Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1909-02-27
ABRAHAM LINCOLN'S STEP
MOTHER

MOTHER


cient primevaI forest of Southern In
diana. a few miles from the Ohio
River. stood the small, unhewn,
half-nnished and most forlorn log
cabin of Thomas Lincoln. The father
OF the president was an idle. shift
less, worthless carpenter, who had
taken up land in the wilderness, and
lived by half cultivating a few acres,
and shooting the Wild turkeys, the
deer. and another game with which
the region teemed. The occupants OF
the cabin were himself, his wife.
whose maiden name was Nancy
Hanks. and two children, Nancy.
eleven years OF age, and Abraham,
the future president. nine.
! suppose there never was a more
beautiful county than this part OF In
diana, as 20 was before the settlers
disiigured it. Imagine an undulating
country covered with trees Of the
largest size. oaks, beeches, naples
walnuts. without that intertangled
mass OF underground which we find
In the primeval forests Of the Eastern
States
This land had probably been within
a few centuries. a prairie. The for
est had gained upon the grass: but.
here and there, was a small portion
/ OF the prairie left, which. besides
| furnishing good pasture gave to the
| region the aspect Of an ancient, heav-
! ily wooded park. the result OF labor
wealth, and taste expended for ages.
Upon some Of these GASES Of emerald.
the deer found salt springs 20 which
| they resOrted in great numbers: on
the wider expenses. the bunaloes had
recently fed. en- others. the arriving
pioneer had fixed his camp and built
his cabin
The knoll on which Thomas Lin
coin had placed his house was free
from trees. and slopcd gently away on
every side. The spot had every charm
and every advantage except one:
there was no good water within a
mile. and 10 fell to the lot OF these
children TO bring from that distance
the water required for drinking.
Carpenter as he was. Thomas Lin
coin had not taken the trouble either
70 finish or 20 furnish his house. 1t
had no floor. no doors. no windows.
There were three or four three-legg-
cd stools ln the house. and no other
seats. The table was broad slab
supported by four legs with the fat
side upward. There was a bedstead
made OF poles stuck In the cracks OF
the logs In cue corner OF the cabin.
the other ends being supported by
torked sticks sunk In the earthen
floor, On these poles some boards
were laid upon which was thrown
a covering OF leaves. and these in
turn were covered with skins and
| old clothes. For cooking utensils
| the family possessed a Dutch oven
and a skillet. There was n loft in
the upper part Of the cabin: but rs
this shiftless pioneer had not made
leither stairs or ladder. little Abe was
Obliged to climb 20 his perch nj night
by pegs driven into the logs.
The children were no better cared
for than the house They were Ill
clad, III fed. untaught and harshiv
treated. Tho father. naturally dis
! posed 20 Incidence. found 40 so easy
20 subsist In that rich country by his
rife. with which he was extremely
expert. and from his patch of corn
and potatoes. which his wife and chill
dren cultivated that he gave way to
his natural disposition. and passed
his time. when he was not hunting.
IN telling stories TO his neiehbors.
lie was the great story-teller of the
county. character I'm much request
on the frontier in the early DAYS.
Some readers have doubtless visit
ed the richly wooded parks OF Ger
many. France, or England, where the
game is carefully preserved. where
droves OF clean. glistening black pigs
and great herds OF deer are seen, and
where. as you walk along, there is
heard at every step the rustic OF the
startled hare. and where broods OF
cartridges are following their mother
IN search OF food, as tame as chick
ems Now, 1t was as easy for the
settler to subsist HIS family in this
| Indiana forest as it would be for
lone OF the huntsmen TO live in great
| park, IL he could shoot as much game
as he liked. Thomas Lincoln, there
/ fore. being such Il man as he was,
\ destitute OF ambition either for him
self or his children took life very
easily, and any one acquainted with
his family would have fortold for
Abraham no higher destiny than that
OF & squatter on the frontier, or a
iat-boat hand on the rivers.
A terrible and mysterious epidemic
swept over that country, called the
milk disease, one of the numerous
maladies caused by the settlers to-
tai disregard OF sanitary conditions.
One of the victims was Nancy Lincoln
the wife OF Thomas and mother OF
| Abraham. The husband, who had
been her only nurse and only physi
clan, was now her undertaken also.
He sawed and hammered some green
boards into q long box. The few
neighbors. about twenty In all,
carried and followed her remains TO
a little eminence half a mile away,
aud there buried her in the virgin
soil of the wilderness. There was
no ceremony performed at her fune-
raj, because there was no one
competent TO perform it. Some
months after, when a rowing preach.
er came along, Thomas Lincoln
induced him to preach a funeral ser
mon for his wife, and thus this
omission was made good.
Thirteen months passed. The
! widower. who was not disposed To
be both father and mother to his
children, started for his native Ken.
lucky in quest OF a wife, and there