A document of commendation bearing Abraham Lincoln’s name will soon be on display in the Reisterstown Room at the library.

The document, dated March 15, 1865, appoints Charles A. Leas, who would found Glyndon six years later, the consul to Portugal.

Lincoln's name on the document looks like a signature but probably isn't an authentic one.

“My guess is that just like you might get things today that have the president’s name on it, but more like a stamp, it looks like from the research I’ve done, that’s the case,” said Abigail Cooley, the branch manager at the Reisterstown library. “It’s still a great document from local history…but it’s my guess that Abraham Lincoln did not take a pen to this paper.”

While the “signature” -- Abraham Lincoln -- was done in ink, Cooley’s research, as well as Internet research, show that Lincoln usually signed “A. Lincoln.” The signature on the document is faded, so it was done in ink, but most likely using a traced engraving or some other template.

The document was misplaced last spring, and recovered earlier this month. Cooley says it’s one of the pitfalls of having a volunteer-run archive; sometimes things aren’t 100 percent in order.

To get the Reisterstown Room up to speed, Cooley has submitted a request for an archival expert. Were the library system to grant her request, the consultant would help do an inventory of the Reisterstown Room, make sure the library is keeping the proper paperwork for its historical documents and give some pointers on how to keep the room up to archival standards.

“Hopefully, it will also include a revamp of [the meeting room] to make a nice display,” Cooley said. The meeting room has several displays of historic artifacts, and is connected to a smaller room that houses books and other documents.

Cooley also plans to have the consultant determine the best way to preserve the Lincoln document. In the meantime, she is keeping the document in a secure place, wrapped in archival paper.