The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1917-02-08
KNEW LINCOLN
FROM HIS BIRTH
Dennis Hanks, Cousin Of the
Emancipation, Has Left Record
of the Early Days in the Hum
BILE Little Kentucky Log Cabin.

w T EDDlNGS and births al
M ways attract attention, so II
v v Is interesting to note that
the marriage of Thomas
Lincoln and Nancy Hanks, the parents
OF Abraham Lincoln. and the advent
into the world of the Great Emanci-
pltor were not without exception
II was always the proud boast of
Rev. Edward Head Methodist
minister, and likewise Il carpenter, that
lac performed the ceremony that united
Abraham Lincoln's parents In mar
riage. In telling Of the bridal couple
and the feast, he said:
Nancy Hanks was n fresh-looking
girl, l should say past twenty. Tom
was a respectable mechanic, who could
take his choice; and she was to be
treated with respect. | was ut the in
fare given by John III. Parrot, her
guardlan-and 1t was only girls with
money who had had guardians appoint
ed by the court. our table was of
puncheons cut from the solid logs, and
they were the cabins floor next day.
We had bear meat, yenison, wild tur-
key ducks eggs, wild and tame--so
common that you could buy them ut
two bits bushel-mapIe sugar, swung
on II string, TO bite off for coffee or
whisky sirup in big gourds, peach and
honey: sheep that the two families
barbecued whole over Goals of wood
burned in pit, and covered with
green boughs 10 keep in the juices
and race for the whisky hottie
Another guest at the wedding was
Christopher Columbus Graham, who
lived to be more than one hundred
years old. In explaining his presence
at the festivities, Graham said:
You see, was out hunting roots
for medicines, and | just went to the
wedding TO get a good supper--and
got II. Tom Lincoln was carpenter,
ana Il good one for those days, when IA
cabin was built mostly with nm AK.
1t didn't have nail or Il bolt or Il
hinge In it--only feathers and pins to
the door. There wasn't any glnss,
either, except what you might find In
bottles or watches and spectacles, If
they owned them. But Tom Lincoln
/ had the best set Of tools I'm the whole
/ county"
/ Dennis Hanks, Lincoln's cousin and
playmate, takes up the story:
"When Nancy married Tom he was
working In carpenter shop. II wasn't
Toms fault he couldn't make living
by his trade; there was scarcely any
money In the country. SO Tom took
up some land-mighty poor land, hut
the best he could get when he hadn't
much 10 trade for IT,
1--WE was all poor them days but the
iincolns was poorer than anybody
Nancy was terribly ashamed of the
why they lived but she knew Tom was
doing the best he could, and she wasn't
the FOSTERING kind. The Hankses were
some smarter than the Lincolns: she
could read and write. She was pretty
MS Il picture and smart MS you find
them anywhere"
II was couple OF years after the
birth of their first child. Sarah. year
after the marriage. that Tom Lincoln
moved his family to the farm near
Hodgensvllle, ON the Big South fork
Of Nolen's creek--a partly cleared
thln-solled, miserable place, rejoicing
IN the euphonous title Of Rock Spring
farm. because small grove Of trees
shaded a really fine spring Of water
That was It's only natural advantage
As for the cabin, II bonsted but sin
gle room. single window, a big Gre
place and an outside chimney II was
In that cabin Lincoln was born nnt
lived the first fonr years Of his life.
"rom and Nancy lived on farm
about two miles from us when ABB