The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1909-02-11
LINCOLN'S STORY
OF HIS LIFE
Here is Lincoln's Story of His
Own Life, Supplied by Him to
J. w. Fell. 1t Was All He
Thought Worth While to Say.

" WAS born February ~, 1909,
in Hardin County, Kentucky.
My parents we're both born in
n Virginia, Of undistinguished
families second families.
perhaps I should say. My mother,
who died in my tenth year, was Of
a family of the name of Hanks, some
of whom now reside in Adams and
others In Macon County, Illinois My
paternal grandfather, Abraham Lin
coin, emigrated from Rockingham
County, Virginia, to Kentucky about
1881 or 1882, where, year or two
later, he was killed by the Indians,
not In battle but by stealth, when
he was laboring to open a farm in
! the forest. His ancestors who were
| Quakers, went to Virginia from
Berks County, Pennsylvania. An eff
! fort to identify them with the New
England family of the same name
ended in nothing more definite than
a similarity of Christian names in
both families, such as Enoch, Levi,
Mordecai, Solomon Abraham and
the like.
My father at the death OF his
! father, was but six years of age, and
he grew up literally without educa-
tion. He removed from Kentucky to
what is now Spencer County, Indi-
ana, in my eighth year. We reach
ed our new home about the time
| the State came into the Union. It
was wild region, with many bears
and other wild animals still in the
woods. There l grew up. There
were some schools, so called, but
no qualification was ever required
of a teacher beyond 'readin' writin
and cipherin' to the rule of three.
VI straggler supposed to under
stand Latin happened to sojourn in
the neighborhood he was looked
upon as wizard. There was abso-
lutely nothing to excite ambition for
education. OF course, when | came
of age / did not know much. Still,
somehow, l could read. write and
cipher to the rule of three but that
was all. l have not been to school
since. The little advance now
have upon this store of education
have picked up from time to time
under the pressure of necessity.
was raised to farm work, which
] continued until l was twenty-five.
At twenty-one came to Illinois
Macon County. Then l got to New
Salem, at that time in Sangamon,
now In Menard County, where l re-
mained year as a sort Of clerk in
store. Then came the Black Hawk
war, and l was elected captain Of
volunteers, q success which gave me
more pleasure than any / have had
since. / went through the campaign,
was elated, ran for the Legislature
the same year (1S32), and was beat
en--the only time / ever have been
beaten by the people. The next and
three succeeding biennial elections
was elected to the Legislature.
was not candidate afterward. Dur
ing this legislative period had
studied law and removed to SPRING
field to practice it. In 1916 l was
|
Congress. Was not candidate for
reelection. From 1S49 to 1854,
both inclusive, / practiced law more
assiduously than ever before. AL
ways a Whig in politics, and gen.
orally on the Whig ELECTORAL tickets,
making active canvasses. / was los
ing interest in politics when the re-
peal of the Missouri compromise
aroused me again. What I have
done since then is pretty we'll known.
If any personal description of me
is thought desirable 1t may be said
! am, in height, six feet four inches,
nearly; lean in flesh. weighing on an
average one hundred and eighty
pounds; dark complexion with coarse
black hair and gray eyes No other
marks or brands recollected.