Urbana's Lincoln - Urbana, IL
Posted by: adgorn
N 40° 06.738 W 088° 12.404
16T E 397161 N 4440919
A "Looking for Lincoln" series marker describing the adventures of the President-to-be in Urbana, Illinois.
Waymark Code: WMC8W4
Location: Illinois, United States
Date Posted: 08/09/2011
Views: 3
Thanks to the Historical Marker Database entry at (
visit link) for the inscription text:
Top section inscription:
"Murder, larceny, and even rape- - -the young circuit lawyer Abraham Lincoln, practicing in Urbana, handled cases involving all of these in the courthouse which stood on this city block. Lincoln unsuccessfully defended William Weaver, the first man accused of murder in Champaign County. Lincoln appeared in court here from 1841 to 1860. The cases weren’t all felonies: Lincoln more often represented ordinary citizens with their divorces, land title disputes, and contested debts. He worked with local attorneys like J. O. Cunningham (later a Champaign County Judge, county benefactor, and historian) and Henry Clay Whitney (a Lincoln biographer). Each court visit required working through the entire docket of cases until they were settled, tried, or continued. Sometimes Lincoln presided as judge pro tem, when the standing judge, David Davis could not be present. Lincoln might serve as counsel for the plaintiff- - -or the defendant. In the document pictured below, Lincoln is signing for himself and local lawyer William Coler, pleading for Vannata, who was being sued for improper care of Burgess’ sheep."
There is more to read when you visit the marker.
The Looking for Lincoln series comprises a total of 220 of these exhibits in 47 Illinois communities to help them more vividly tell their own unique Lincoln story.