Old Records Yield 59 Lincoln Signatures

A researcher plowing through papers at the National Archives in Washington struck gold - in Abraham Lincoln’s handwriting.

John Lupton, looking into Lincoln’s pre-presidential life as a pension attorney, discovered 59 previously unknown records signed by Lincoln, historians said Wednesday.

It was a stunning find based on sheer volume, the scholars said.

“For Lincoln people, I think it could be the equivalent of King Tut’s tomb. To find 59 in one place is incredible,” said Harold Holzer, chief communications officer for the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. He has written nine books about Lincoln.

The documents dated from 1844 to 1859, the year before Lincoln was elected president. They were signed Treasury Department affidavits and receipts for federal pension money obtained for veterans or their survivors.