The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-01-09
ONE OF LlNCOLk'S COUSINS
WIFE OF a MILL ENGINEER PRE-
PAIRING FAMILY GENEALOGr.
Her "Reminiscences of Lincoln and the
Hankses-Nancy's Grave Possibly
Marked Wrong, She Says.


engineer in mill. Is a cousin or Abraham
Lincoln, whose father was born in the
same log cabin in which the great Presi-
dent Of the United States was born In 1909.
She is Mrs. Nellie NJ. Moore. who was born
not many years before the outbreak OF the
civil war in Frankfort. No.. and has been
for three months a resident Of East Pep
perell
Mr.. and Mrs. Moore live in a modest.
though neat and attractive little cottage
in FRANKLIN street. the interior of which
bespeaks on every hand unusual culture
and artistic taste on the part OF the mis-
tress thereof, for so unpretentious an es-
tablishment. Miss Hull, for that was Mrs.
Moores maiden name. spent only the first
thirteen years Of her life in Missouri. hav-
ing been sent to a Kentucky boarding
school at that age. She was married and
lived in Louisville for several years. later
removing to Cincinnati. and after the death
of her first husband came East, was mar
ried to Mr.. Moore, native OF Massachu-
setts, and they lived for seventeen years
in Atlantic. part Of Quincy. until they
removed to Pepperell.
MY father, William s. Hall, was a SON
of Martha Hanks. sister OF Nancy Hanks.
who married Thomas Lincoln and became
the mother of Abraham Lincoln she said.
$50, you see, my father was first cousin
and was second cousin to the President"
She has been for some time engaged I'm
families with New England and intends to
prepare genealogy embodying the results
of her labor. The three families. she says,
have SO intermarried at various times that
IL would puzzle lawyer to make the ac-
tual mutual relationship clear I'm some.
cases.
MY grandparents. Levi Hall and Martha
Hanks, both died Of the milk-sick." con-
tinued Mrs. Moore, ''in Indiana, in ISIS,
about the same time that Lincoln's mother.
Nancy Hanks, and her uncle and aunt
Sparrow died All were buried together In
rude collins constructed by Thomas Lincoln,
who was then a widower with two small
children.
MARKED BY GUESSwORK.
After Lincoln became President some
one erected a monument over his mothers
grave in the wilderness, but Aunt Rosanne
told me that the selection of the grave for
the monument must have been mere guess
work. since none Of the graves had ever
been marked and there was no means OF
Identifying any one of them"
Coming to the subject of the migrati OF
the survivors of the three families from
Indiana to Illinois, Mrs Moore says:
Joseph Hanks. who taught Thomas Lin
coin, Abraham's father, the carpenter
of the first settlers in Illinois, having gone
there from Kentucky about 1920. Ii was
his son, the famous John Hanks. still iiv-
ing in Missouri who I'm 1880 induced Thomas
Lincoln, Dennis Hanks and my father to
pull up stakes and also remove TO Illinois.
where Abe was destined to achieve that
fame which gained for him the presidency.
Having arrived in Macon county. ILL.,
nois. the party, which numbered thirteen.
settled for while. My father and Abe
Lincoln were in their twenty-first year. and
they, with John Hanks, Abe's second
cousin, built the log cabin which some say
was exhibited on Boston Common thirty
five years or more ago. They also split the
famous fence rails at that time, samples or
which did much TO arouse the enthusiasm
in the Illinois convention of 1850. which Sc
cured the presidential nomination for Lin
coin.
After serving as major in the Black
Hawk war, in which Abe Lincoln was cap
tain, my father became one Of the earliest
settlers in Missouri, and during the greater
part of his life kept tavern. first at Han
nibal and later at Frankfort.
Although 1 am not yet fifty, 1 saw a
lot of genuine pioneer life in Missouri when
/ was a girl, for Frankfort was then a
newly-settled locality When l was a lit
tie girl Aunt Sally. Abraham Lincoln's
quently put me to sleep in her arms. but
/ never thought much about IL till i was
grown up and others reminded me Of the
distinction had enjoyed.
II often visited among the hanks I'm my
childhood. too, and my especial favorite
was Grandma Hanks. as We called John
Hanks's mother who lived In what is now
known as Quincy, Ill. / used to hold her
skein of yarn for her when she wound IL
into ball. and during the operation she
would tell me stories of her early life I'm
the pioneer days of Illinois.
lone story was in regard to a freshet
such used to come almost yearly to
those who lived along the river bottoms
eighty years or so ago. Gradma went sew
eral miles down the river on raft. one
day, to the MILL to have some corn
ground, leaving the children in the log
THE river had been threatening to rise
for several days, but the children well
knew. from former experiences. that II the
river invaded the house they were TO climb
up on the roof for safety.
GRANDMA HANKS FINDS THE BABY.
1.-The river while grandma was
away and she toiled laboriously to get
home as soon as she could. When she got
nearly home she found everything, afioat.
and as she passed a tree that was well
submerged she thought she heard a cry
from the branches.
"She padded TO the tree, and there found
her baby, John Hanks. afioat in his cradle.
which had been washed through the door
OF the cabin and had drifted about until Il
found Judgment in the top OF the tree
where its mother found IL.
Tine rest or the cnlldren she fOund sit
ting on top of the chimney, and, taking
| them all on the raft, she padded them to
the nearest house that had escaped the
flood
Another OF her stories was about Guinea
niggers.' 1 suppose you don't know what
Guinea niggers' were, do you? Well, they
were not uncommon I'm the days when
slaves were brought from Africa They
were very small I'm stature and very unpre-
possessing In appearance and they were
said to be cannibals.
Grandma said that In her youth she
knew a young couple who bought a pair OF
Guinea niggers.' One day her little child
disappeared and IL was never seen again.
They afterward found that the cannibas
had eaten the child, and they were hanged
for it,"
Mrs. Moore describes having seen, with
some amusement. Abraham Lincoln max
ing a political speech in Missouri. arrayed
In long and exceedingly crumpled linen
'duster'' and a tall hat OF ancient pattern.
She says that when Lincoln was nomi-
mated for President his humble relatives
| among the Hankses held up their hands
with amazed incredulity and exclaimed
with practical unanimity: "Abe Lincoln for
President? / don't believe it,
There was always something queer
about the Hankses. she says. for, al
though they were among the earliest set
tiers In Illinois and had their pick of the
land and plenty of IL, and some of them
had large, productive farms. yet every one
Of them turned out as poor as Jobs cat.
There Is John Hanks: 1 can remember
visiting his farm in my childhood, when
you could ride for miles and miles and see
nothing but land that belonged to him. He
had plenty OF good cattle. fine horses, pigs
and poultry, yet to-day he and two sisters
are living In Louisiana. Mo-. old. feeble ard