Abraham Lincoln and the Eighth Judicial Circuit

[Eva Elisabeth]

Just to add (I'm alway amazed how fast y'all write): Jean Baker writes: "He was kept from home by the location of Springfield on the lower axis of the 830 miles separating the courts in the 8th Illinois circuit...Indeed, most of his intimates understood how homesick he was for his wife and his sons". There's a footnote after this sentence with several sources (e.g. "Conkling papers", seems the same as for Toia's Epstein quote), but they refer to a longer passage than just this. I also wanted to remind of that A. L. was one of the few congressmen who brought his family to Washington, (and the only at Mrs. Sprigg's) despite the costs of the trip, and in 1848 the family travelled together to Niagara etc.

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(06-14-2014 04:49 PM)LincolnToddFan Wrote:  Also, it bears remembering that AL was very heavily in debt for at least about a decade after his wedding, debt incurred in New Salem. He would have been very motivated to work constantly not only to provide for his growing family, but to pay off what he called the "national debt".

Toia, I recall (as I said) reading that, too, more than once, but I wonder - travelling by horse is for free, isn't it? And sleeping at home saves boarding house fees. Do you have any explanation?