Semi=weekly graphic., 1897-04-24

graphical attempts ceased as we are tolo'
only when he failed to find documen-
tsry proof of marriage In addition to
the Enloe story | devoted my attention
and some of my time to the George
Brownfeld legend and TO another when
sought to affix the paternity CT Lincoln
an one Of the Hardins was even pro-
yided with a number Of pictures OF va
rious members Ct the Brownfield and
Young families, all of them tail, mus
cular men, with unusually long arms, to
impress me with the belief that as LIN
coin himself was a man Of such proper
tions he must have descended from the
same family source. | listened to long
and carefully worded argument written
by Il prominent citizen of Mount Ster-
ling. who had been judge Of the court
and editor Of a newspaper, who was de-
seended from the millwright Abe Enlee
at Paris KY, and who sought to prove
through this source his alleged kinship
to Mr. Lincoln.
Ii these stories had come through de-
viens ehanne Is from unaathentic sources,
from unknown and obscure persons or
from Mr.. Lineolns political enemies,
there would have been little need OF
needing them, but unfortunately such
was not always their origin. While in.
vestigating the representations Of Rev
J. G. Monfort, Presbyterian clergy
man and editor cf a religious newspaper
IN Cincinnati, who claimed to have
taught Abraham Lincoln in his school
at Camden, Preble county, o., in 1929.
Mr.. Helndon ran across another and
different story ef Lineoln's alleged ille-
gitimaey. Following it up to its source
he was amazed to learn that 1t orig1-
mated with OF was traceable to man of
decided Union sympathies and profess
sions-no less person, in fact, than the
Rev. Robert J. Breckenridge, a Presby-
terrain divine prominent i'll the church
and living in Lexington, Ky, This gem
tleman. returning in the summer Of
1861 from visit in Baltimore to his
home, had stopped in Cincinnati and
while there had repeated to several per.
sons, one Of them a newspaper man, a
steTy asserting Lincolnss Legitimate
birth, the hasiy marriage of his parents,
etc, which supposed facts he contend
ed oeeasioned 50 much unfayerable
comment IN the region where the fam
lily lived that they were at last forced to
move to Indiana to avoid the social os-
tracism which attended them.
These are not all the stories investi-
gated or traditions listened to, but I
do deem it unnecessary to prolong the
list. II suffices TO say that they and all
other s,,ch fall to pieces when certain
tests are applied. Every one is construct
ed on the theory that Abraham Lincoln
was born at Elizabethtovn, KY, within
the year after the marriage of his parents
and all in total disregard of the well es-
tablished fact that he was the second
child iii the family, 4 sister older than
himself having been born III Elizabeth
town IN 1907, while he never saw the
light Of day till almost three years after
the mprriage and then near Hodgens-
vile, place some distance from Eliza
BEETHOVEN. There is, therefore, no es-
cape from the conclusion that ltp was
the legitimately begotten sen of Thorn
as and Nancy Lincoln.
Continuing my investigations into
the early history Of the family, I found
that all Of the Hankses and their de-
Scendants insisted en- calling Lincoln s
mother Nancy Sparrow This surprised
me not little, for l remembered that
when Thomas Lincoln gave the bond to
marry his intended bride he called her
Nancy Hanks and by that name she was
known to her distinguished SON. Like
wise the Rev. Jesse Head, who splem-
nized the marriage, so named her In his
memorable certificate. When Theses facts
We're presented to one of her kinsmen,
he answered, in writing, and 1 have the
MS. in my possession: YES, she l. deem
in Hanks stock, but she is a Sparrow
Calling her Hanks makes Il baseborn
child Of her. Finally, by dint &C close
inquiry and en- lines indicated hy Mr.
Herndon, l learned that Nancy, whose
surname had eceasioned this difference
of opinion, was born III Virginia; that
she was the first daughter of Lucy
Hanks, who, after her birth. was mar
ried to Henry Sparrow; that she was
not brought up with the children born
afterward to her mother and Henry
Sparrow, but was consigned to the fos-
tering care Of Thomas and Betsy Spar
row. a childless couple who reared her
as their own child, who lived with and
near her even after her marriage to
Thomas Lincoln, and who, when the
milk sick invaded their neighborhood in
the fall Of 1918, preceded her but a few
days across the dark river. This. there.
fore, must have been the one fact which
Abraham Lincoln kept to himself 50
long and which he with such reluctance
forced himself to disclose to Scripps
the biographer and it, too, will explain
the eager determination of the hitherto
obscure Hankses and their numerous de.
scendants, while giving the mother OF
their most illustrious kinsman shelter
under the family roof tree, to deprive
her OF the privilege of their patronymic
Makes Mice Earn Their Board.
The latest opposition to manual labor
comes not from steam power, but from
the modest little mouse. a Scotcbmon
one evening recently sat looking At