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At the Institute’s core is the Gilder Lehrman Collection, one of the great archives in American history. More than 85,000 items cover five hundred years of American history, from Columbus’s 1493 letter describing the New World through the end of the twentieth century.

Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865 [Passport for whaling ship Contest].

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC00709 Author/Creator: Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865 Place Written: Washington, District of Columbia Type: Document signed Date: 28 May 1862 Pagination: 1 p. : Height: 54.5 cm, Width: 42 cm Order a Copy

Countersigned by Secretary of State Seward. Issued to Captain Norton of the whaling ship "Contest" for a trip to the Pacific and Indian Oceans. The pass indicates that the Contest is from the U.S. but not involved with the Civil War; it asks that the ship be allowed to travel freely. Contest left port on May 30, 1862 and returned on August 5, 1864, with 208 barrels of sperm oil, 691 barrels of whale oil, and 9,500 lbs. of whale bone. Copies in English, German, French, and Spanish. Signed and stamped by James Taylor, Notary Public. Features paper seal. Signed in New Bedford, MA.

Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865

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