The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1907-07-05
Who Was Lincoln's Father?
News and Courier.

"The Lincoln Farm Association Is
planning to build on his birthplace
in Kentucky the greatest memorial
III the world. The humble surround
ms which were familiar to his boy
i~h eyes and the simple life from
which he came will be 50 fOrcefullN
illustrated on these 10 acres which
his father titled that the youth of all
generations to come who visit this
national Shrine will be insNrited bv
ne fact that great things are possible
srum "Sn.all b""inni"g>. " This state
:aa!,l is cuNtai1ed in one Of the piece:
-! "iterature Sent out by the pub
ii@;tv committee Of the association,
who tell us that thousands Of sub
Svr;ptions in aid Of the enterprise are
coming i'll from every state in the
Union, more than thirty thousand
such subscriptions having been receiv'
ed before the first of March.
This Is exactly as it ought to be
and we trust that there Will be mil
Hos of members Of the association
before the lists are closed. We defer
10 nee in our admiration Of Mr.. Lin
coin. He was d great man, one OF
tie greatest Of Americans, and great
in spite of his obscure origin and ap'
parently hopeless start in Fife. But
whv not tell the truth about him?
WHY say that the farm which Is tc
be converted into a memorial OF hin
was "tilled by his father?" VINO
was his father? There has been mucl
discussion of this interesting and I'M
rvrtant question.
One writer has charged his pa
territv to Jacob Enloe. another tc
John C. Calhoun. and others to Thom
as Lincoln. Each Of the writers ha:
sustained his view by certain docu
| mentary evidence, none OF which ap'
pears to be satisfactory to those hold
inc contrary view with the result
that the question Of Lincoln's pater'
nitv is still involved in doubt, not tt
his Iishonor or discredit, or to the
dishonor Of any Of his descendants
h,+ somewh;Cto the embarrassment
of those who claim too much To-
him. If the Lincoln Farm is to r.
a true memorial it ought to contain
accomplete and undisputed RECORD
of him and his family history
His people were excessively common
They had no position in society. The!
were despised by their well-to-d'
| neighbors. They we're pltlfuIly poo1
and Judging by the stories that ar
ted in Herndon'S Life Of Lincoln the,
must have been very vulgar IN thel
walk and conversation. 1t was out o:
I'll this ru1k that Abraham Lincoln
gome and it is to his imperlshabl'
honor that he was great III spite OF tn
,,,scuritv Of his birth and the tac
that he had no chance in life whlci
he did not make for imself.
Lincoln's mothers people wen
from South Carolina. There are som
well-founded traditions Of them Il
this state. The Hon. D. J. Knots, O
LEXINGTON county, has made some YER
interesting Investigations on the sub
iect. James L. Tribble. OF Anderson
county, in which county the HankSe
formerly lived, wrote about the pa
ternitv of Lincoln in a very caretu
and sympathetic way several year
AGO. and reached the conclusion tina
Thomas Lincoln was not MS fatne1
Other writers. notably a North Caro-
]inian. have satisfied themselves tina
Mr. Lincoln was not the son OF his pu
tative father. Thomas Lincoln. In
s;lhiect is an interesting one an'
ought to have the very careful atten
tion Of the Lincoln Farm Association
It does not reflect in any way upol
! Mr.. Lincoln that he rose from tn
bottom to the top. It is importan
,!,,t nothin" should be claimed TO
him Of ancestry or achievement t.
which he is not entitled. His fam
is secure for all time. He is one o
the men in American history aoou
! whom the whole truth may be spoken