Bridgewater Review

Volume 22 | Issue 2 Article 5

Dec-2003 Abraham Lincoln and the Plymouth Forefathers Monument: Researching Lincoln in the Electronic Age Thomas R. Turner Bridgewater State College, [email protected]

Jennifer A. Turner

Recommended Citation Turner, Thomas R. and Turner, Jennifer A. (2003). Abraham Lincoln and the Plymouth Forefathers Monument: Researching Lincoln in the Electronic Age. Bridgewater Review, 22(2), 3-6. Available at: http://vc.bridgew.edu/br_rev/vol22/iss2/5

This item is available as part of Virtual Commons, the open-access institutional repository of Bridgewater State University, Bridgewater, . Abraham Lincoln and the Plymouth Forefathers Monument: Researching Lincoln in the Electronic Age by Thomas R. Turner and Jennifer A.Turner

The presidential papers of Abraham Lincoln have been In spite of this shortcoming, authors writing about the available to scholars since 1947 when they were publicly sixteenth president used many parts of this vast corre- opened twenty-one spondence. But the sheer volume of the collection, years after the death of which runs to about 20,000 items, always seemed to Robert Todd Lincoln, hint that there might be additional insights about the president’s eldest Lincoln’s life and career if only there were some way and sole surviving son. to make the papers more user friendly. Robert took charge of That need has now been answered due to significant Courtesy BSC the papers after his advances in technology in recent years and specifically father’s assassination, the American Memory Project at the Library of Congress. sometimes carrying The Lincoln documents have been scanned and placed them between homes Special Collections in a database that allows the user to search not only in Washington, D.C. chronologically, but also by name of correspondent and and Chicago and also keywords. Additionally, many of the documents have to his summer resi- been transcribed under the supervision of Douglas dence Hildene in Wilson and Rodney Davis at Knox College in Galesburg, Manchester, Vermont Illinois, the site of one of the 1858 Lincoln-Douglas before donating them to the Library of Congress. Robert debates. It is now possible to sit at a computer and view occasionally made the documents, which consisted any document in the collection, to print a copy, and in mainly of incoming correspondence, available to friend- many cases to read a transcription. ly authors such as Lincoln’s secretaries John Nicolay and John Hay who utilized them in writing their monumen- One interesting example of the type of insight such a tal ten-volume Lincoln biography. However, he refused search can yield involves the Forefathers Monument in access to other writers who he feared might be too criti- Plymouth, Massachusetts. During a sabbatical, one of cal and who could not be counted on to sufficiently the co-authors of this article, while searching the micro- defend Abraham Lincoln’s legacy, a legacy of which film edition, came across a certificate indicating that Robert himself had become one of the chief guardians. Abraham Lincoln had donated money to the building of this famous memorial. However, that was not the topic Additionally, the papers were also made available in a being investigated and no written note was made about microfilm edition so that researchers did not have to this document, although a mental note was taken that travel to the Library of Congress but could work in this might be an interesting issue to pursue more thor- other libraries that had acquired the microfilm. A find- oughly another time. Since no follow-up was made over ing guide was developed, but since it consisted primarily a number of years, an attempt to locate the document of an alphabetical listing of those who had correspond- would now have required a search of forty to fifty reels ed with Abraham Lincoln it was cumbersome to use. of microfilm looking for an individual document, a task Anyone who has worked with microfilm can attest to that appeared rather daunting and uncertain enough of the difficulty in locating a specific item on a single roll of results to justify the time expenditure required. microfilm, as well as the limitations of microfilm readers that make it difficult to decipher often-illegible nine- Using American Memory and typing in the word teenth century handwriting. In short, while the Plymouth, however, not only yielded the sought-after Abraham Lincoln papers were an invaluable resource for certificate but additional correspondence about the Lincoln and Civil War scholars, they were not entirely president’s contribution to the Forefathers Monument easy to utilize. as well as an attempt to enlist his name in support of other nineteenth century monument projects. While the idea for a monument to honor the Pilgrims was pro-

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LINCOLN & THE PLYMOUTH FOREFATHERS MONUMENT THOMAS R. TURNER AND JENNIFER A. TURNER patrons looked increatingthemonument.Henotes, that conceptofanationaltradition thatBillingsandhis Ferry. emphasizes,itwasto As O’Gorman Harper’s such astheFugitive Slave Act, BleedingKansas,and called intoquestionbydivisive incidentsinthe1850s ation, andsustainingofanationalunionincreasingly them, becameawaytodemonstratethefounding,cre well asthesocialandcivilinstitutionsestablishedunder ofthePilgrimsas which describesthephysicaljourney sion. Inmanyways,theiconographyofmonument, national unityinaperiodofincreasingsectionalten- the Forefathers Monumentalsobecameasymbolof Billings undertookthemonumentprojectatanauspi area astoberememberedanexpert. in manyareas,hewasnotsooutstandinganyone becoming anageofspecialization.Whilehewasskilled ly forgottenwasthatheageneralistinwhat themainreasonthat Billings waseventual- O’Gorman, Wellesley Collegeinhisbiographyentitled of somewhat rehabilitatedbyJamesO’Gorman much moreobscurefigureuntilhisreputationwas tect, althoughbythe20thcentur artistandarchi- Billings wasawell-known19thcentury ly settledonHammattBillings. several individualssubmitteddesigns,theSocietyfinal- ed enoughfundstosearchforanarchitect.Although not untilthemid-1850sthatSocietyhadaccumulat- ofthelanding.However,hundredth anniversary itwas the foundingofPilgrimSocietyin1820,two posed asfarback1794,theplanreceivedaboostwith William Bradford’s works toappearonthePilgrimsin1850ssuchas est inthePilgrims,asseenbynumerousliterary In thesameperiod,whiletherewasalsogrowinginter- religion andliberty, moralsandlaw.” politicalcodeofthePilgrimsunited ties. Hesaid,“The ology asthebasisforAmericanfreedomandcivilliber- 1853, EdwardEverettequatedthePilgrimsandtheiride- tive events.F teenth centur cious moment.Throughouttheearlypartofnine landing atPlymouthRockaswellothercommemora delivered manyaddressesatannualcelebrationsofthe of theday, suchasDanielWebster andEdwardEverett, creation oftheUnitedStates.P of MassachusettsbythePilgrimsande legacy purportedtohavebeencreatedbythefounding consciousness thatdevelopedinparticulararoundthe 1874 in AllDepartmentsofArt,HammattBillingsBoston,1818- Stowe’s Beecher and especiallyhisillustrationsforHarriet monuments, for businesses,theaters,libraries,funerary . Theartisthadmadehisreputationwithdesigns Uncle Tom’s Cabin or example, ataForefathers Celebrationin y , thereseemedtobeagrowingnational Of PlimothPlantation . According toProfessor rominent publicspeak y hehadbecomea , thevisionof xtension the Accomplished - - ers - - F Dick On April15,1861,subscriptionagentRenewick Joseph, andwasdedicatedonAugust 1,1889. completed. Theprojectwasfinishedbyhisbrother, in 1874,didnotlivetoseetheForefathers Monument those projectswaseverbuilt.Indeed,Billings,whodied to theMinutemenonLexingtonGreen,butneitherof Public Gardenandanothercolossalmonument sive statuetohonorDanielWebster tobeerectedinthe Parenthetically, Billingsalsosubmittedplansforamas- the finalmemorialwasreducedtoan81footheight. the projecttookalotlongertobuildthanplannedand style; theoriginaldesignstood153feethigh,although Billings plannedtobuildthemonumentingrand estimated tobethenotinsignificantsumof$300,000. ing agentsincethecostofcompletedprojectwas hired theReverendWilliam Hardingasgeneralfundrais- In anyevent,onceBillingshadsecuredthecontract,he origin.” unity—through thecelebrationofasharedheroic national orators ofhisdayinthecausepreserving Billings’ aimwastogiveshapethewordsofgreat both NorthandSouth,oftheircollectiveheritage— “the monumentwasdesignedtoremindallcitizens, illustrated withBillings’sdrawing oftheproposedmon- lifemembershipinthePilgrim Society,orary areceipt In retur sign thesubscriptionbook. ence ismerelytohisinabilitygetthepresident actually madethedonationandthatDickerson’s refer- that Lincolnreceivedareceiptfor$10suggestshe tige tosolicitothercontributions.However, thefact Lincoln’s nameinordertoutilizethepresident’spres- bility thattheagentactuallymadecontributionin Dickerson’s letterisinteresting,leavingopenthepossi- with moremundanematters.Thewordingof grave crisis,chiefexecutives arealsocalledontodeal Harbor. Dickerson’s lettershowsthatevenintimesof Confederates hadattacked Fort SumterinCharleston Parenthetically, itshouldbenotedthatonApril12the orefathers Monument, the enclosedHonorar tion inthismomentouscrisis—Pleaseaccept my bookbutIforbearinvitingyourcoopera- been thricehappytohavehadyournameon Under ordinar Association. Membership tothePilgrimMonument erson wrotetothepresidentinreference n forhis$10,AbrahamLincolnreceivedhon- y circumstancesIwouldhave y Certifi cate ofLife ument, along with a solicitation notice to the American public, which is also decorated with the Billings sketch. A search of the Pilgrim Society archives, however, failed to turn up any records of Lincoln’s life membership, although two other presidents, John and John Quincy Adams, were listed as life members. Lincoln’s contribution was also quite modest, since had he donated at least $50 he would have received a bronze medal. In light of their future joint speaking venture at Gettysburg on November 19, 1863, it is interesting that Edward Everett was another major supporter President Lincoln received this receipt for his $10 contribution of the Forefathers Monument. Everett was invited to to the building of the Forefathers Monument. deliver the major oration for the battlefield commemo- Although the monument was never completed, Hudson ration while the president was asked to provide a few wrote to the president on July 10, 1861, brief and fitting remarks. Everett immediately recog- nized the greatness of the Gettysburg Address, writing Knowing that your time must be occupied by to the president on November 20, “I should be glad, if I weighty matters of state, I crave your atten- could flatter myself that I came as near to the central tion but for a moment. We have formed a idea of the occasion, in two hours, as you did in two design of erecting a Monument at Lexington minutes.” commemorative of the opening scene of the Revolution—A Monument equal in art beauty Another item that Lincoln received was a printed circu- and grandeur to anything in the country—& lar with letters from several prominent individuals, worthy of the event—. The object of this let- including Everett, praising the monument project. In ter is to ask permission to add your name to the files of the Pilgrim Society there is also a letter from the list. Everett about his own donation. His contribution of $150 entitled him to one of the medal statuettes molded It should also be noted that in December of 1863, one by sculptor John Adams Jackson as an incentive for the Charles Parsons wrote on behalf of the West Point Battle premium donors. Commission, soliciting an endorsement for a proposed monument to mark the graves of veterans at the As noted, the Forefathers Monument was not the only Military Academy. Unlike his response to the project that sought the president’s backing. Another Forefathers Monument, there is no evidence that the monument that Billings was associated with was the president ever replied to either of these letters. effort to build a 60' statue to honor the minutemen on Lexington Green. Charles Hudson, a prominent citizen One question Lincoln’s contribution does raise is of Lexington who had served with Lincoln in Congress whether there were some special circumstances that in the 1840s, was charged with developing the idea and caused him to take a particular interest in the Everett also served as president of the Lexington Forefathers Monument. We know that Lincoln’s ances- Monument Association and became its chief fundraiser. tors migrated from England to Massachusetts in the Similarly to the Forefathers Monument, Billings pro- 1600s and there was a vague tradition of this in the duced a certificate of membership depicting the Lincoln family. While correspondents occasionally tried Lexington battle and a drawing of the proposed monu- to question Lincoln about his ancestors, there is no evi- ment. Unfortunately, the Civil War intervened to post- dence that he ever learned directly about any connec- pone the project and after the war interest had waned tion with the Bay State. and the large statue was never erected, although a If that link cannot be made directly is there any evi- smaller version was built. dence in Lincoln’s extensive correspondence that he exhibited an interest in the Pilgrims? The Collected Works

BRIDGEWATER REVIEW DECEMBER 2003 5 LINCOLN & THE PLYMOUTH FOREFATHERS MONUMENT THOMAS R. TURNER AND JENNIFER A. TURNER contend thathisdonationdoes revealhisinterestin Civil War strategy. military wewould While thisistrue, ger issuesofhispresidencysuch asemancipationor Monument addslittletoourknowledgeaboutthebig- contributed $10tothebuildingofForefathers Admittedly somemightarguethatthefactLincoln opportunity tocar the Pilgrims,hisowngenerationhadevenmoreofan icons ofadeadpast.Whileitwasfinetomemorialize Pilgrims. ItisclearthattoLincolnthePilgrimswerenot Thanksgiving Proclamations anddidnotreferencethe troublesoftheCivil Warcited thecurrent inhis not helppreventtheCivilWar. Interestingly, Lincoln familialandnationalunitydid way tofurtherconstruct Abraham Lincoln,herdesiretouseThanksgivingasa tually succeededingainingthesympatheticearof theUnion.AlthoughHaleeven- would helptopreserve tion ofThanksgivingasanationalanniversar opened newwaystoaccessLincoln’swritings.The Once again,however mine ifLincolnevermadereferencetothePilgrims. thousands ofpageswouldberequiredinordertodeter- Collected Works of AbrahamLincoln citizens weremakingintheCivilWar andadding: replied toChoate,praisingthesacrificesthatAmerican landing. Whilehewasnotabletoattend,Lincoln 22 atitsannualfestivaltocommemoratethePilgrim in NewYork City, tobepresentonThursday, December oftheNewEnglandSociety Joseph Choate,Chairman the presidentwasinvitedonNovember28,1864,by Michigan andtypinginthewordPilgrimsrevealsthat zine the 1850s,SarahJosephaHaleusedherwomen’smaga- was notawidelycelebratedholiday the timeF giving onamonumentcommemoratingthePilgrims,at one woulde England feastday Thanksgiving, whichwasanimportantregionalNew Of courseitwasduringLincoln’spresidencythat unfamiliar withthe inde Lincoln’s ownwritingsisevenlessusablethanthe total overfourthousandpages.However, theindex to volume setalongwithtwosupplementalvolumesthat x tothe our opportunity memory, letusnotforgethowvastlygreateris oftheirage.Whilewereverence glory The workofthePlymouthemigrantswas Godey ’s L xpect tofi Abraham LincolnP orefathers Monumentwasbeingbuilt,it ady have beendigitizedattheUniversityof , gainednationalprominence.While ’s Book have longbeenavailableinaneight- ry forward theworktheyhadbegun. forward ry Collected Works . , technologicalinnovationshave nd scenesofthefi to promotetheannualobser apers . Ifoneweretotally , asearchthrough . Infact,throughout rst Thanks- y that va - Lincoln. will furtherenhanceourunderstandingofAbraham other smallerbutnonethelessvaluableinsightsthat surprises waitingtobediscovered,theremaystill that areavailable,andwhilethereprobablynohuge er tosearchthelargecollectionsofLincolndocuments electronicinnovationshavemadeitmucheasi- Modern civil disunion. demonstrate theimportanceofcivilunionratherthan ly prominentleaderswereconceptualizingwaysto holiday basedonthePilgrimfounding,clearlynational- Forefathers Monumentandinhiscreationofanational no clearlinkbetweenLincoln’sinterestinthe Furthermore, itisinterestingtonotethatwhilethere time tosendmoneyandreplythesubscriptionletter. midst ofagrowingnationalcrisis,Lincolntookthe ing oftheCivilW bythecom- in slowlyandweresignificantlydisrupted itself tookdecadestobuild,andingeneral,fundscame It isalsoimportanttoconsiderthatthemonument any historicalfi these smallerbuildingblocksthatafullerportraitof an interestinhisownancestry. Itisultimatelyfrom tionar American history, particularlythecolonialandrevolu- y past,hisownsenseofcivicduty, andpossibly —Jennifer A. Turner—Jennifer A. isaDoctoralStudentinHistory at theUniversityofMassachusetts,Amherst gure emerges. —Thomas R. Turner—Thomas R. isProfessor ofHistory ar. So,itisfairlysignificantthatinthe