Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 06.djvu/453

 LINCOLN

LINCOLN

LINCOLN, Abraham, sixteentli president of the United States, was born in a log cabin on the Big South Fork of Nolin Creek, three miles from Hodgensville, LaRue county, K}-., Feb. 12, 1809; eldest son and second cliild of Tlionias and Nancy (Hanks) Lincoln; grandson of Abraham and Mary

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(Shipley) Lincoln; great-grandson of John Lin- coln, who emigrated from New Jerse}' to Penn- sylvania and thence to the wilds of western Vir- ginia about 1758; greats-grandson of Mordecai and Hannah Bowne (Slater) Lincoln, this Mordecai removing from Scituate, Mass., in 1714 to Mon- mouth county, N.J., and thence to Pennsylvania; great'-grandson of Mordecai and Sarali (Jones) Lincoln, this Mordecai removing from Hingham to Scituate, ilass., about 1704, where he set up a furnace for smelting iron ore; and greats-grand- son of Samuel Lincoln, born in Norfolk count}', England, in 1620, who emigrated to Salem, jNIass. , in 1637 and in 1640 joined his brother Thomas, who had settled in Hingham, Mass. Tlie Lincolns were evidently men of considerable ■wealth and of good social position. Thomas Lin- coln, fatlier of the President, inherited some proi)ert}' but was an improvident man, bj' trade a carpenter and accustomed to seek work from place to place. In the autumn of 1816 he removed to Indiana where his wife died Oct. 5, 1816, and lie returned to Kentucky and was married secondly to Sarah (Bush) Johnston, an intelligent and industrious widow. Abraham's attendance at school occupied hardly one year, but he improved ever}' opportunity for acquiring knowledge. His only books were the Bible, " -^Esop's Fables," "Robinson Crusoe", "Tiie Pilgrim's Progress," "Weems's '' Life of Washington *' and a history of the United States. During liisboyliood and youth he acquired a local reputation as a wit. He was also a successful backwoods orator, speaking whenever opportunity offered on temperance, national politics and other topics. The Lincoln family i-emoved to Sangamon county, Illinois, where Abraham assisted his father in building a cabin in the forest. He obtained employnn'nt as a farm liand. and in the spring of 1832 on tiie out- break of the Black Hawk war he was elected cap-

tain of a company of volunteers. On the expira- tion of his term of service he re-enlisted as a private and served until mustered out in June, 1832. In March, 1832, he had announced himself a candidate for representative in the state legis- lature and on his return from the war he began his electioneering. He was not elected, .standing third on a list of eight contestants, but out of the 208 votes cast in Sangamon county he re- ceived 205. He then engaged in the grocery business at New Salem as junior partner of the firm of Berry & Lincoln, but this venture ended disastrously within a year, and he was responsiljle for the indebtedness of the firm which he dis- charged after many years. He was postmaster at New Salem in 1833; was elected deputy sur- veyor of Sangamon county in January, 1834; was a Whig representative in the state legislature. 1834-42, and was instrumental in removing the state capital from Vandalia to Springfield. He studied law, and in March, 1837. was admitted to the bar. He settled in Springfield and formed a partnership with John S. Stuart. He was a candidate on the Whig electoral ticket in 1840 and stumped the state for Harrison and Tyler. He was married Nov. 4, 1842, to Mary Todd, a native of Lexington, Ky., who was residing in Spring- field with her sister, Mrs. Ninian W. Edwards. His partnership with ]\Ir. Stuart was dissolved in 1841, and a new partnership was formed witii Stephen T. Logan, which continued until 1843, when a connection with "William H. Herndon was foi'med. This firm, of whicii Mr. Lincoln was senior partner, was dissolved by Mr. Lincoln's death. He was a candidate on the Whig presi- dential electoral ticket in 1844 and spoke through- out Illinois and a part of Indiana for Clay and Fre- linghuysen. He was a representa- tive in the 30th congress, 1847-49, having been elected in 1846 over Peter Cartwright, tiie Demo- cratic candidate. He canvassed the state for Tay- lor and Fillmore during the spring of 1848, and after the adjournment of congress, Aug. 14. 1848, he spoke in New England. While in congress he opposed the extension of slavery, voting for the W^ilmot proviso. He also drew up a bill prohibiting the bringing of slaves into the District of Colum- bia, the bill containing other i-estrictions, the meas- ure to be decided by popular vote in the district: and his bill received some support. After leaving congress he tried unsuccessfully to obtain the ap- pointment of commissioner of the general land

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