Our Collection

At the Institute’s core is the Gilder Lehrman Collection, one of the great archives in American history. More than 85,000 items cover five hundred years of American history, from Columbus’s 1493 letter describing the New World through the end of the twentieth century.

Lincoln, Abraham (1809-1865) [Authorization to the Secretary of State to affix the seal of the United States to the pardon of Milo Thornton for counterfeiting coins].

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC00613 Author/Creator: Lincoln, Abraham (1809-1865) Place Written: Washington, D.C. Type: Document signed Date: 29 March 1861 Pagination: 1 p. 26 x 20 cm Order a Copy

In Ohio, Thornton had been convicted in 1859 and sentenced to the Ohio State Penitentiary for ten years. According to D. R. Kinsell, his physician, his health was quickly failing and he would soon become a lunatic if not released. The release was supported by Ohio representative John Hutchins, Marshall of the United States for the Northern District of Ohio Mathew Johnson, R. P. Rammey (the district attorney who had prosecuted him), and others.

Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865

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