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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, Abner, 1763-1826 to Henry Knox

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC02437.05915 Author/Creator: Lincoln, Abner, 1763-1826 Place Written: Hingham, Massachusetts Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 27 August 1793 Pagination: 4 p. : Height: 31.6 cm, Width: 19.7 cm Order a Copy

Lincoln appears to be an official at the academy where Henry Jackson Knox attends. Suspects that his letters of 20 June and 27 July did not reach Knox. Proceeds to give Knox an update on his son. Says the boy improved after being placed under the watchful eye of "some one person" and receiving a scolding from Knox. Lincoln was upset that the boy would admit his guilt but would never sincerely correct his future actions. Tells Knox that his son "had beaten our little girl, insulted a man in the street, broken open a closet & taken out some sugar." Goes into detail about the lessons he tried to teach the boy, including how a young gentleman is to interact properly with servants. There was a controversy over the boy attending the commencement in Cambridge. Says he would not have consented to "take charge" of Henry Jackson Knox had it not been for his esteem for the Knox family and Knox's connection with General Benjamin Lincoln.

Lincoln, Abner, 1763-1826
Knox, Henry, 1750-1806

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