Schoolchildren Raise $18K In Pennies For Lincoln Document

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) -- Schoolchildren in central Illinois and their spare pennies have ensured that a piece of Abraham Lincoln history will return home for the Illinois Bicentennial.

The Illinois Proud Penny Drive in Sangamon County gathered more than 18,000 pennies from 60 schools during a two-week campaign.

The money will go toward purchasing a Sangamon County "minute book" from 1835 to 1838. It contains a statement attesting to Lincoln's "good moral character" to allow him to practice law.

Leland Grove Republican Rep. Sara Wojcicki Jimenez and Illinois Bicentennial commissioner Rikeesha Phelon announced the totals Tuesday.

Jimenez and Phelon say the Sangamon County Bar Association and Staab Funeral Homes each contributed $1,000 apiece toward the purchase. The document will be donated to the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum.

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