The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1909-02-08
Lincoln, the Farm Boy.

The Iowa Homestead: Abraham Lin
coin the most notable farm boy that
ever lived, was born 100 years ago Fri
day of next week. All over the great
country exercises will be held in honor
of Lincoln. the lawyer, the statesman
the emancipation, the patriot, the Presl-
dent. the martyr But what OF Lin
coin, the farm boy?
Lincoln came of line of farmers;
his bringing-up was that of the aver
age farm boy of that time. He was
reared on hard work and poverty, but
because he had instilled within him
perseverance, determination, an lnsa-
table thirst for learning and an eter-
nal sense of justice, he grew into Dig
ger things Lincoln, the town boy,
might have succeeded as well, but
those early years which never lose
their imprint on life, were passed amid
natures marvels. with opportunity for
reflection by day and for reading by
might. and the farm boy grew into the
President.
Lincoln's grandfather entered 400
acres of land on the south side OF Lick
ing Creek, Mercer county, Kentucky,
under government warrant Here
the family began to open their farm,
breaking up the virgin soil and plant
| ing their first crops. Here Abraham S
grandfather was killed by the Indians
and his father, Thomas Lincoln, was
married, in 1906, to Nancy Hanks;
| here on February II, 1909, the future
President was born and here he spent
the first seven years of his life.
! It was humble farm home, but des-
tined to become famous, the shrine OF
patriotic Americans for all time to
come. Around it was wilderness,
teeming with wild game. The mother
was used to the rife and not only did
she bring down the bear or Deer and
dress it's flesh for the family table,
but her skillful hand wrought gar
ments and moccasins and headgear
from the skins The cabin was poor,
even squalid, but when night iell the
mother gathered her little brood about
her knees and told them wonderful
stories of heroism and daring, of chiv-
airy and courage and little Abraham
sat open-eyed, dreaming great dreams
that We're some day to come true.
When Abraham Lincoln was seven
years old the family removed to anoth
er farm, for the cry of that day, as
is the cry of today, was farther west.
Selling his partly-improved farm and
log cabin for ten barrels of whisky
and $40 in cash, Thomas Lincoln load
ed his household goods on rude raft
which little Abe had helped to make
and struck out to try his luck. Later
; on he returned and, overland, the fam
lily went to Indiana, with high hopes.
For the next ten years Abe Lincoln
: lived the life of the ordinary farm boy
, with this exception-he never lost ar
, opportunity to read. Day by day he
broke the soil and planted the grair
and helped with the harvest, between
; times doing the thousand and one
chores to be done on every farm. Blu
. always while he worked he wa; think
ing, and when night came, down OF
the floor by the open fireplace with f;
hSI iiSH VI UP, bC pm Cp Wv z
+ the Bible. Aesop's Fables, The Phi
, grim's Progress, and The Life o
Washington. The new cabin was al
most as primitive as the old. He hat
helped fell the logs, notch them ant
put them in place. He had helped
pound the earth hard for a floor am
had chinked the bark-covered log
with thin strips of wood split from tn
plentiful timber Later on he ha,
split the shakes with which the roo
was covered and the puncheons which
formed the floor. not laid for som
time, however. Times and life wer
hard. Thorns We're used for pins
slices of cork covered with cloth o
ingeniously fashioned bits of bone di
duty for buttons; except in times o
: plenty. crusts of rye bread were sui
: stituted for coffee and leaves Of sur
dried herbs took the place of tea.
Abraham Lincoln may have longe
to be delivered from such poverty an