It seems like a new biography of President Abraham Lincoln comes out every few years, trying to uncover new perspectives of his time and character. Lincoln himself didn't write much about his life so what he did put down on paper has an outsized importance. On today's episode of our feature series McHistory, listen how a Bloomington-Normal man nudged Lincoln to do that.

McHistory is a co production of WGLT and the McLean County Museum of History. You heard Bill Kemp and Frankie Gordey. Charlie Schlenker produced this episode.