Lincoln and Syphilis

[Steve]

Here's a link to Herndon's complete letter, mentioned by Rob, reprinted in The Hidden Lincoln:

https://archive.org/details/hiddenlincol...n/page/232

Also, I was able to narrow down who the family in the latter anecdote in the letter is to two brothers, John and George Coppenbarger (not Cottenbarger) who lived near Salt Creek between Bloomington and Springfield. Here's a map:

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Tunbridg...49!1m0!3e2

The Coppenbargers were living in Macon Co. Ill. when the Lincolns first arrived in the state.

Here's a Find A Grave link for John:

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/2138...ppenbarger

and George:

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/2138...ppenbarger

George also apparently was a juror in one of Lincoln's cases:

https://books.google.com/books?id=79jcnd...&q&f=false

There were other Coppenbarger siblings living in the Salt Creek area but their families' makeups didn't match the anecdote's account in Herndon's letter.