The following descriptions are of cases tried by Jones, Marshall and/or Abraham Lincoln on behalf of William & Nancy Jane Dorman of Gallatin County, Illinois found in the Law practice of Abraham Lincoln.
| Level Name | Court Name | Action | End Date | |
| Dorman et ux. v. Lane (L02445) | ||||
| Lane v. Dorman et ux. | Gallatin County Circuit Court | sell real estate to pay debts | 09/1842 | |
| Dorman et ux. v. Lane | Illinois Supreme Court | appeal | 12/1844 | |
| In 1826, the Gallatin County Probate Court awarded $1,008.87 to Lane, the administrator of Robinson's estate, for a debt due him as the estate's administrator. The court failed to satisfy the judgment, and in 1841, Lane sued William Dorman and Nancy Dorman, Robinson's heirs, to sell two hundred acres of the estate's land to pay the 1826 judgment. The court ruled for Lane, and the Dormans retained Lincoln and appealed to the Illinois Supreme Court. Lincoln argued that the lapse of fifteen years barred the sale of the land and that the court erred in not considering the estate's personal property and Lane's profits from rent and crops as set-offs against the debt. The supreme court based its opinion upon Lincoln's argument and reversed and remanded the appeal. Lincoln was involved in Lane's later attempts to secure payment of the debt (Dorman et ux. v. Yost). | ||||
| Case Name or Transaction (File ID) | ||||
| Level Name | Court Name | Action | End Date | |
| Dorman et ux. v. Yost (L01569) | ||||
| Lane v. Dorman et ux. | White County Circuit Court | sell real estate to pay debts | 03/1849 | |
| Dorman et ux. v. Yost | Illinois Supreme Court | appeal | 12/1851 | |
| Lane, the administrator of Robinson's estate, attempted to collect on alleged debt from the estate. William Dorman and Nancy Dorman, Robinson's heirs, successfully barred Lane's attempt (Dorman et ux. v. Lane). Yost, Lane's son-in-law, sued William Dorman and Nancy Dorman to sell enough land from the Robinson estate to pay an alleged $1,008.87 debt. The court allowed Yost to sell the land, and the Dormans retained Lincoln and appealed to the Illinois Supreme Court. The supreme court reversed the judgment. Chief Justice Treat ruled that the court need not sell the land, and Treat found an "insuperable objection" to Yost's petition. The court declared that the evidence proved that no debt existed and that the previous debts had been discharged. | ||||
Christopher Robinson died in Gallatin County, Illinois, on 30 October 1819. Christopher Robinson's estate was taken over by John Lane, who married Christopher Robinson's widow, Mary (Lafferty) Robinson, after Mary's death in 1822. Nancy, the only child of Christopher & Mary Robinson, who married William Dorman, disputed Lane's disposition of Robinson's property. Edward Jones, Abraham Lincoln and Samuel Marshall handled the case for the Dormans.
A letter to Samuel Marshall from Springfield, Illinois, dated 11 November 1842, regarding the case can be found here; Mr. Lincoln added that there was "nothing new here except my marrying...". Abraham Lincoln and Mary Todd were married in Springfield, Ill., on 4 November 1842.
The book "In tender consideration" by Daniel Stowell has additional details about the Dorman case and the cast of characters.
One version of the Lane vs. Dorman saga erroneously identified William Dorman's wife as Rebecca Daimwood. Except for the identity of Dorman's wife, who was Nancy Robinson Dorman, this folksy version adds a little color to the story. That version also identified Lyman Trumbull as John Lane's attorney and Henry Eddy as Trumbull's associate. "Lincoln, unaided, beat them all as the record of the Supreme Court easily proves." (Source: The Real Lincoln by Jesse Weik).
Finding an obscure deed in Gallatin County, Illinois, and following a clue regarding Abraham Lincoln found within that deed, led to this "detour through history."
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