Did Lincoln visit Missouri in 1840?

[Donna McCreary]

I am sitting here reading the papers in a folder I marked, "Courtship with Lincoln." The folder contains several newspaper articles and a copy of a letter written by North Todd Gentry.
These documents claim that in 1840, Lincoln traveled to Rocheport, Missouri to attend a Whig political meeting.

Most historians dispute the story stating that Lincoln was in Springfield at court on June 18 - 20.

The letter from North Todd Gentry does not give specific dates, just that the rally lasted several days. The newspaper articles only state that the visit was in June.

Thoughts?

[RJNorton]

I don't know. The alleged Abraham Lincoln trip to Rocheport/Columbia is not in Lincoln Day by Day, but Katherine Helm mentions it. In fact she writes, "...together they (Mary and Abraham) had conceived a romantic plan to meet each other during this political rally."

Katherine Helm continues, "The boat on which Mr. Lincoln had taken passage went aground on a sand bar and the disappointed passengers failed to reach the big political rally. Mr. Lincoln did not fail, however, to reach Columbia, and the next Sunday he and Mary were occupying the Todd pew in the Presbyterian Church."

[Donna McCreary]

The problem is that Helm sometimes stretched the truth to make a better story. She is the one who started the story about Elizabeth Edwards serving as the hostess in the governor's mansion for her father-in-law who was a widower. That is a great story, but not true. First, his term as governor ended in 1830. He died before Elizabeth married Ninian. And he was not a widower because his wife out lived him by nine years.

Helm got her story from the letter written by North Todd Gentry. He also told the story of the sand bar.