The Adair County news., 1905-02-22
Hanks And Lincoln.
Bloomington is entertaining

| bloomington is onLGf talIlilS' az
/ present a half sister Of Mrs.
Abraham Lincoln, who is Mrs,
Emily Todd Helm, the mother OF
! Mr.. Ben Hardin Helm, Division
freight agent Of the c. & A.
With her daughter. she has been
/ the guest of her son and brother
for the past two months. Mrs.
Helm and Mrs. Lincoln were not
playmates together. They had
the same father but Mary Todd,
(Mrs. Lincoln), was something
like % years of age when Emily
Todd, (Mrs. Heinz, was born, so
that the latter became much bet
ter acquainted with her half sis
ter when she had become Mrs.
Lincoln, wife of the martyred
president, and when she visited
her in Springfield frequently.
When Mrs. Helm was just girl
Mrs. Lincoln and children came to
Lexington, KY, to visit at the
home of her father and the scenes
of her early childhood. Mary
Todd frequently visited her sis
ter, Lillian Edwards, in Spring
field, and it was on one of these
visits that she met Mr.. Lincoln.
John Todd Stuart, a cousin of
Mary Todd, was a member of
Congress, a lawyer Of ability and
a friend of Abraham Lincoln's so
that1it was through Mr.. Stuart
that Lincoln met his future
wife.
Mrs. Helm is the only member
of her family living to-day. A
peculiar fact she relates is that
five generations of the Helm
family are buried side by side at
Elibabethtown, KY, while five
generations of Todd family slum-
Der peacefully side by side in
Lexington, Ky. The Helms and
the Todds were pioneer families
of Kentucky, and all became dis
tinguished, either in politics, the
army or other vacations. Mrs.
Helm was the wife of Gen. Helm,
a Confederate general, whom his
tory recognizes. His father be-
fore him was Governor of Ken
lucky. Col. John Todd, a great
uncle of Mrs. Helm, was tho first
provincial governor of Illinois.
Mrs. Helms daughter, who is
now with her mother in this city,
Is professional artist, and has
talent in a marked degree. Dur
ing her stay here she has painted
several portraits and landscapes,
among them being that of Ben
Harden, a relative, who was a
prominent lawyer of Kentucky.
It is a beautiful piece of work.
DAUGHTER OF JOHN HANKS.
Mrs. Loomis, wife of Mr.. Elijah
Loomis, Of 7O7, East Douglas
street, this city, is a daughter
of the late John Hanks, an early
friend and associate of Abraham
Lincoln, who helped Lincoln put
up the log cabin in Macon county.
In a talk with Mr.. LOOMS yester-
day, he stated that he, Mr..
Loomis), went down to Decatur
to attend the state convention
and helped nominate the martyr
ed presidsnt. His father-in-law,
John Hanks, took a conspicuous
part in the nomination of his
friend, ''Dick" Oglesby, later
Gov. Oglesby, asked Mr.. Hanks,
who had split rails with Mr.. Lin
coin, to get one of the large logs
J that he was sure Lincoln had
split with his own hands and
bring it to the convention hall.
At a signal from him, Hanks,
was to shoulder the log and march
to the front of the hall. At the
expectant moment Leonard SWEET
the grand and eloquent speaker
was making an address wher
Hanks was motioned to proceed
down the aisle. He did SO anl
mounted the platform and The
announcement was made that thu
log on his shoulder was the worl