Lincoln and His Father

[Craig Hipkins]

Ladies and gents, Here is a letter that Abraham Lincoln wrote to his father Thomas while he was a member of congress in Washington. It is dated December 24, 1848.

Your letter of the 7th. was received night before last. I very cheerfully send you the twenty dollars, which sum you say is necessary to save your land from sale. It is singular that you should have forgotten a judgement against you; and it is more singular that the plaintiff should have let you forget it for so long, particularly as I suppose you have always had property enough to satisfy a judgement of that amount. Before you pay it, it would be well to be sure you have not paid it; or, at least, that you can not prove you have paid it. Give my love to mother, and all the connections. Affectionately your son

I am curious to get some opinions. Was Lincoln being reproachful here? To me, i can sense a sort of tension between the son and the father with this letter. Also, does anyone know if Thomas Lincoln's letter from the 7th has survived?

Craig