, 1891-09-26
LINCOLN'S FATHERS CABIN.
The Historic Relic sold for 1000 and
taken to Chicago.
Lincoln (IU. Letter to the Indianapolis
Journal.

vi anu mOV0u 10 Oul ago. LII udS ooOK
a Landmark in Logan County for half a Cen
fury. The cabin stood on a little rise of
ground about SO yards from the roadside,
facing south. 1t consists of two parts. One
was built in 1885, and at first stool in a
field about "a quarter of a mile distant, hut
was moved and Joined to the other a mum
Der of years later. The cabin was built of
logs which Thomas Lincoln himself cut and
hewed and hauled to the river bottoms.
A view of tln. inside disclO4es II big fire.
place lde of brick, which bore signs
of long and hard usage. The floors
are made of blackberry, whip-sawed and
tongued and grOOved by this pioneer builder.
The rafters which held the boards of the
"loft, which always constitute the neceSsa-
ry to annex these early homes, were sagged
and sprung out OF shape, but still showed
the strength of their timbers. Here Thomas
Lincoln lived and here be died. His birth
place was in Kentucky, in the county now
now known as Hardin. There he married
Nancy Hanks, a sister OF the venerable
Dcrnis Hanks in the year 1906. Two chill
dren were born to thcm-Sarah IN 1907 and
Abraham in 1909. In 1917 Thomas Lincoln
moved with bis family to Indiana. There
his wife died, and there he again married
"a widow, Mrs. Sarah johnson. About
1880 he came to Illinois, first settling along
the waters of the SangamOn, in Macon Couh-
ty. Here it was that Abe acquired the art
of splitting rails, which afterward made
him SO famous. In 1888 Mr.. Lincoln came
to this county. He fist built a cabin on
Muddy, and then ran the old Brakeman mill
a while in 1884. But finally he settled for
life on the site of this old cabin.
After his death, in 1851, John Hall Occu-
pied the premises until a few years ago,
.- H., -, ,v ,>,rN pf FIN, f,yjIN
and left the Old cabin to the owls and bats.
Mr.. Hall has many of the Old family heir
looms in his possession among them "a quaint
0ld-fashioned bureau made by Robert Par
cells, in Ell zabeth, KY, at a cost OF $40.
This was the receptacle for young Abe's
clothes when he was at home. There was
also the old kitchen clock, which has long
ceased to tell the time. Three bo0kS-the
family Bible, printed in 1899, an old English
dictionary OF the same date, and an aflth-
metic of Abe's-are likewise treasured up
carefully. Another interesting relic is the
axe which M. Lincoln bought new and used
in getting out the timber for the cabins. Its
edge is now very thick and rounded at the
corners. 1t has often been reported that
Thomas Lincoln could not write, yet his au-
tOgraph appears OF the ayleaf Of the OLD
Bible, and Miss Mary Rodgers of GAINESVILLE
Has Ill ucr DOSStSSIOn d VI y CtShO W
Mr.. Lincoln aud acknowledged before David
Dryden.
Fron this lowly heritage sprung the great
Lincoln, and he never forgot his father as no
struggled along winning for himself wealth
and fame, which he shared with the Old
folks at home. He visited this last dwelling
place of his father but twice, being engaged
in the practice of law at Springfield. But
when he did come he walked from Charles
ton aud saved tue stage coach fare that he
might have that much more to give his pa
rents. Thus this old cabin was built, in
haOited and f'rsaken. When President
Lincoln was on his way to Washington after
his f:st e~lecrion, he visited tine grave of his
father, which Was then unmarked, and it Is
said that he left orders to have a suitable
monument erected. But nothing was done
until a few years ago, when that patriotic
poet, George B.. Balcb, who now sleeps in
the Indian cemetery, conceived the plan OF
giving a benefit entertainment for the pur-
pose of raising funds TO erect a fitting memo
rial stone. This entertainments was given
in MattoOn in the Fall Of 1879.
Onl, $34 was the result OF this effort
which of course, was inadequate. The mat
ter coming TO the knowledge of Mr.. Robert
Lincoln, his distinguished grandson, he of
fered to pay whatever else was needed to
complete The monument. 1t was erected in
Nav 1880. The shaft is of Italian marble,