The Lincoln Circuit Riders

I got a kick out of this story and thought I’d pass it along to you.

The Lincoln Circuit Riders are a group of motorcycle-riding lawyers from Illinois and Indiana who, if you can believe it, enjoy tracing Lincoln’s travels on the Eighth Judicial Circuit each year!

According to the story:

“As Lincoln Rode—So will we” is the motto for a group of Abraham Lincoln enthusiasts, many of whom are lawyers, from Illinois and Indiana who will take part in the second annual Lincoln Circuit Ride.

While Lincoln used horses as his mode of transportation, the Lincoln Circuit riders will take a faster approach—on their motorcycles.

The ride follows the 8th Circuit, the same circuit Lincoln practiced in from 1845 to 1853. The circuit includes 14 counties.

Last year about 35 Lincoln Circuit Riders tried to ride the entire circuit in one weekend, but found it too difficult. This year, they’ve spread the annual ride out over two weekends. The ride from Springfield to Piatt and Champaign counties started last weekend, but if you missed it, don’t worry. The Circuit Riders will complete their journey next weekend, September 29th and 30th .

For those of you who want to get in on the action, I suggest going to the Edgar County Historical Society in Paris, Illinois between 1 and 2 pm on Saturday. Local attorney Bruce Baber will deliver an entertaining lecture about Lincoln’s law practice in Edgar County. In addition, Patsy Berry will be on hand to give a tour of the Edgar County Historical Society, which features a “Lincoln Room.”

The newspaper has also invited “descendants of Lincoln” to attend the festivities. I had to do a quick double-take when I read their invitation. Though there are no direct Lincoln descendants, the paper clarifies who they expect to see.

“A number of Edgar County residents are descendants of Lincoln…Lincoln’s mother was Nancy hanks. Her sister was Sarah Jane Hanks. Sarah had 14 grandchildren, 13 of whom raised families in Edgar County.”

Apparently, there are now “hundreds, if not thousands of Lincoln’s cousins” living in Edgar County, including attorney Bruce Baber.

Good luck to the Lincoln Circuit Riders. If anyone participates in the ride or the lecture, send me an email. I’d love to hear about it!