In an 1894 article , Nicolay wrote that Lincoln had brought to Gettysburg the first part of the speech written in ink . Nicolay also said that Lincoln had written the second page in pencil on lined paper before November 19 . In an 1894 article that included a facsimile of this copy , Nicolay , who had become the custodian of Lincoln 's papers , wrote that Lincoln had brought to Gettysburg the first part of the speech written in ink on Executive Mansion stationery , and that he had written the second page in pencil on lined paper before the dedication on November 19 .