Lovejoy Society Papers, 1996-2014 | Illinois History and Lincoln Collections

Scope and Contents:

This collection contains papers written, published, and presented by the Lovejoy Society. Also included are publications and research material, such as a compact disc of the Moore's detailed study of Lovejoy and Lincoln, titled With Increasing Respect: The Lincoln-Lovejoy Saga (2010). Additionally, there is a recording of William F. Moore's Prairieland Chautauqua presentation, "Meet Owen Lovejoy" (2005); programs of the Lovejoy Symposium in 1998 and 2000; and papers relating to William F. Moore and Jane Ann Moore, editors of Owen Lovejoy: His Brother's Blood: Speeches and Writings, 1838-64 (2004), and their book, Collaborators for Emancipation: Abraham Lincoln and Owen Lovejoy (2014).

Biographical/Historical Context:

The Lovejoy Society, formed in 1995 by Reverends William F. Moore and Jane Ann Moore, served to advance the study of Owen Lovejoy (1811-1864), an abolitionist leader from Princeton, Illinois. After the murder of his abolitionist brother, Elijah P. Lovejoy, Owen Lovejoy entered politics and led the abolitionist movement in Illinois. Owen was also a lawyer, minister, "conductor" on the Underground Railroad, and friend of Abraham Lincoln.

Acquisition Source: William and Jane Ann Moore donated the collection to the Library between 2010 and 2014.