The Jefferson Lemen Compact - Was it True

[maharba]

Who was Rev James Lemen 1760-1823? He served 2 years in the Rev War under George Washington. He came to Illinois in 1786 with his family. He was the first Justice of the Peace in Illinois, he founded the first Baptist church in Illinois. He was the Judge of the Court of Common Pleas, for several years.
He was a founding member of the Illinois Constitutional convention. The list goes on and on. To my point of view, the life story of this man commands attention, and the claims attributed to him but which are summarily rejected cause me to wonder the fuller truth of the affair. If the young Lincoln had not come to hear about the Lemen's, then I am a bit surprised.