The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1874-01-23
LincOln's Birthplace


A correspondent of the Louisville
Commercial, writing from Elizabeth
town, Ky, sends the following state
ment of Capt. Haycraft, detailing many
unpublished Incidents in the life of Lin
coin and exploding the story of Mr..
Lincoln's illegitimacy
81 was born in this town 14th August,
1876, and have good memory of per-
sons and things as they existed in
"days of auld lang syne" / knew
Thomas Lincoln we'll He was univers-
ally called Linkhorn-I suppose through
ignorance of his real name. Some time
in the year 1906, or about that time, he
was married to Miss Nancy Hanks,
and when married and before that time
he lived in Elizabethtown. In the
year 1907 his first child Ga daughter) was
born.
"Some time between 1907 and 1908
he left town with his wife and child and
settled near Buffalo, Larue county,
about four miles from Hodgenville, then
in Hardin county. 1t was then called
Hodgen's Mill, and is now in Larue
county, at which place Abraham Lin
coin, late President, was born. But,
to put the whole matter at rest, | quote
from letter written by Abraham Lin
coin to myself, now in my possession,
dated Springfield, ILL.,, May %, 1860 !:
In the main you are right about my
history My father was Thomas Lin
coin, and Mrs. Sallie Johnson was his
second wife. You are mistaken about
my mother. Her name was Nancy
Hanks. Twas not born in Elizabeth
town, but my mothers first child, a
daughter, was. l was born Feb. y,
1909, near where Hodgenville now is,
then in Harden county. L do not think
ever saw you, though l know very
we'll who you are-so well that | recog-
nized your handwriting on opening
your letter before | saw the signature.
My recollection is that Ben Helm was
first Clerk, that you succeeded him, that
Jack Thomas and Wilson Fairleigh
graduated in the same office, and that
your handwritings were all very similar.
Am / right ? My father has been dead
near ten years, but my stepmother, Mrs.
Johnson, is still living.
The second wife of Thomas Lincoln
was originally Miss Sallie Bush, daugh.
} ter of Christopher and Hannah Bush,
was raised i'll Hardin county, half mile
from Elizabethtown. She was married
to Daniel Johnson on the 18th day OF
: March, 1906, and lived in Elizabeth
town, where Johnson died early in April
1914, of what was then called colo
} plague. l sat by his bedside severa
} nights during his illness, and one morn
ing on returning home, which was the
4th of April, l found snow on the ground
four inches deep and the peach trees il
bloom, which attracted my attention
, and caused me to note the time. TIL,
widow, Mrs. Johnson, continued to liv,
in Elizabethtown until the I'd day O
December, 1919.
"Thomas Lincoln moved with hi
family to Indiana. | do not know tn,
time of his removal, but in 1919 he los
his first wife there, and on the lst day
of December of that year he returned t
: this place and inquired for the residenc,
of the Widow Johnson. She lived neal
the Clerks Office. | was Clerk, and in
formed him how to find her. He wa
not slow to present himself before her
when the following courtship occurred
He said to Mrs. Johnson, | am lon,
man and you are lone woman. l hav
known you from a girl, and you'v
knowed me from boy, and have COM
, all the way from Indiana to ask if vol
will marry me right off, as L have II,
time to lose. To which she replied
Tommy Lincoln, 1 have no objection
l to marry You, but L cannot do it RICH
off, for L owe several little debts which
must first be paid The gallant oil,
gentleman promptly said, Give me
l list of the debts. The list was fur
? nished and the debts paid the same even
ing. The next morning, Dec. 2, 1919,
issued the license, and the same da
they were married. bundled up an,
started for home, where the new wifi
: added much to the comfort of the estab
lishment, and took great interest in tn
training and education of her step-sol
1 Abraham.