Where did the Lincolns live after the Globe Tavern?

[Rob Wick]

I spent a good bit of yesterday trying to find more information about Tinsley and who might have been the original source for this. What I found is that Tinsley was a pretty prominent citizen, serving on the city council in the 1850s, and then headed downward until his death in 1869. According to the Lincoln Lore bulletin put out by the Lincoln National Life Foundation, at the time of his death none of Tinsley's 11 children were living in Springfield.

In thinking about who was the original source it seems to me that it had to have been someone who either lived in Springfield at the time or was the relative of someone who did. Given that many of the Lincoln biographies skipped over it, including Tarbell, it likely wasn't known until Barton mentioned it in 1925. I looked over the Barton papers that I have and didn't find anything that might lead to a clue as to who was the original source. My guess is still that Barton, in his travels, met someone who was related to Tinsley and was told about how Lincoln rented property from Seth. I'm still amazed that Tarbell didn't talk about that, although that might be an example of her reticence to write about Mary at all.

Best
Rob