Anita ... (as usual) you're correct.
He used the boots as collateral for a loan to go gold digging. The boots found their way to a classroom and then to a museum.
Of course, there were other versions of the 'truth' and other attempts to fake the boots.
Also another occupant of the house (Mr Proctor) in later life became confused when talking to a newspaper man and 'claimed' to be the room occupant.
Oh, and one boot would have been fractionally larger. https://richardhowe.com/2021/02/13/willi...m-lincoln/