Browning chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1941-1953, 1944-02-18
hNrd,sY Rc-JJ R.z6 q az Nt,ntaI

If you go down into Hardin county,
Kentucky, today expecting to see
the place where the new baby was
born "down t. Tom Lincoln s." you'll
be disappointed. For you won't find
there the log cabin in which that
historic event took place. But if you
drive east into Larue county to the
little town of Hodgenville, the coun-
ty seat, then go 21a miles south, you
will see, enshrined in a temple of
stone, this rude little structure and
you will be told that it stands on
the very spot where it stood when
Abraham Lincoln was born within
its log walls on February IL, 1909.
Why this apparent discrepancy in
the geography of Lincoln's birth
place? Well, the explanation is SIM
pie. When Tom and Nancy Hanks
Lincoln became the parents of a
son, their home stood within the
boundaries of Hardin county. Years
later Hardin was divided into two
counties and the eastern part of it,
including TON Lincoln's place" on
Nolin creek, became Larue coun-
ty. So there's some truth in the
statement that abraham Lincoln
was born in two countless" paradox
ical though that statement may
sound.
Other Inconsistencies.
Nor is that the only apparent in
consistency in regard to the site of
Lincoln's birth. Several years ago,
Rev. William E. Barton, one of the
leading biographers of the Great
Emancipator and the man who, per-
haps more than any other historian,
has cleared up many of the mys-
teries surrounding the name of Abra-
ham Lincoln, wrote an article un-
der the title of "Three Places Claim
Honor of Being Birthplace of Lin
coin" 1t reads, in part:
Homer had seven birthplaces; Lincoln
had at least three-according to diver
gent Kentucky traditions.
First of the houses in which Abraham
Lincoln is said to have been born is the
Berry house at Beechland Washington
county. Kentucky.
If we should 60 to Beechland, we will
find the house is not there. 1t has been
moved to Harrodsburg. where it stands
as kind OF museum. not very intimately
associated with Lincoln. who never in
his life was in Harrodsburg.
The house today bears little resem.
blance to- its former self Fortunately
however. it was photographed while on
Its original site. In this house. the
home Of Richard Berry. the Presidents
parents Thomas Lincoln and Nancy
Hanks. were married by Rev. Jesse
Head. June -. 1906.
Washington county people have a for
midable group of af!idavts from old and
truthful people who declared that Abra.
ham Lincoln was born there: that his
people did not remove TO Hardin county
till he was a lad several years of age:
and certain Witnesses affirmed oath
that they saw him as a child playing
about the door of the Berry house.
My own impression is that these peo-
pie were truthful and that they may
have seen the little lad Abraham Lin
coin. playing about this house The par.
ents Of Abraham Lincoln were married
in this house: he doubtless visited it in
his early childhood and may have lived
several months beneath its roof. but we
must look elsewhere for his birthplace.
So we go TO EliZabethtown. The house
we wish to see is not standing. but we
can find people who will assure us that
Lincoln was born there and who will
show us the unattractive location. What
they are showing us is the place where
Thomas and Nancy Lincoln spent their
honeymoon. and lived from June. 1906.
till the spring of 1908. Here Abrahams
little sister, Sarah. was born.
The cabin that stood here was the first
house advertised as the birthplace of
Abraham Lincoln and the picture is
still frequently shown as such. This
house was standing at the end Of the