Rare ADS, signed “Stuart & Lincoln, p. q.,” one page both sides, 7.5 x 12.5, November 1839. Sangamon County legal document penned entirely in Lincoln's hand, which concerns a complaint made on behalf of plaintiffs the Neff, Wanton & Co., against Athens storekeeper Josiah Francis, who, on March 13, 1837, purchased $319.21 worth of goods on six months credit, which he failed to pay. On November 4, 1839, Francis agreed to pay an additional $45.45 in restitution for interest and penalties. Lincoln enumerates the history, affirms that the plaintiffs remain unpaid, and concludes: "The said defendant (although often requested so to do) hath not as yet paid the said several sums of money or either of them or any part thereof, but so to do, hath hitherto wholly neglected and refused, and still doth neglect and refuse—to the damage of the said plaintiffs of five hundred dollars and therefore they sue.” In fine condition, with minor paper loss to one edge. Lincoln had met John T. Stuart while serving in the Black Hawk War in 1832, and it was Stuart who first encouraged him to study law. The future president eventually formed his first law partnership with Stuart and they practiced together from 1837 to 1841. The "Stuart & Lincoln" signature is not commonly seen and represents a major point in the career that led Lincoln into politics.
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