The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-10-15

| Hitchcock. with her accustomed grand
| loQuence. conjures up in Imagination a
/ picture Of the large and happy colony OF
/ cousins ond OF the merry days passed IN
hunting. hawking and fishing in the great
estates OF nearly thousand acres. owned
/ by these kind uacles and aunts
TIE great migration in which these fam
/ lilies took part had begun when Daniel
Boone and James Harrod. in l774 and LIS.
| succeeded in establishing stations at the
1 points now known as Harrods5urg and
! Boonesborough. and had increased AT such
rate that in I74 when john Filson pu5-
mshed his History OF Kentucky" the
/ population OF the new country was eSti-
/ mated at thirty thousand. The Hanks
/ families had seen much of the early
! stages OF this migration. Indeed. in lis
| Nancy's uncle. Abraham Hanks, had gone
with a company OF explorers into the
| wilderness and had suffered hardships and
! seen adventures that no doIbt he had re
( lated many a time 10 his neices and ne
phews in the long twilight around the
great log fires In cid Virginia.
When Joseph Hanks and his friends
started on the Journey west. the route
was much easier and safer than when
Abraham Hanks had made II alone. The
great majority OF all the emigration into
Kentucky at this time even from Penne-
sylvania, New Jersey and New England,
came BY the Virginia valley. thence 20
Cumberland gap and thence by what
was known as the wilderness road. run
ming northwest from the Gap to the Ohio
ErAF
through the forests and over the noun
taIns. but this route was preferred 10 the
one by Pittsourg and the Ohio river.
Much travel had improved II greatly In
comparison TO what it was dUring the
first Ave years after the migration had
begun The legislature OF Virginia since
l77s. had Indeed concerned Itself about the
route, so great Was the number OF Nir-
ginians seeking a home e. Kentucky.
The farm upon which Joseph and his
family settled In Kentucky consisted OF
one hundred and fifty acres in what Is
now Flizabethtown Their friends and re-
latives. the Sparrows. the Berrys and the
Mitchells. formed a settlement a few
miles away. in Beachland. near the pre-
sent town OF Springfield. in Washington
county.
Joseph Hanks lived four years on his
new property. His Will. dated January 3.
1898. and probated May II. 1928. is repro
duced 10y Mrs. Hitchcock in fac-simile.
His daughter Nancy IS therein bequeathed
"ope heller yearllng. called Peidy," and
comes in for her equal one-eisth share
OF the estate Of one hundred and fifty
81 yrrsA
10 whom Il is left for life. This settles
The question Of Nancy Hanks parentage.
II shows that she was the legitimate
daughter os a reputable Kentucky pio-
neer. who remembered her in his Will on
a basis OF equality with al her brothers
and sisters.
After Joseph Hanks death his elder
children married and scattered. Nancy,
who was only nine years old at the time.
continued 10 live on the family home
stead until the death OF her mother.
few years later made her doubly an or
phan. Then she was taken into the house
hold OF her mothers sister Mrs. Richard
Berry, nee Shipley. at Beschlsud.
Among the visitors to the Berry house
was Thomas Lincoln. He was first
cousin 10 Nancy. His father. Abraham
had married the eldest OF the Shipley girls
prior TO the migration from Virginia Alb
raham had been a weii-to-do farmer. in
1855 he had been killed b. the Indians.
and according 10 the laws Of primogeHi- |
ture which then governed interstate es- .
tates in Kentucky. nearly all his proper (.
y had gone TO the eldest son. Mordecal. I
Thomas, as the youngest. had received /
nothing He had been brought Up under 4
the care OF first one relative. then OF 1
another, and had finally settled In Eliza 4
beth to learn the trade OF carpentering 4
from his cousin. Joseph Hanks. the 4
brother OF Nancy Thomas Lincoln was I
Just six years older than Nsncy The /
acquaintance between them Fipened into 4
love In ls0s they were married. Mrs. 4
Hitchcock gives fac-simlles Of the mar
rage certificate and of;he minister's re-
turn OF the marriage
According 20 the customs % fhe time.
the marriage bond was entered before The
ceremony took place. This was properly
done on June y, 1896. ss the fac-simile %
the original page shows. Two days later
the marriage ceremony vas performed az
the home OF Richard Berry BY the Rev.
Jesse Head. a Methodist preacher q
Washington county. Kentucky As re-
CURED by the law Of the time Jesse Head
returned the marriage band - Thomas
Lincoln and Nancy Hanks. and also gave
te the new coupls a marriage eerf iAcafe.
These documents prove conclusiTrlv
that Nancy Hanks and Thomas Lincoln
were married regularly three yssrs bs-
fore the birth u Abraham lincoln. ThuE.
thus. they set az rest forever me story
II T4ncoIa's u'er'timary. They also form
par. % the chain % evidence nat cab
fishes the Legitimacy q Nancy Hacks
herself me marriage 55nd e rignes -
Richard Berry T. IL knows from OUT
side evidence thai. ~ already recorded.
Joseph Hank daughter. after her moth
er's death. went 20 Eve sith her u1cle
Richard Berry. Therefore ne SsncT
Hanks mentioned q Jossrh's VII are esi-
sentaIy one ard fhs same psrson Th1s.
these documents. now made pa5Ec fs~
TIE H-s; time. clear ne aare ~ f5aesin's
mother from ell stail. psrz7rai Or Vicar-
sous
Mrs. Hitchcock rizatiy eoac1u5sd that
she QUA; rot - zltz-o.1 thssf cr9ofE
from TIRE world Unta sas eoait p1sAfA
r.- elassra.s Eeasaol94T % are lIaakF
family. sac ssw mat ne hs7Erapa sz %
r1rcsia xasea came aut from year 20
rear were Only ex.1z more sgrs1Y 70 ,hs
gus1c misz Csgsi sr3 salss fra6 5000
PEPPER1GsyT
Fer RAY years tss farmers fhe0Eei
-. 49, -k.-.szfesss sss eT.sss4