Joseph Oakleaf, a "Big Five" Lincoln Collector

[Tom Emery]

I wrote this article a year ago for the Moline Dispatch on Joseph Oakleaf, who was one of the "Big Five" Lincoln collectors at the turn of the century. Oakleaf was a Moline native.

I was fortunate to have a quote from Samuel Wheeler of the ALPLM, who is an exceptional researcher. I have a tremendous amount of respect for him.



MOLINE’S OAKLEAF WAS PROMINENT HISTORICAL COLLECTOR
by Tom Emery

Today, few Moline residents remember the name of Joseph Benjamin Oakleaf. A century ago, however, Oakleaf was not only one of the city’s leading citizens, he was also one of America’s most famous collectors of historical memorabilia.

Oakleaf was one of the “Big Five,” a nickname for the dominant collectors of Abraham Lincoln memorabilia at the turn of the 20th century. He also assembled a large collection of autographs, including the signatures of many Scandinavian royal figures.

He was born in Moline on Oct. 1, 1858 to parents had immigrated from Sweden only four years before. The family left for Kansas in 1869, and young Joseph received his education in country schools. He also studied at a “mercantile college” in Keokuk.

Oakleaf eventually came back to Moline and worked as a bookkeeper while studying law. He was admitted to the bar in 1886 and two years later, opened his own law office. Oakleaf was elected to the first of three terms as Moline city attorney in 1889. Several years later, he earned the gratitude of Moline residents when he forced railroads to lower their crossings to grade level on city streets.

During these years, Oakleaf developed a keen interest in history. He was particularly fascinated with Lincoln, stemming from serial excerpts of the landmark work of Lincoln’s life from the President’s former secretaries, John Hay and John Nicolay, in Century Magazine. Oakleaf’s excitement led him to assemble a mammoth array of books and pamphlets on Lincoln’s life.

“I think Oakleaf and the rest of the ‘Big Five’ all greatly admired Lincoln, and were enamored with what he stood for and was thinking,” said Dr. Samuel Wheeler, a research historian at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield. “Their enthusiasm led them to collect materials that helped tell the story of Lincoln’s life.”

However, Oakleaf did so with practical business sense. He often declined to pay high prices for items, believing that, with a little patience, he could later obtain the same items for far less.

In addition to collecting, Oakleaf also delivered a number of lectures on Lincoln and in 1925 compiled one of the best bibliographies of printed Lincoln material to date. He traveled the country to interview Lincoln’s friends and acquaintances and record their memories.

An authority on state and local history, Oakleaf was asked to write a lengthy article on Moline history for the fiftieth anniversary edition of the Moline Dispatch in 1926. His many historical memberships included the presidency of the Rock Island County Historical Society and service on the board of the Illinois State Historical Society. Locally, he sat on the boards of the Moline city hospital, the Moline Public Library, and Augustana College.

Oakleaf also collected autographs of Swedish and Danish royalty from the sixteenth century to his lifetime. He also compiled an impressive array of editions of Frithiof’s Saga, a leading example of Norse mythology.

In 1927, Oakleaf donated his autograph collection to Augustana College. He died suddenly from a brain hemorrhage in his office on June 2, 1930.

On Feb. 12, 1942 – Lincoln’s birthday – Indiana University announced the purchase of Oakleaf’s Lincoln collection. Numbering eight thousand books and pamphlets with two thousand manuscripts, including 149 in Lincoln’s hand, today the collection is a centerpiece of Lilly Library, the university’s rare book and manuscript repository.

Two other “Big Five” collectors had Illinois connections. Massachusetts native Charles McLellan worked in Springfield as a young man in the late 1850s and made a passing acquaintance with Lincoln. Another, Minneapolis lawyer Daniel Fish, was born near Rockford.

In a later era another Illinoisan, Oliver Barrett, became the pre-eminent Lincoln collector in the nation. An attorney, Barrett (1873-1950) was born in Jacksonville and raised in Pittsfield.

Tom Emery is a freelance writer and historical researcher from Carlinville, Ill. He may be reached at 217-710-8392 or ilcivilwar@yahoo.com.

[HerbS]

Thanks Tom!Illinois rules when it comes to Lincoln.

[LincolnMan]

I like that Oakleaf interviewed people to record their memories. By 1925 there couldn't have been very many that were still alive. Also, to have collected 149 manuscripts/documents in Lincoln's own hand is astounding. Thanks, Tom.