The herald., 1895-03-17
The Hanks Girls
At a Campmeeting
Thomas Lincoln as a Farmer First
School Days of Abraham Dennis
Hanks Remembrance of OIden
Days - Family Cabin of
the LincOlnS

AS q family the Hankses were peculiar
to the civilization of early Kentucky. H.
literate and superstitious, they correspond
to that nomadic class still to be met with
throughout the south and known as poor
whites" They arc happily and wildly
depicted in the description of a camp
meeting hold at Elizabethtown, Ky, in
1906, which was furnished me in August,
1865, by an eyewitness. The Hanks
girls" narrates the latter, were great at
camp meetings. l remember one in 1906
/ will give you a scene, and if you will
then read the books written on the sub
ject you may find some apology for the
superstition that was said to be in Abe
Lincoln's character. 1t was at camp
meeting, as before said, when general
shout was about to commence. Prepara-
tions were being made. A young lady in
vited me to stand on bench by her side
where we could see all over the altar. To
the right strong, athletic young man,
about 25 years old, was being put in trim
for tho occasion, which was done by di-
vesting him of all apparel except shirt and
pants. On the left a young lady was be-
ing put in trim in much the same man
ner, so that her clothes would not be in
the way and so that when her combs flew
out her hair would go into graceful braids.
She, too, was young, not moro than 20
perhaps. The performance commenced
about the same time by the young man on
the right and the young lady on the left.
Slowly and gracefully they worked their
way toward the center, singing, shouting,
hugging and kissing, generally their own
sex, until at last nearer and nearer they
came. The center of the altar was reached,
and tho two closed, with their arms around
each other, the man singing and shouting
at the top of his voice:
II have Jesus in my arms,
Sweet as honey, strong as bacon ham.
"Just at this moment the young lady
holding to my arm whispered, They are to
be married next week. Her name is Hanks.
There were very few who did not believe
this true religion, inspired by the Holy
Spirit and the man who could not believe
it did we'll to keep it to himself. The
Hankses were the finest singers and shout
ers in our country"
Here my informant stops, and on &C.
count Of his death several years ago l
failed to learn whether the young lady
shouter who figured in the foregoing scene
was the presidents mother or not. The
fact that Nancy hanks did marry that
year gives color to the belief that it was
she. AS to the probability of the young
man being Thomas Lincoln it is difficult
to say. Such a performance as the one
described must have required a little more
emotion and enthusiasm than the tardy
and inert carpenter was in the habit of
manifesting.
Sarah, the sister of Abraham Lincoln,
though in some respects like her brother,
lacked his stature. She was thickset, had
dark brown hair deep gray eyes and an
even disposition. She was married to
Aaron Grigsby, in Spencer county, Ind,
in the month of August, 1926, and died
Jan. 90, 1928. Her brother accompanied
her to school while they lived in Ken
lucky, but as he was only Z, and as she had
not yet finished her ninth year when their
father removed with them to Indiana, it is
to be presumed that neither made much
progress in the matter of school education.
Still it is authoritatively stated that they
attended two schools during this short
period. One of these was kept by Zach
ariah Riney, the other by Caleb Hazel. 1t
is difficult at this late day to learn much
of the boy Abraham's life during those
seven years of residence in Kentucky.
One man, who was clerk in the princi-
pal store in the village where the Lincolns
purchased their family supplies, remem-
bors him as small boy who came some
times to tho store with his mother He
would take his seat on keg of nails, and
l would give him a lump of sugar He
would sit there and eat it like any other
boy, but these little acts of Kindness, - OBJ
serves my informant in an enthusiastic
statement made in 1865, so impressed his
mind that l mado a stcadfast friend in "a
man whose power and influence have since
been felt throughout tho world"
A schoolmate of Lincoln at Hazel's
school, speaking of tho MASTER says: He
perhaps could teach spelling and reading
and indifferent writing and possibly could
cipher to the rule of three, but he had no
other qualification of teacher, unless we
accept large size and bodily strength. Abe
was mere spindle of a boy, had his due
proportion of harmless mischief but as we
lived in a country Astounding in hazel
switches, in the virtue of which tho mas
ter had great faith, Abe of course received
his due allowance. F"
This part of the boys history is pain
fully vague and dim, and even after arriv-
ing at mans estate Mr.. Lincoln was sig
nifcantly reserved when reference was
made to it. 1t is rarely mentioned in the
autobiography furnished to Fell in 1859.
John Duncan, afterward a preacher of
some prominence in Kentucky, relates
how he and Abe on one occasion ran
ground hog into a crevice between two
rocks, and after working vainly almost
two hours to get him out ABE ran off
about a quarter of mile to blacksmith
shop and returned with an iron hook fas-
tened to the end of pole, ~ and with this
rude contrivance they virtually 'hooked"
the animal ont of his retreat. Austin
Gollahcr of Hodgensville claims to have
saved Lincoln from drowning one day as
they were trying to coon it" across Knob
creek on IA log. The boys were in pursuit
of birds when young Lincoln fell into the
water, and his vigilant companion, who
still survives to narrate the thrilling story,
fished him out with a sycamore branch.
Meanwhile Thomas Lincoln was becom-
ing daily moro dissatisfied with his situa-
ton and surroundings. He had purchased
since his marriage, on the easy terms then
succession. No terms were easy enough
for him, and the land, when the time for
the payment of the purchase money rolled
around, reverted to its former owner.
Starting Life Anew.
Having determined on emiGrating to
Indiana, he began preparations for re-
moval in the fall Of 1916 by building for