Abraham Lincoln frequently visited Cole County in the 1840's while traveling the judicial circuit, and in Charleston, according to Amanda Hanks Poorman, he used the Hanks's horse and wagon and, with some of the Hanks children, visited his father's farm, where she recalled that he was generous to the children and gave his father and stepmother $10 or $15 each time. Charles Coleman later imagined Lincoln visiting home and bringing his stepmother flour, sugar, coffee beans, a bolt of cloth, and a warm comforter, and Augustus Chapman reported that in 1858 Lincoln gave Sarah Lincoln $50. Lincoln's concern for his family's welfare also appeared in his purchase of forty acres of his father's farm on October 25, 1841, for $200, which he then deeded back to his parents for their exclusive use during their lifetimes, providing them cash, protecting the property from creditors, and offering possible income in old age. His concern was justified because Thomas Lincoln's financial troubles arose from co-signing debts for his stepson John D. Johnston, purchasing Johnston's farms when he needed cash in 1834 and 1840, and becoming further indebted as Johnston's finances failed to improve. In December 1848 Johnston wrote to his stepbrother Abraham about his many debts, saying he had avoided paying them by not having any property and had tried to raise money on his father's property, but Lincoln refused to lend him money.