Lincoln Collection. William E. Barton. Papers, 1780-1976 (bulk 1861-1930)

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Abraham Lincoln, Stephen Douglas and the Civil War

This collection is open for research.

When quoting material from this collection, the preferred citation is: Lincoln Collection. William E. Barton. Papers, [Box #, Folder #], Special Collections Research Center, University of Chicago Library

The Rev. William Eleazar Barton (1861-1930) was one of the early twentieth century's most prominent writers and lecturers on the life of Abraham Lincoln. Born in Sublette, Illinois, in the same year Lincoln assumed the presidency, Barton grew up in an environment heavily influenced by reverence for Lincoln. After pursuing undergraduate studies at Berea College in Kentucky, Barton earned his divinity degree from the Oberlin Theological Seminary in 1890. He served parishes in Tennessee, Ohio, and Massachusetts before becoming the pastor of the First Congregational Church of Oak Park, Illinois, a position he held until his retirement in 1924. Four years later, Barton accepted an appointment as lecturer at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, where he also organized and served as pastor of the Collegeside Congregational Church.

Barton's work as a writer produced a number of denominational manuals and a series of books presenting the wisdom and parables of a character he named Safed the Sage. For the last ten years of his life, however, Barton was best known to the public as a prolific author and lecturer on Abraham Lincoln. His publications about Lincoln included The Soul of Abraham Lincoln (1920), The Paternity of Abraham Lincoln (1920), The Life of Abraham Lincoln (1925), The Great and Good Man (1927), The Women Lincoln Loved (1927), and The Lincoln of the Biographers (1930).

In the course of compiling material for his writings and talks, Barton visited Lincoln sites in Kentucky, Indiana, and Illinois; interviewed surviving Lincoln relatives and acquaintances; and traveled as far as California and England to collect information and conduct genealogical research on the ancestry of the Lincoln family. While acquiring a large collection of books, periodicals, pamphlets, manuscripts, and ephemera related to Lincoln and the Civil War era, Barton also purchased privately or at auction historical materials amassed by other Lincoln collectors such as John E. Burton and Osborn H. Oldroyd.

The William E. Barton Papers forms part of the William E. Barton Collection of Lincolniana. The collection consist of materials collected by William E. Barton, a Lincoln expert and enthusiast and primarily cover the years 1861 to 1930 (Lincoln's inauguration to Barton's death). The collection includes correspondence, newspaper clippings, published and unpublished writings, research notes, bibliographical materials, sheet music and song lyrics, maps, pamphlets, textiles, and photographs. A handful of materials concern Barton himself and relate to his role as pastor, his publications, and his many speaking engagements. The vast majority of the collection, however, consists of materials directly related to Barton's work on Abraham Lincoln. Barton's research on Lincoln's family history, the controversy over his genealogy, and the Civil War are especially well represented in this collection.

The collection is organized into seven series. Series I, Correspondence, contains letters exchanged between Barton and publishers, fellow Lincoln scholars and enthusiasts, and occasionally family and friends. Also housed in this series is a small collection of nineteenth-century letters gathered for research purposes.

Series II contains materials related to Roy E. Tomlinson, a Lincoln expert with whom Barton exchanged research materials and ideas. This series houses correspondence, clippings, bibliographical materials, photographs, and articles.

Series III is extensive and consists of Barton's writings and lectures both published and unpublished. The majority of the typescripts housed in the series bear marginalia and research notes. Series IV is small and contains published works penned by authors other than Barton.

Series V is the largest series in the collection and is devoted to Barton's research. It is divided into several subseries, the first of which covers research into Lincoln's family tree. This subseries includes materials regarding the controversy over the identity of Lincoln's mother, the English ancestry of the Lincoln family, the charge of insanity leveled against Mary Todd Lincoln, and a variety of other topics. The other subseries of particular note is that devoted to the Civil War. Barton collected song books, newspaper clippings, anti-slavery materials, and, in particular, items related to the Lincoln-Douglas debates. Additionally, this series contains subseries consisting of Lincoln portrait reprints, memorials, photographs, and bibliographical materials.

Series VI, is reserved for materials unrelated to Barton's work on Abraham Lincoln and includes items related to Barton's alma mater (Berea College), his travels, his meeting with President Coolidge. This series also contains clippings of obituaries published upon Barton's death.

Series VII, consists of oversize materials and follows the organization of the collection as a whole, divided into correspondence, writings, research, and general materials.

The following related resources are located in the Department of Special Collections:

• Names
  • Barton, William Eleazar, 1861-1930
  • Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865
  • Hanks, Lucy, d. 1825
  • Hanks, Nancy, 1784-1818
• Subject
  • Collectors and collecting -- United States
  • American Civil War, 1861-1865
  • Abolition of Slavery