Abraham
Lincoln

The 16th President
Was a Favorite Son
of the Bluegrass State.

At dawn on February 12, 1809, three miles south of Hodgenville, Abraham Lincoln was born.  This baby, born in a one room cabin, with a dirt floor, would grow up to become this country's 16th president and Kentucky's most famous son.
Lincoln was born to Thomas Lincoln (1 778-185 1) and Mary hanks Lincoln (1784-1818) who had settled in Hardin County, now Larue County.  He was named for his paternal grandfather, Abraham Lincoln, who had served in the Virginia Militia during the Revolutionary War.  His grandfather had moved to Jefferson County, just east of Louisville, in 1782, after hearing his friend Daniel Boone tell of the cheap land in Kentucky.  In 1786, twenty-three years before his famous grandson was born, Abe's grandfather was killed by Indians, as he worked his fields.
When Abe was two years old, his family moved 10 miles to the northeast, on Knob Creek.  This would be the first home Lincoln could recall later in life.  At the age of seven, he and his family moved to Spencer County, Indiana.  There he helped his father build a 360 square-foot log cabin.
In 1818, when Abe was nine, Mary Hanks Lincoln passed away leaving him and an older sister, Sarah, with their father.  Thomas Lincoln then remarried to Sarah Bush Johnston Lincoln, who had four -children by a previous marriage.  Abe quicldy took to his stepmother, who encouraged him to learn and read.  Apparently he was much closer to her than his father, as when, in 1851, Thomas Lincoln passed away in Coles County, Illinois, Abe was not in attendance at his funeral.
During his childhood, Lincoln helped his father with the farm work, and at times, his father hired him out to nearby farms.  Abe was known to be a very skilled rail-splitter.  Then, when he was 17, James Taylor, offered him a job operating a ferryboat.  In 1828, he built a flatboat and was hired by James Gentry to take farm produce to New Orleans on the Mississippi River.  Earning $24, upon his return, he gave the money to his father.
LincoliYs education at this time was spotty at best.  He had learned to read in Kentucky; where his teachers had been Zachariah Riney and Cabel Hazel.  He loved to read.  Anything he could find, he read.  A regular reader of the bible; Abe's favorite books were Pilgrim's Progress and Robinson Crusoe.  Later, while in Indiana, he was taught by Azel Dorsey, Andrew Crawford, and James Swaney.  Lincoln himself said that his formal education amounted to only about a year.
In 1830, when Lincoln was 2 1, the family moved to the area west of Decatur, Illinois.  One year later, Thomas Lincoln and the rest of Abe's famfly moved to Coles County, Illinois, but Abe stayed, and from then on, he was on his own.

Lincoln was not a religious man His family were Abe never joined any church.  Later in  life while a lawyer in Springfield, Illinois , and even later in Washington, he did attend services at Presbyterian churches.
As a young boy, Abe was not known to be very fond of girls.  His first love was probably Ann Rutledge from New Salem, Illinois.  He would often visit her family and when she unexpectedly passed away in 1835, of typhoid fever, he was grief stricken.  Some believe Lincoln was almost suicidal during this time.  Meanwhile, in 1833, Abe had met and courted Mary Owens, who was visiting with Mrs. Bennett Abel, her sister, in New Salem, from Kentucky.  When she returned to Kentucky, she and Lincoln wrote back and forth until, in 1836, she returned to Illinois.  She had gained quite a bit of weight and lost several teeth.  Lincoln now found her ugly.  She found him, in her words "a coarse backwoods man." Obviously, their relationship was over.
In 1839, Lincoln met Mary Todd, from Lexington, Kentucky, who was years his junior, at a dance in Springfield, Illinois.  She was living with her sister, Mrs. Ninian Edwards, in Springfield.  Mary was a bit portly and not very attractive, but was witty and had a sparkling personality, which made her popular.  She was though, slightly mentally unstable, had a bad
temper, and was quarrelsome.  After a year of courting, they became engaged in 1840 and were married two years later.
Lincoln, before becoming president, had enlisted in the military in April 1832, and was elected captain of a volunteer company during the Black Hawk War. He took his men to join Colonel Zachary Taylor on
the Rock River.  While in the service, he was reprimanded twice.  The first time for his company stealing
army  liquor and himself getting drunk.  Then again for firing a gun in camp.  He was only enlisted in the
 service for 30 days, but re-enlisted for an additional 20 days in the Mounted Independent Rangers.  Then
he again re-enlisted for another 30 days as a private in the Independent Spy Corp. In this company, he
 tried , without success, to track down Chief Black Hawk in the southern Wisconsin wilderness.  He was
then mustered out in July of 1832.  He was paid $125 for his service and had seen no action.
From 1833, through 1836, Lincoln served as Postmaster of New Salem, Illinois.  He was appointed by President Andrew Jackson and earned $55 per month, plus a daily newspaper.  He supplemented his income by surveying and rail splitting.

Also, from 1834 7 through 1842, Abe served as a member of the Illinois Legislature as a member of the Whig Party.  Also, in 1836, he was admitted to bar after finishing his law studies.
Lincoln served as a U.S. Representative during; years 1847 through 1849.  After this, he returned to Springfield where he practiced law.  During this tire he was elected again to the state legislature, but resigned to run for the US.  Senate, where he lost, i 1854.  In 1856, Lincoln left the Whig Party and joined the new Republican Party; mainly due to b opposition to allowing slavery in the new territories This issue was the main issue in the Lincoln-Douglas debates of 1858.  Lincoln and Douglas agreed on white supremacy, the right of southern states to continue to hold slaves, and the preservation of the Union.  They disagreed on allowing slavery in the new territories; Lincoln obviously against it and Douglas advocating letting the new residents decide During the 1860 Republican meeting in Chicago Lincoln was nominated as their presidential nominee  on the third ballot.  The Vice-Presidental nominee was Hannibal Hamlin of Maine.  His opponents in the run for President were Stephen A. Douglas (Democrat), John C. Breckenridge of Kentucky (National Democrat) and John Bell (Constitutional Union Party).  Lincoln was elected President with 40% of the vote (1,866,352).

Abraham Lincoln was born to Thomas Lincoln (1778-185 1) and Mary Hanks Lincoln (1784-1818) who had settled in Hardin County, now Larue County.
His grandfather had moved to Jefferson County, just east of Louisville, in 1782,after  hearing his friend Daniel Boone tell of the cheap land in Kentucky.

In the fall of 1808, Thomas and Nancy Lincoln settled on the 348 acre Sinking Spring Farm. Two months later on February 12, 1809, Abraham Lincoln was born in a one-room log cabin similar to this one.

Lincoln was nominated again in 1864.  This time, the Vice-Presidental candidate was Andrew Johnson of Tennessee.  He was re-elected over Democrat George McClellan.
Lincoln s personal life during these years with Mrs. Lincoln was changing.  They had three children, Robert Todd (1843-1926), William "Willie" Wallace (1850-1862), and Thomas "Tad" (1853-1871).  The pressures of public life threatened Mrs. Lincoln’s fragile mind.  She was becoming paranoid and jealous of people around the President.  She was constantly trying to provoke an argument with Abe.  The outbreak of the Civil War may have been the straw that broke the camel's back.  Her brother and three half-brothers fought in the Confederate army and Congress suspected Mrs. Lincoln of being a southern sympathizer, or maybe even a spy.  Then, is 1862, the Lincoln s middle son, Willie, died in the white House.  From then on, it was obvious to everyone she was noticeably disturbed.
Finally, on April 9, 1865, the South surrendered, and the Civil War was over.  There were hundreds of

thousands of casualties on both sides.  Then, there would be at least one more death, one that would rock the whole country, President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated.  The President and Mrs. Lincoln attended the theatre at Ford's Theatre in Washington on April 14'th, just five days after the end of the war, and at 10: 15 p.m., John Wilkes Booth shot and mortally wounded the President.  One of the nation s, and Kentucky's, favorite sons was dead.  He was buried at the Oak Ridge Cemetery in Springfield, Illinois.
The assassination even further drove Mrs. Lincoln over the edge.  Six years later, her son Tad passed away.  She hallucinated and spoke of murder plots against her.  Then, in 1875, she was so disturbed, her remaining son, Robert, committed her to a mental institution located in Batavia, Illinois.  She was released to her sister several months later, after being declared competent.  On July 16, 1882, Mary Todd Lincoln passed away.  The official cause of death was cerebral disease.  She was then buried beside her husband in Springfield.
 
 

WRITTEN BY RON PUCKETT
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