The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-11-14
MR.. LINCOLN'S PARENTAGE.
Some Popular Impressions About His
Father and Early Life Corrected.
The Future Great President Got His Moral
Force from His MOther-Story of a CouS-
in Who Lived with Uncle Abe"
Written for the Indianapolis. journal,


is plainly but tastefully furnished, The lady
who answers your knock at the front door is
gray-haired and tall. Her voice is soft and her
matronly air rather attracts you. Her words
come slowly, and each one is weighed before it is
spoken. AS she bids you take a chair and fast
ems her gray eyes on you, you can hardly
realize that sixty summers have passed
over her head. Her long nose,
firmly set jaws and high cheek bones betoken
her descent from the Hanks family, and mark
her resemblance to her illustrous relative, Abra-
ham Lincoln. She is Harriet Chapman, daugh-
ter of old Dennis Hanks, cousin of the immortal
rail-splitter. Mrs. Chapman seems yet in the
prime OF life, and while rather reserved as to her
family history, is still willing to give the news
papers some ideas with the hope that they will
correct many of the popular fallacies related
Of her predecessors. my father Dennis Hanks,
you know" she states twas Mr. Lincolns
cousin, but am also related to the latter in an
other way. My mother, Elizabeth Johnston,
was his step-sister, and so we called him Uncle
Abraham, a title that pleased him. because his
only sister, Sarah, died without leaving any
children. "Uncle Abe always thought great
for me to live with him. He was married, and
Bob was then baby"
How long did you remain with Mr.. Lincoln
as a member of mis- family" inquired the CORE
spondent only about two years." was the re-
ply, land / never visited them again" The lat
ter answer was given in such way as to lead
the interviewer to believe that she had no fur
ther desire to live under the same roof with her
Uncle Abrahams wife. The latter, she was
forced to admit, was high-strung and
quick tempered. Like all warmspirt-
ed persons" she continued. Mrs.
Lincoln had her furious spells. but she soon re-
covered from them, and no apology tnen was too
abject for her to make. Though only married
short time, Uncle Abraham knew her weak
nesses, and he had already begun the policy Of
immediate surrender when l came to live with
them. / remember on one warm afternoon, in
his shirtsleeves, he slipped out into the hall and
threw himself on the floor, his head resting
pillow, for a nap. A knock was heard at the front
door ard. upon answering the summons, he
found two very stylish ladies of Springfield,
who had called to pay their respects. He in
vited the callers into the parlor, remarking as
they seated themselves that he would trot the
women folks out In few minutes.
This last expression, overhead by Mrs.
Lincoln, so exasperated her that she
had great difficulty in concealng her
rage at ALL" Her better half saw the difficulty
his uncignifed expression had got him into
and he at once repaired to his Office down town.
At supper time ne wasn't hungry enough to go
home, and neither did he return until late that
night When satisfied that his spouse and all else
were buried deep in slumber, he quietly slipped
in and fastened the front door softly after him.
Strange action indeed for man destined to rule
millions of men!
~
false notions afoat regarding Mr.. Lincoln's faith
er. Thomas Lincoin-that being the elder Lin
coins name-was not so illiterate after ALL He
could write his name, as deeds and other
papers now in existence prove, and he
was a great reader Of the Bible Towards the
end of his days he spent many long hours over
it. He felt his want of early advantages and
hence never travelled to Springfield, where the
society his son moved in held sway, but
yet he always evinced great inter
when he passed from the Legislature
of his own State to that of the Nation. There
are people who nsinuate that the backwoods and
plantation manners of old Thomas Lincoln are
the things that barred him out of the Lincoln
mansion at Springfield as long as it was presided
over by descendant of the "Todds OF Licking
ton. but if Mrs. Chapman thought so she never
mentioned 1T TO your correspondent. She ad
mitted that the old gentleman, in obedience to
Kentucky custom, took his dram regularly but
never INDUCED to excess. On Christmas he in
variably had his apple toddy and we are left to
imagine how he enjoyed that festal occasion.
lie was Six feet high, with dark hair, grey eyes
and of heavy build In size and physical feat
ures, color of hair and eyes he was much like his
distinguished son. 1t is said that he was never
profane, and that he invariably asked grace
when he sat down to the table
Dennis Hanks, now In his eighty sixth year, a
cousin of the youthful Abraham, and who lived
with the Lincolns, says that Abraham Inherited
his story telling propensity from his father and
that the latter was noted more for his apparent
ly inexhaustable fund of yarns than anything
else. Abraham's trmress and great moral con-
viction came entirely from his mother. She
taught him that right is right as God is God"
and when he took his pronounced Union stand
in the speech at Philadelphia, and afterward
proclaimed the freedom of the slave, it was the
courage and heart OF Nancy Hanks that
spoke to the expectant millions. Old Den
mis- Hanks is yet able to give faithful
description of Mrs. Lincoln. Aunt Nancy" he
remarked was spare made woman, little
above ordinary height. Her complexion
sandy and she had dark brown hair and hazel
eyes. She was conscientious and woman Of
deep sympathy. Abe was very much like her,
and would never let us harm an animal Some
times we would do so and that would give him
great pain His mother was a good Christian
She leaned toward the Baptsts in religion. but
we had few chances TO attend meeting
Discussions about the Scriptures were
very common. In these Abe some
times took part-at least ne was
very inquisitive, especially when his mother
would read the Bible to us. / remember once
of his running into the house while his mother
vas busy weaving and insisting on knowing
from her who was the father of Zebedees chill
dren. Even then Abe's memory was remarka-
BILE, and as he grew older all the family disputes
Il mean friendly discussions. of course-were re-
ferred to him for settlement" The old gentle
man, at this point in his narrative, became
much affected but presently recovering him
self, began to give the correspondent in con-
idence some light on the early history of the
Hanks family, which he requested should not be
published at least during his lifetime. In &C
cordance with this promise we dismiss him and
his story for the present. W.
A Cultured Article of Filtration.