The Cass County Republican. [volume] (Dowagiac, Mich.) 18??-1880, 1860-05-31
From the Chicago Press and Tribune.
biographical Sketches of Lincoln and
rr Hamlin. EE ~
ABRAN LINCOLN.


Biographical Sketches of Lincoln and
.YBEN & HMan.ln's NV EkKE
ABRANi LINCOLN.
Abram Lincoln is native of Hardin
county, Kentucky. He was born on
the 10Th day of February, 1903. His
parents were both from Virginia, and
were certainly not of the first families.
His paternal grandfather, Abram Lin
colu, emigrated from Rockingham
county, Virginia, to Kentucky, about
1881, or 1882, where year or two later
he was killed by Indians, not in battle
but by stealth, while he was laboring
to open farm in the forest. His an
cestors, who were respectable members
of the. Society of friends, went to Vir-
ginia from Berks county, Pennsylvania.
Descendants of the same stock still re-
side in the eastern part of that State.
Mr.. Lincoln:s father at the death of
has father, was but six years of age,
and he grew up literally without edu-
cation. He removed from Kentucky
to what is now Spencer county, Indi-
ana, in 1916. The family reached their
new home about the time the State
was admitted into the Union. The
region in which they settled was rude
and wild, and they endured, for some
years, the hard. experience of from
tier life, in which the struggle with
nature for existence and security is to
be maintained only by constant yigi-
lance: Bears, wolves and other wild
animals still infested the woods, and
young Lincoln acquired more skill in
the use of a rifle than knowledge of
books. There were institutions here
and there known by the flattering de-
nomination of " schools" but no quail
fcation was required of teacher be-
yond "readin', writin', and cypherin',"
as the vernacular phrase ran, as far as
the rule of three. If straggler sup
posed to understand Latin happened to
sojourn in the neighborhood, he was
looked upon as wizard, and regarded
with an awe suited to so mysterious a
character pe.a fs"-l - ei i
Hard work and a pleanty of it, was
the order of the day, varied, indeed,
by an occasional bear hunt, not un-
frequent deer chase, or other wild
sport. Of course when young Lincoln
came of age he was not a scholar. He
could read and write, and had some
knowledge of arithmetic, but that was
about all; and as yet, he had but little
ambition to know more of what was to
be found in books. His attainments
otherwise were not to be despised. He
had grown to be six feet four inches in
stature, was active and athletic, could
WELD the AK, direct the plow, or use
the rifle, as well as the best of his COM
peers, and was fully up to all the mys-
teries of prairie farming, and fully in
nred to hardship and toll. Since he
arrived at age he has not been to school
Whatever his requirements are, they
! have been picked up from time to time
as opportunity occurred, or as the pres
sure of some exigency demanded.
At twenty-one, he removed to Hi
nois, and passed the. first year in Macon
county, in active labor on farm. II
will be interesting to the millions be.
fore whom he is now placed as can
didate for the highest Office in the gifl
of free people, to know that he once
managed a fiat boat on the Ohio river
The anecdotes which he sometimes re
lates to his friends of his maritime ex
perience before the introduction O
steam on the western rivers, are indes
cribably laughable. r. From Macol
: county he went to New Salem, in wha
is now Menard county, where he re
3 remained about a year. Then came
: the Black Hawk war. A company o
: volunteers was raised at New Salen
and the surrounding country, aEt
f young Lincoln was elected captain;
] success which, he has since said, CAV,
him more pleasure than he has eve
> since erjoyed. He served with grea
credit during the campaign, and be
S came popular. Returning to Sanga
, mon county, he learned the art Of sur
!. veying, and prosecuted that profession
until the financial crash of 1887 des
troyed the value of real estate an.
Y ruined the business-the result, O
o which was that young Lincoln's sur
veying apparatus was sold on exccu
ton by the sheriff Nothing daunte,
J by this turn of i'll luck, lie directed hi
a attention to the law, and borrowing
e few books from neighbor, which h
:. took from the office in the evening an,
returned in tha1porning, he learned tn
rudimcnts Of rne profession in whicl
It he has since become so distinguished
d by the light Of a fire place. ao l1sTne
g About this time the Wings of hi
county conferred upon him a nomina
!, ton for the Legislature. He was sue
q cessful in this and three succeedin,
n elections, by triumphant majorities
It While member of the Legislature h
n first gave, indications of his superio
powers as a, ,debater, and he increased
by frequent practice, his natural facu
.Ity for public speaking. He improve
a industriously the opportunities tina
y were offered for rself.cultivation. Fror
# the position of a subaltern in the rank
, of the Whig party-a position that wa
i appropriately assigned him by his ur
affected modesty and humble preteu
, sions-he soon bacame recognized an
h acknowledged as aleader, and unvary
b ing courtesy, good nature and geni:
/ manners, united with an utter disintel
,r estedness and abnegation of self, mad
him a ,,p;varoal favOrifai 7if- q