James A. Peterson Letter | Illinois History and Lincoln Collections

Scope and Contents:

This collection contains two letters from 1973. One letter was typed and signed by James Peterson, stating that he had enclosed a copy of his volume “In re Lucey Hanks” to Dr. Warren. Peterson also expressed his admiration for Warren’s work as a scholar. The other letter is Louis Warren’s response, thanking Peterson for having sent the letter and volume.

Biographical/Historical Context:

James A. Peterson was an Abraham Lincoln historian from White Oak Springs Farm, Yorkville, Illinois. Peterson’s volume “In re Lucey Hanks” discusses Lincoln’s maternal grandmother Lucy Hanks. Louis Austin Warren was also a historian of Abraham Lincoln. Warren helped found the Lincoln National Life Foundation in Fort Wayne, Indiana with the Lincoln National Life Insurance Company. This foundation worked to collect materials related to Lincoln’s life and made them available to the public through a library, museum, archives, and publications. The museum closed in 2008, and the collection is currently housed in two locations: the Indiana State Museum in Indianapolis, Indiana, and Allen County Public Library in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

Acquisition Source: The Lincoln Room, a predecessor of the Illinois History and Lincoln Collections, acquired and cataloged this collection prior to 2004. It was previously cataloged as MS 973.7L63 C2P44iYp and was moved to a manuscript collection in May 2023.