The West Virginia journal. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1864-1877, 1865-07-26
Abraham Lincoln.

who mas lHc I'0 Va '''S '""'I0'
Of his Country
ABRAHAM LINCOLN was born in lIar.
den county, kentucky, February -,
1909.
Ills ancestors, who were :Quakcrs,
went from Bcrks, Co., Penn, to Rock.
iprbam Co., Va, and from there his
grandfather Abraham removed with his
family to Kentucky about 1852, and
was Killed by Indians in l7S.t. Thomas
Lincoln, the father Of Abraham, was
horn in Virginia, and in 1906 married
Nancy I!anckS. also FirSinian. In
1916 lie removed with his family to villa,
is now Spencer Co., Ind, where Abra.
ham, being large for his age, was put
to work with an axe to assist in clearing
away the forest, and for the next ten
wears WAS mostly occupied in hard labor
on his fathers Farm. lie went 10 school
at intervals, amounting in the aggregate
to abou, 4 year, which was all the school
education he ever received. At the age
of nineteen he made a trip to New Or.
leans as hired hand upon flat boat
/ In March 1870. he removed with his
father from Indiana and settled in Macon
! Co., III, where he helped to build log
cabin for the family home. In the fol-
lowing year he hired himself at Sl2 a
month to assist in building fiat boat,
land afterwards in taking the boat to New
Orleans. On his return from this voy.
acc his employer pnt him in charge as
clerk Of store and mill at New Salem,
! then in :Saugamon, now in llenard Co.,
III. On the breaking out Of the Black
Hawk War in lS322. he joined volun-
tccr company, and to his surprise was
elected ca piain or it, promotion which,
/ he saws. cave him more pleasure than any
! subScuucrt success in hfc. lie served
for three months in the campaign, and
on his return WAS in the same year nom.
mated q whis candidate for the lcgisla.
,urc. lie next opened country store,
which was not prosperous; was appoint.
ed a postmaster OF New Salem, and now
began to study law By borrowing from a
ucishborius lawyer books which he
took in the evening and returned in the
morning. The surveyor Of Sangamon
! Co., Offering to dcpu:e to him that port
ION Of his work which was in his part Of
the county, Mr. Lincoln procureda 4 com.
pass and chain aud treatise on survey
! iug. and did the work. In 1881 he was
elected TO the legislature by the highest
elected in 1886, 1888, and 1910. In
! 1886 he obtained license to practise
! law, aud in April, 1887, removed to
Sprin.ticld and opened an office in part
ucrship with Major John +. Stuart. lie
rose rapidly to distinction in his profess
! ion, and WAS especially eminent as an
advocate in jury trials. lie did not,
however, withdraw from politics, but
continued for many years n promi'
neut leader Of the whig party in Illinois.
/ lie Was several times candidate for
I presidential elcctor, and as such, in 1911,
/ he canva>Sel the entire state, together
with part Of Indiana, in behalf Of Henry
! Clay, making almost daily speeches to
! large audiences. In 1916 he was cleo.
ted a representative in Congress from the
central district Of Illinois, and took his
scat on the first Monday Of Dec. 1871.
! In Congress he voted for the reception
or anti, slavery memorials and petitions.
lie voted T. times in favor Of the Will
mot proy;sa. On Jan. lG, 1910, he Of:
itrcL 70 the house scheme for abolish.
in- slavery in the District BY compensat
ing the slave owners from the treasury
rr the United States, provided m"jori.
t. Of cilizsns Of the District should vote
for the acceptance Of the proposed act.
; In 1910 lie was Il candidate for the u. 5.
Senate, bat the Legislature was demo.
cratic, aud elected Gen. Shields. After
the expiration Of his congressional term
Nr. Lincoln applied himself to his pro-
le>>iou till the repeal ofthc Missouri Com
promise called him again into the pollti-
cal arena. lie entered with energy into
, the canvass, which waste decide the choice
Of a |. $. Senator in place Of Gen.
Shields, and it was mainly to his excr-
tons that the triumph Of the republicans
and the election Of Judge Trumbu!l to the
Senate was attributed. At the Rcpub.
iic'n National Convention in 1886, by
which Co.. Fremont was nominated for
President, the Illinois delegation inef
Irc.uaily urged Mr.. Liucoln's nomina-
t;on for The Vice Presidency. On June
,. ls5s. the Republican State Convention
mc;a,$ springfield, and unanimously NOM
mated hiu US candidate for u. S. senator
in opposition to Mr.. Douglas. The two
candidates canvasscd the state togthcr,
speaking on the same day at the same
place. The result Of the election was
vote Of I25,2 ,275 for the republican can
liia,es. who were pledged to the election
Of Mr.. Lincoln, 12l 100 for the Douglas
candidates, and SOIL for the Lccomp,on
Candidates. Mr.. Lincoln had thus q
majority of more than 1000 on the pop.
ular vote over Mr. Douglas; but the lat
ter was elected Senator by the Lcgls!a'
;urc, in which his supporters had ma
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