas G. Opdycke and Charlotte P. Opdycke, inherited upon their mother's death. The court had previously approved Stacy B. Opdycke's request to sell some of the land and had ordered him to reinvest the profits for the children's benefit. Lincoln writes and files the affidavit of defendant James West in preparation for West's arraignment in the forgery case, People v. West. Order, 12 April 1852, Wisner v. T. E. Sawyer & Company, General Record F, 384, Tazewell County Circuit Court, Tazewell County Courthouse, Pekin, IL; Decree, 12 April 1852, Opdycke v. Opdycke and Opdycke, Tazewell County Circuit Court, Illinois State Archives, Springfield, IL; Decree, 24 September 1851, Opdycke v. Opdycke and Opdycke, General Record F, 321, Tazewell County Circuit Court, Tazewell County Courthouse, Pekin, IL; Affidavit of James West, filed 12 April 1852, People v. West, Tazewell County Circuit Court, Illinois State Archives, Springfield, IL.

[Mary Lincoln buys a piece of "carpet binding" for 40¢ from John Williams & Company in Springfield. Harry E. Pratt, The Personal Finances of Abraham Lincoln (Springfield, IL: Abraham Lincoln Association, 1943), 145.

]

In the McLean County Circuit Court, Lincoln and fellow attorney Kersey H. Fell ask the court for time to amend a declaration they previously filed in the case of Stern & Friedman v. Sawyer. Lincoln and Fell represent plaintiffs Samuel Stern and Isaac S. Friedman in the attachment suit. The court grants the plaintiffs' request and continues the case until the next term. Lincoln represents the plaintiffs in the chancery case of Gibbs and Rogers v. Eckles. The court orders Gibbs and Rogers, the executors of William Gibbs's estate, to convey a land deed to defendant Jacob P. Eckles. The court also orders the plaintiffs to pay the court costs. Order, 24 April 1852, Stern & Friedman v. Sawyer, Common Law Record 4, 289; Decree, 24 April 1852, Gibbs and Rogers v. Eckles, Chancery Record 5, 124-25; Judgment and Execution Docket, 2 October 1852, Gibbs and Rogers v. Eckles, Judgment & Execution Docket 3, 120-21, all in McLean County Circuit Court, McLean County Courthouse, Bloomington, IL.

[In Springfield, delegates attending the Sangamon County Whig convention nominate James C. Conkling to run for a seat in the state legislature made available by the resignation of Ninian W. Edwards. Illinois Daily Journal (Springfield), 27 April 1852, 2:1.

Someone, perhaps Mary Lincoln, buys wallpaper and "6 pieces [of] border" for a total of $18.30 from John Williams and Company in Springfield and charges the purchases to Lincoln's account. Harry E. Pratt, The Personal Finances of Abraham Lincoln (Springfield, IL: Abraham Lincoln Association, 1943), 145.

]

In the Logan County Circuit Court, Lincoln commences a suit against Jesse D. Blackledge for plaintiff James Kelly in the debt case of Kelly v. Blackledge. Kelly had won a judgment in Ohio against Blackledge, but Blackledge moved to Logan County before paying. Lincoln files a complaint and a certified copy of the Ohio judgment and makes arrangements in the circuit clerk's office for the county sheriff to serve a summons on Blackledge ordering him to appear at the fall term of court. In another debt case, Hays v. Turley, Lincoln sues George W. Turley on behalf of Lewis M. Hays, the administrator of the estate of Thomas P. Taylor. Hays, an Indiana resident, sent Lincoln a claim for $100 that Turley had owed Taylor since 1836. Lincoln commenced a suit in the Logan County Circuit Court against Turley in April 1851. One or both sides requested a continuance during the October 1851 term and again during this April 1852 term.Anson L. Brewer to Abraham Lincoln, 17 November 1852, Kelly v. Blackledge, Abraham Lincoln Collection, John Hay Library, Brown University, Providence, RI; Abraham Lincoln to Anson L. Brewer, 16 March 1855, Kelly v. Blackledge, Private Collection; Receipt, 7 September 1850, Hays v. Turley, Private Collection; Abraham Lincoln to Lewis M. Hays (copy), 27 October 1852, Hays v. Turley, copy files, Henry Horner Lincoln Collection, IHi, Springfield, IL .

[In Lincoln's absence, someone, probably his co-counsel David A. Smith, files a public notice in the Sangamon County Circuit Court case of Gilman et al. v. Hamilton et al., in which Lincoln and Smith represent plaintiffs Winthrop S. Gilman and Grundy H. Blackburn. In the public notice, Lincoln and Smith explain to the case's non-resident defendants that "an amended bill in Chancery has been this day exhibited and filed against them." Lincoln and Smith state further that the defendants "are hereby notified to plead answer or demur in the premises, or said amended bill will be taken pro confesso against them." Illinois Daily Journal (Springfield), 1 May 1852, 3:2; Decree, 3 September 1852, Gilman et al. v. Hamilton et al., Record L, 535-36, Sangamon County Circuit Court, Illinois Regional Archives Depository, University of Illinois at Springfield, Springfield, IL .

]

Lincoln and Smith publish notice of pendency of Gillman et al. v. Hamilton et al.Illinois Journal.

[Judge David Davis opens the two-day De Witt County Circuit Court with forty-eight cases on the docket. Orders and Decrees, 29-30 April 1852, Chancery Record 1A, 433-54, De Witt County Circuit Court, De Witt County Courthouse, Clinton, IL.]

In the De Witt County Circuit Court, Lincoln and Clifton H. Moore represent defendant John Warner in the case of Campbell v. Warner. Barzilla Campbell is suing to remove Warner from land which Campbell claims to own. Lincoln and Moore file a plea in which Warner states that "he is not guilty of unlawfully withholding the premises claimed by the plaintiff." Judge David Davis continues the case until the next court term. Plea, filed 30 April 1852, Campbell v. Warner, Henry Horner Lincoln Collection, IHi, Springfield, IL; Order, 30 April 1852, Campbell v. Warner, Chancery Record 1A, 445, De Witt County Circuit Court, De Witt County Courthouse, Clinton, IL.

Lincoln writes a mortgage deed in which De Witt County residents James Mattlen and his wife Susana Mattlen agree to sell their steam saw and flouring mill to John Billington of Springfield, Illinois for $1,500. Lincoln also writes three promissory notes for James Mattlen to sign. Mortgage Deed, 30 April 1852, Henry Horner Lincoln Collection, IHi, Springfield, IL; Declaration, filed 23 April 1853, Billington v. Mattlen, case file, De Witt County Circuit Court, De Witt County Courthouse, Clinton, IL.

[In Lincoln's absence, his co-counsel files separate praecipes in two cases before the U.S. Circuit Court in Springfield: Moore for use of State Bank of Indiana v. Tanquary and Moore for use of State Bank of Indiana v. Buchanan and Vandermark. Complete Record, 21 July 1853, Moore for use of State Bank of Indiana v. Tanquary, Record Group 21, Complete Law Record, Volume 1b, 59-63; Complete Record, 10 February 1853, Moore for use of State Bank of Indiana v. Buchanan & Vandermark, Record Group 21, Complete Law Record, Volume 1b, 80-6, both in United States Circuit Court for the Southern District of Illinois, National Archives and Records Administration, Great Lakes Region, Chicago, IL.]