ABRAHAM LINCOLN LETTER w Letter of Provenance 1849 ALS

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This rare letter written entirely in Abraham Lincoln's hand is fresh to the market and has not seen the light of day in over a century! We recently discovered this letter while cleaning out the attic of a Newport Rhode Island Estate. The letter was in a mid 19th century leather case with dozens of other unrelated letters. The letter is dated "Springfield Ills. Dec. 15, 1849" and is addressed to "Hon.T.Ewing Secretary I." Thomas Ewing (1789 - 1871) was a National Republican and Whig politician from Ohio. He served in the U.S.Sentate as well as serving as the Secretary of the Treasury and the first Secretary of the Interior. At the time this letter was written Ewing was the secretary of the Interior. The letter reads: Dear Sir, I understand Mr.G.W.Rives of Egan county Ills. is an applicant for an Indian Agency, and I wish to say that, while I think his appointment will be generally acceptable to the Whigs, it will certainly be gratifying to Me. Your Ohn. Servt. A.Lincoln. The letter is written on blue hand laid paper made in London by Delarue & Co. and measures approx. 8 x 10 inches. When the letter is folded up, the top reads "Indian Agency, George W. Rives, Letter of Hon. A Lincoln" (I believe this is also in Lincoln's hand). Written in pencil on the back side of the letter reads: Presented to Geo. Bennett by his friend Geo. W. Rives, Paris Jan. 6th 1866". The letter was found in a small yellow envelope along with a letter of provenance that reads: Paris Nov. 2nd 1866. Will my friend Mr. Lippet please accept the enclosed letter of the lamented Lincoln as a remembrance from his sincere friend Geo. Barrett. I meant to have given this to you when you were but it slipped my memory 'till you had left. The expence for the france ???? to move thier it cost $100 so I thought best to send letter only. ?? ??? and wife were to tea both were of county... T must have been a second page to this letter, however, it was not in the envelope. This letter on lined paper measures approx. 7 x 8 1/2 inches. The letter written by Abraham Lincoln must have been delivered to Ewing by Rives and Rives must have retained the letter. After Lincoln's death Rives presented the letter to his friend George Barrett in Paris in 1866 and Barrett in turn mailed the letter to his good friend P.W.Lippet. The Abraham Lincoln letter, the letter of provenance and the small yellow envelope they came in are all guaranteed to be authentic and come with a money back guarantee! As with most of my items this rare important historic letter is being offered with NO RESERVE! I SHIP WORLDWIDE! Buyer pays shipping & insurance. THE LINCOLN LETTER IS COMPLETE! THE PROVENANCE LETTER MAY HAVE HAD A SECOND PAGE! After some extensive research we discovered that Lincoln historians knew that this letter was written by Lincoln but was thought to no longer exist!. Apparently Lincoln had discovered that George Rives was talking badly about him behind his back and included the following letter with the recomendation letter above. letter To George W. Rives [1] G. W. Rives, Esq Springfield,Dear Sir: Decr. 15- 1849 On my return from Kentucky, I found your letter of the 7th. of November, and have delayed answering it till now, for the reason I now briefly state. From the beginning of our acquaintance I had felt the greatest kindness for you, and had supposed it was reciprocated on your part. Last summer, under circumstances which I mentioned to you, I was painfully constrained to withhold a recommendation which you desired; [2] and shortly afterwards I learned, in such way as to believe it, that you were indulging open abuse of me. Of course my feelings were wounded. On receiving your last letter, the question occurred whether you were attempting to use me, at the same time you would injure me, or whether you might not have been misrepresented to me. If the fo... read more

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