Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1872-06-12
The BoyhOOd of Abraham Lincoln.

from his birth to his Inauguration as Presi-
dent of the United States. 1t is written or
compiled by Ward Ii. Lamon, who seems to
have done his work thoroughly and we'll,
going always to original and authentic sources
for his facts
There is much obscurity concerning Mr..
Linc1ln's parents and their relations to each
other and the family Bible in which the
President carefully noted the births, mar
riares and deaths Of his kindred contains,
Nh Lamon tells US, no mention Of the mar
ridge Of his mother. A few years after the
birth Of Abraham Lincoln his father emf
grated to Indiana, and there, in 1919, when
he was ten years of age, his mother died,
leaving two children, Abraham and a sister
two years older than himself Thomas Lin
coin, thirteen months after the death Of his
wife, returned to Kentucky and married a
widow, Mrs. Sally Johnston, nee Sarah Bush,
an old flame, whom he had unsuccesslully
woocd in early manhood, and whom he took
to his new home in Indiana. 1t was this
woman whom Abraham Lincoln reyered al
ways as his loving mother, who gave him
his earliest opportunities Of improvement
and who watched with pride and affection
mis- subsequent career until he attained the
proud elevation Of the Presidency
When the second Mrs. Lincoln arrived in
Indiana, Mr.. LamOn says, - 1t was IN the
dcpth of winter and the children, as they
nestled in the warm beds she provided them,
eni1ving the strange luxury of security from
the cold winds Of December, must have
thanked her from the bottom Of their newly
comiortcl hearts She had brought a son
and two daughters Of her own-John, Sarah
and Matilda; but Abe aud MS sister Nancy
(whose name was speedily changed TO Sarah),
t4. nd Ia Ifrtfp = d hpr
blood, were given an equal place in her
affections. They were half naked, and She
clad them from the stores of clothing she
had laid up for her own. They We're dirty,
and she washed them; they had been i'll used,
and she treated them with mOtlerly tender
ness, In her own modest language, she
made them look little more human. In
fact, says Dennis Hanks, IN few weeks
all had changed aud where everything was
wanting, now all was snug and comfortable
She was woman Of great energy, Of remarka
bic good sense, very industrious and saving,
and also very neat and tidy in her person
and manners, and knew exactly how to man
age children She took especial liking to
young Abe. Her love for him was warmly
returned, and continued till the day vi his
death. But few children loved their parents
he loved his stcpmOtLer. She soon dressed
him in entire new clothes, and from that
time bc appeared to lead a new l.lc. lie
was encouraged by her u study, and any
wish on his part was gratIiei when il could
he done The two sets Of children got along
finely together, as if they had all been chill
dren of the same parents. Mrs. Lincoln
soon discovered that young Ace was boy Of
uncommon natural talents. and that. If
rightly trained, a bright future was before
him, and she did all in her power to develop
those talents. When, in after years, Mr.
Lincoln spoke Of his sanity mother, and
of his angel of a mother he referred to
this noble womln, who first made him feel
like a human being whose goodness first
touched his childish heart. and taught him
that blows and taunts and degradation were
not t. Be bis only portion ia the world.
As soon as there was a school opened in
the neighborh01d, Mrs Lincoln sent Abe to
school.
.. 1t was probably in the winter of 1870, sle
having come out 10 the December of that
year. 1t has been seen that she was as much
impressed BY his mental precosity Ms by the
good qualities of his heart.
8. Hazel Dorsey was his first master. lie
presided in a small house near the Little Pi-
geon Creek meeting house, a mile and half
from the Lincoln cabin Ii was built Of
unhewu logs, and bad holes for windows,
IN which creased paper served for glass.
The room was just nigh enough for a man
to stand erect. Here lie was taught reading,
writing and ciphering. They spelled In
classes, and trapped up aud down. These
juvenile contests were very exciting 10 the
participants and it is said By the survivors
that Abe was even then the equal, if not the
superior, of any scholar in his class.
The next teacher was Andrew Crawford
Mrs Gentry says he began pedagogue in the
neigbbJrhO0d IN the winter of lo22-23,
while most Of his other scholars are unable
to fix an exact date lie kept in the same
little house which had been the scene Of
D0rsey's latOrs, aad the windows were still
adorned with the creased leaves of old copy
books that had come down from Dorsey
time Abe was now in his fifteenth year,
and began to exhibit symptoms of gallantry
toward the weaker sex, as we shall presently
discover. He was growing at tremendous
rate, and two years later attained his full
height Of six feet four inches. lie was long,
wiry and strong, with dig feet and hands.
and the length Of his legs and arms were out
of all proportion to his small trunk and head
His complexion was very swarthy. and Mrs
fGentry says that his skin was shriYeled anG
yellow even then. He wore low shoes, buck
skin breeches, linsey-wOOlsey shirt, and a
cap made Of the skin Of an opJssum or
coon. The breeches clung close to his thighs
=
the tops Of his shoes Twelve inches re-
mained uncovered, and exposed that much Of
. shInbone, sharp, blue and narrow. lie
would always come to school thus, good hu-
moredly and laughing, says his old friend.
Nat Grigsby. He was always in good
health, never was sick, had an excellent
constitution, and took care of it,
- Crawford taught manners. This was
a feature of backwoods education to which
Dorsey had not aspired, and Crawford had
introduced it as a refinement which
would put to shame the humber efforts of
his predecessor. One of the scholars was
required to retire, and re-enter as a polite
gentleman is supposed to enter a drawing
room lie was received at the door by an
other scholar, and conducted from bench to
bench, until he had been introduced to all
the Young ladies and gentlemen In the
room Abe went through the ordeal count
less times 1t be took serious view of the
business, it must have put him to exquisite
torture: for he was conscious that he was not
a perfect type of manly beauty, with his long
legs and blue shins. his small head, his great
ears and shriyeled skin. Ii, however, 1t
struck him as at all funny, 1t must have
filed him with unspeakable mirth, and given
to many antic tricks and he was gravely led
about shamefaced and gawky, under the very
eye Of the precise Crawford, to be introduced
to the boys and girls of his most ancient ac-
quaintance.
But though Crawford inculcated man
ners, he by no means neglected spelling.
Abe was a good speller, and liked to use his
knowledge not only to secure honors for him
self, but to help his less fortunate school
mates out of their troubles, and he was ex-
ceedingly ingenious in the selection OF expe-
dents for conveying prohibited hints. One
dav Crawford gave out the difficult word
defed. A large class was on the floor, but
they all provokingly failed to spell it,