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56-581: Nancy's mother, by popular theory among historians and genealogists, and supported by a mtDNA study in 2015, was Lucy Hanks, who later married Henry Sparrow in 1790 in Mercer County, Kentucky. Abraham Lincoln's law partner William Herndon reported that Lincoln told him that his maternal grandfather was "a well-bred Virginia farmer or planter." According to William E. Barton in The Life of Abraham Lincoln and Michael Burkhimer in 100 Essential Lincoln Books , Nancy

112-545: A National Historic Landmark District managed by the National Park Service in present-day Lincoln City, Indiana . If Nancy Hanks Came back as a ghost, Seeking news Of what she loved most, She'd ask first "Where's my son? What's happened to Abe? What's he done?"... ... "You wouldn't know About my son? Did he grow tall? Did he have fun? Did he learn to read? Did he get to town? Do you know his name? Did he get on?" The Hanks–Lincoln wedding

168-414: A Regular Baptist congregation, was established June 8, 1816 with 15 charter members. Thomas Lincoln , Abraham's father, helped build the cabin for the church in 1819, located south of present-day Lincoln City, Indiana , in the center of the community near a spring. The land was donated by Samuel Howell. The log meetinghouse, completed in 1822, had split log benches for its congregation. Attending church

224-576: A Great Life , the result of their collaborations, appeared in a three-volume edition published by Belford, Clarke & Company in 1889. The majority of the actual writing was done by Weik, who received full credit as co-author. The book received mixed reviews due to the inclusion of such unvarnished elements as Lincoln's mother's illegitimacy (and even the rumors of Lincoln's own), its sometimes viciously negative portrayal of Herndon's longtime enemy Mary Todd Lincoln, Abraham Lincoln's suicidal depression, and other decidedly less-than- hagiographic accounts of

280-491: A faithful portrait of his friend and law partner, based on his own observations and on hundreds of letters and interviews he had compiled for the purpose. He was determined to present Lincoln as a man, rather than a saint, and to reveal things that the prevailing Victorian era conventions said should be left out of the biography of a great national hero. In particular, Herndon said of Lincoln's "official" biographers, John Nicolay and John Hay : "They are aiming, first, to do

336-638: A farm in Fancy Creek Township located six miles north of Springfield. Herndon attended Illinois College from 1836 to 1837 in Jacksonville, Illinois , but he had "an unsuccessful year". Following this, he returned to Springfield and clerked at the Joshua Speed store, where he often engaged in debates, discussions, and poetry readings with Abraham Lincoln . Their conversations and readings were sometimes practice sessions before presenting material to

392-489: A great man one of these days." Jones built the Colonel William Jones House across the street from his cabin around 1834 when his business endeavors made him wealthy. The one-story brick house is a Federal style house with Classical Revival features, including a Greek columned front porch and pediment. It has a captain's walk on the roof and a small loft. Lincoln's father, Thomas Lincoln , is said to have built

448-600: A marked expression for melancholy which fixed itself in the memory of all who ever saw or knew her. Though her life was clouded by a spirit of sadness, she was in disposition amiable and generally cheerful. Nancy was also described as "a bold, reckless, daredevil kind of woman, stepping on to the very verge of propriety." Abraham Lincoln inherited his mother's appearance and manner. She was "mild, tender, and intellectually inclined." While living at Little Pigeon Creek Settlement , Nancy Hanks Lincoln died on October 5, 1818, age 34. Her nine-year-old son Abraham assisted his father in

504-947: A mortgage and moved his wife, eight children and young granddaughter Nancy to Kentucky. The family lived on land along Pottinger's Creek, in a settlement called Rolling Fork in Nelson County, Kentucky , until patriarch Joseph's death in 1793. Nancy's grandmother, who was called by the more formal name Ann rather than the common nickname of Nancy, decided to return to her homeland, Farnham parish in Virginia. At that time, Nancy went to live with her mother, now Lucy Hanks Sparrow, having married Henry Sparrow in Harrodsburg, Kentucky two or three years earlier. After Lucy's sister Elizabeth Hanks married Henry Sparrow's brother Thomas in Mercer County, Kentucky in 1796, Nancy, now about age 12, went to live with

560-429: A superb piece of literary work; second, to make the story with the classes as against the masses." He felt that this would represent the "real Lincoln about as well as does a wax figure in the museum." Ward Hill Lamon , who was then collaborating with a ghostwriter on a Lincoln biography, approached him for assistance. Herndon provided copies of and access to his original correspondences with Lincoln acquaintances and

616-460: A wasting disease or tuberculosis . It has also been theorized that Nancy Lincoln had a marfanoid body habitus (or a marfanoid type of physique) with the same unusual facial features as her son. This theory suggests that she died of cancer (which is a wasting disease) related to multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2b (MEN2B), and that she passed the gene for this syndrome to her son (see Medical and mental health of Abraham Lincoln ). Nancy's grave

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672-525: A written agreement not to publish his own biography of Lincoln for at least ten years in exchange for $ 2,000 cash and an agreement to receive up to $ 2,000 of the book's royalties. A young man named Jesse W. Weik who had corresponded with Herndon became a good friend. They then collaborated on the biography of Lincoln's life. Weik performed additional research in the 1880s, picking up any new information since Herndon's original research, and rewrote much of Herndon's draft. Herndon's Lincoln: The True Story of

728-676: A year in Madison County, Illinois , where Archer and Rebecca had another child. By the spring of 1821 the family was living in Sangamon County . When William was five, the family settled in the German Prairie settlement located five miles northeast of Springfield . Two more children were born to the family there. Herndon's father built the first tavern in Springfield and was engaged in other forms of mercantile business from 1825 to 1836. He

784-511: Is held at the county courthouse. They had three children: The young family lived in what was then Hardin County, Kentucky , (now LaRue ) on the Knob Creek Farm . Neighbors reported that Nancy Hanks Lincoln was "superior" to her husband, a mild yet strong personality who taught young Abraham his letters as well as the extraordinary sweetness and forbearance for which he was later known. In 1816,

840-660: Is located in what has been named the Pioneer Cemetery , also known as the Nancy Hanks Lincoln Cemetery. Her headstone was purchased by Peter Studebaker , an industrialist from South Bend, in 1878. At least 20 unmarked and eight marked graves are at the site; Nancy Lincoln is buried next to Nancy Rusher Brooner, a neighbor who died a week before Nancy from milk sickness. Henry Brooner, Nancy Brooner's son and best childhood friend of Abraham Lincoln, later recalled, "I remember very distinctly that when Mrs. Lincoln's grave

896-612: The Illinois State Library to be used against Stephen A. Douglas in the 1860 presidential race. Finally, when Lincoln balked at voting for himself, Herndon persuaded him to do so. Through the whole of his partnership and friendship with Lincoln he was never invited to Lincoln's home for dinner due to his contentious relationship with Mary Todd Lincoln . He also admitted that his frustration with Lincoln's overly permissive parenting of his two younger sons, Willie and Tad , whom he recalled as undisciplined and disruptive brats in

952-558: The Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial . William Jones operated a store and had a cabin in the community. He sold and bartered merchandise and shipped farmer's grain, tobacco, hides, pork, venison, and beef to New Orleans on flatboats. He also became a postmaster. Jones employed Abraham Lincoln who lived a few miles from Jones and was hired to butcher and process meat and unpack boxes in 1829. Lincoln read all of Jones' books and Jones remarked that "Lincoln would make

1008-412: The home of Richard Berry , by Reverend Jesse Head. Nancy was brought to the home to work as a seamstress by her friend Polly Ewing Berry, the wife of Richard Berry Jr. since October 10, 1794. Polly was a friend of Nancy's from Mercer County, Kentucky , and Richard Berry Jr. was a good friend of Thomas Lincoln. Lincoln proposed to her in his childhood home at what is now Lincoln Homestead State Park or in

1064-443: The "unbroken forest" and "wild region" included bears, wolves, squirrels, partridges, hawks, wild cats, turkey, sparrows, and crows. Lincoln said in a poem: Dennis Hanks stated that the settlers could be "very ruff". In its early days the settlers worked and supported one another, but there was also immoral, drunken, thieving, and superstitious behavior. Thomas and Nancy Lincoln , with their children Sarah and Abraham, moved to

1120-451: The 19th century before people understood the cause of the illness, thousands in the Midwest died of milk sickness. The second view is that Nancy died of consumption . In 1870 Lincoln's law partner and biographer, William Herndon , wrote to fellow Lincoln biographer Ward Lamon saying that "Mrs. Lincoln died as said by some with the milk sickness, some with a galloping quick consumption", i.e.

1176-492: The Francis Berry house in front of the fireplace. Nancy's marriage bond was signed by Richard Berry Jr., who identified himself as her guardian. Per Warren, "The title had no legal significance, Berry having never been so appointed, and Nancy Hanks was then of age. But to him to call himself 'guardian' was a courtesy customary under such circumstances [no father able to sign the marriage bond]." A record of their marriage license

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1232-560: The Jones House at that time. Jones and Lincoln both became Republicans when the Whig party was terminated. In the 1850s, Jones moved to Gentryville, Indiana and opened another store. Jones was a Union Colonel during the Civil War . He received battle honors for his service at Meridian Expedition , Siege of Corinth , and Battle of Atlanta , where he died on July 22, 1864. The area and

1288-701: The Lincolns' property at the Little Pigeon Creek settlement. The Sparrows died in September, weeks before Nancy's death, and Dennis moved in with the Lincolns. The illness was caused by drinking the milk or eating the meat of cows that had eaten white snakeroot . The plant contains the potent toxin tremetol, which is passed through the milk. The migrants from the East were unfamiliar with the Midwestern plant and its effects. In

1344-675: The Lincolns' shed until their home was built. In October 1818, Nancy died of milk sickness and was buried within a half mile of the homestead. Tom and Elizabeth Sparrow died of milk sickness a few weeks before Nancy's death and they are all buried together. Late the following year Thomas married Sarah Bush Lincoln , a widow from Kentucky who had three children. Tom and Sarah had known each other in Kentucky and he had traveled to Elizabethtown, Kentucky to ask her to marry him. Abraham wrote of his childhood in Indiana, "We reached our new home about

1400-437: The Little Pigeon Creek settlement in the winter of 1816. Their homestead was within the present Lincoln City, Indiana . The Lincolns lived in a half-faced camp or poleshed and ate wild game, corn and pork until they built a log house and began to farm the land in 1817. Late in 1817, the Lincolns were joined by Tom and Elizabeth Sparrow, who had raised Nancy, and Dennis Hanks, Abraham's cousin, from Kentucky. They lived in

1456-476: The Nancy Hanks Lincoln Memorial, including the marked location of the Lincolns' house. In the 1930s, Indiana also developed the adjacent Lincoln State Park as a recreation and scenic area. Between 1940 and 1944, the state built a memorial building, designed by Frederick Law Olmsted Jr. The memorial building and the reconstructed Lincoln homestead, sitting on 100 acres, were created in the 1960s as

1512-515: The Young Men's Lyceum , where both Herndon and Lincoln were members. It was an organization of aspiring young men. In 1840 Herndon began studying law at the Logan and Lincoln law practice. Although employed at Joshua Speed's store, he studied up to 14 hours per day after work. In November 1844, Herndon passed the bar examination . In 1854, ten years after beginning his partnership with Lincoln, he

1568-514: The church was built, school was conducted there during the winter. Teachers were paid in meat, produce and animal skins. Schools in the community included the one-room Andrew Crawford School, which was still standing in 1865, as well as Swaney or Sweeney School and the Dorsey School. Settlers cleared the forests of hickory and oak trees for farming. Within a few years the settlement was mostly farmland. The game in what Abraham Lincoln called

1624-588: The community. Living within 1100 feet of the Lincolns were Dennis and Elizabeth Hanks and the Casebier and the Barrett families. Most of the families, like the Lincolns, Carters and Gordons, had moved there from Hardin County, Kentucky . Although there was also a number of families nearby, it was a "scattered rural settlement" rather than a village. Among the farms were a church, general store and post office, schools, and Noah Gordon's mill, which ground corn. The mill

1680-475: The corner cupboard in the kitchen. It sits on one of the area's highest points. The Lincoln State Park Improvement Plan of 2005 states that "[t]he Jones Home is an example of the increased affluence and changing economy during this period. The Jones Home represents those successful entrepreneurs who stayed in Southern Indiana instead of moving further west. Jones moved to Gentryville in the early 1850s and

1736-404: The couple, whom she called mother and father. She was known as Nancy Sparrow and was described as "intelligent, deeply religious, kindly and affectionate." Lucy's sister gave birth to an illegitimate son in 1799 named Dennis Friend Hanks, who was also raised by Elizabeth and Thomas Sparrow. At the home of Elizabeth and Thomas Sparrow, Nancy would have learned the skills and crafts a woman needed on

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1792-442: The creek were named for the breeding ground of southern Indiana passenger pigeons , now extinct. They had been so great in number that they "literally formed clouds, and floated through the air in a frequent succession of these as far as the eye could reach, sometimes causing a sensible gust of wind, and a considerable motion of the trees over which they flew." John James Audubon observed, "Multitudes are seen, sometimes in groups, at

1848-512: The fall of 1844, Lincoln was tired of being a junior partner. He had worked for senior partners with political ambitions, and Lincoln wanted a younger partner to whom he could relate. Surprising both his wife and Herndon, in October Lincoln invited his friend to form a partnership. Lincoln appreciated Herndon's friendship, loyalty, shared political beliefs and conscientious study. Lincoln said that Herndon "was my man always above all other men on

1904-650: The frontier to cultivate crops and clothe and feed her family. She learned to read the Bible and became an excellent seamstress , working at the Richard Berry home before her marriage. Lucy's marriage to Henry Sparrow produced eight children, and Lucy had a reputation as a "fine Christian woman." Two sons were loyal to the Union during the Civil War and were preachers. On June 12, 1806, Hanks married Thomas Lincoln at Beechland,

1960-489: The globe." Herndon did not disappoint his friend. He contributed to the practice by performing research for his older and more experienced partner, building the firm's law library, and overseeing young men who came to study law (read the law) at their office. Herndon was a much stauncher opponent of slavery than Lincoln and claimed that he helped change Lincoln's views on the subject. He felt that President Lincoln acted too slowly to bring an end to slavery. Herndon felt that

2016-570: The house then went through several owners. In 1887 the house was bought by George and Arietta Bullock and remained in the Bullock family until 1976 when it was purchased by Gayle and Bill Cook who restored the house. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975. The house and 100 acres were transferred in 1990 to the Indiana Department of Natural Resources (IDNR). Jones

2072-490: The law offices, caused some harsh words during their partnership. His final meeting with Lincoln occurred in 1862 when he visited Washington, D.C. Lincoln received him amicably, but he was not invited into the family's private quarters in the White House due to the enmity with Mary Lincoln. Following Lincoln's assassination, Herndon began to collect stories of Lincoln's life from those who knew him. Herndon aspired to write

2128-420: The making of her coffin by whittling the wooden pegs that held the planks together. Eleven-year-old Sarah cared for Abraham until their father remarried the next year. There are two views as to the cause of Nancy Hanks Lincoln's death. One view is that she died of " milk sickness ." Several people had died that fall from the illness, including Elizabeth and Thomas Sparrow, who raised her and then lived with her on

2184-540: The martyred president who was quickly becoming the most venerated and romanticized figure in American history. Weik kept the notes gathered during the writing of the book and wrote a follow-up book The Real Lincoln: A Portrait , which included Weik's personal insights and some embarrassing details for Herndon. Particularly damning was the denunciation of the book by Robert Todd Lincoln , whose grudge against Herndon stemmed largely from Herndon's recounting of Ann Rutledge as

2240-577: The only romantic love of his father's life. Weik felt that Herndon's portrayal of Robert's mother and the Lincoln's domestic life was especially hurtful. Herndon died March 18, 1891, at his farm in Fancy Creek Township, Sangamon County, Illinois north of Springfield. He is buried in Oak Ridge Cemetery in Springfield, the same cemetery as the Lincoln Tomb . Herndon's son William, or Willie, died

2296-466: The only way to rid the country of slavery was "through bloody revolution." During political campaigns, Herndon made strong points that tended to alienate members of the Republican Party and swing voters . Thus, for the 1860 presidential campaign, Herndon was not involved in direct political activities. However, he executed an important task during that campaign by conducting opposition research in

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2352-425: The same day as his father. Herndon died of la grippe (influenza) and his son Willie had ( la grippe that turned into) pneumonia. Herndon's wife Anna died less than two years later on January 7, 1893. Herndon was portrayed in many films for decades, including: Little Pigeon Creek Community Little Pigeon Creek Community , also known as Little Pigeon Creek Settlement and Little Pigeon River settlement,

2408-540: The time the State came into the Union. It was a wild region, with many bears and other wild animals still in the woods. There I 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." Abraham Lincoln lived at the Indiana farm from 1816 to 1830. In 1879, a headstone was placed at Nancy's probable grave site. The state of Indiana opened

2464-414: The year that Indiana became the 19th state, the Lincoln family moved to Spencer County in southern Indiana and proceeded to homestead at Little Pigeon Creek Settlement (now Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial ). Elizabeth and Thomas Sparrow and Dennis Hanks settled at Little Pigeon Creek the following fall, having lived in a shelter in which the Lincolns had lived until they built their cabin. While Abraham

2520-539: Was a law partner and biographer of President Abraham Lincoln . He was an early member of the new Republican Party and was elected mayor of Springfield, Illinois . Herndon and Jesse W. Weik wrote the book Herndon's Lincoln: The True Story of a Great Life , published in 1889. Herndon was born the first child of Archer G. Herndon and his wife Rebecca (Day) Johnson, on December 25, 1818, in Greensburg, Kentucky . The family of three moved to Illinois in 1820 and lived for

2576-528: Was a settlement in present Carter and Clay Townships in Spencer County, Indiana along Little Pigeon Creek . The community, near present-day Lincoln City, Indiana , was established on frontier land by 1816. There were enough settlers in the Indiana wilderness to enable Indiana to become a state in December, 1816. In 1820 there were 40 or more families, including Abraham Lincoln 's family, that lived in

2632-477: Was a social event where the settlers could discuss family life events, farming, the weather, land titles, and other current events. The church building was also used as a school. A second church building was erected in 1879. The current church building, which has continued to conduct services, was erected in 1948. The church's cemetery, dating back to 1825, is the gravesite of the communities settlers, including Abraham's sister, Sarah Lincoln Grigsby . After

2688-637: Was also involved in politics as state senator, and was one of the men instrumental in having the state capital moved to Springfield. William, known as "Billy" at the time, worked for his father at the Indian Queen hotel before he attended college. It was one of the first hotels in Springfield. On March 26, 1840, Herndon married Mary J. Maxcy in Sangamon County. Mary's family were also early Illinois settlers; her grandfather and step-grandmother arrived in 1827 and Mary's immediate family arrived in 1834. Mary

2744-577: Was born in Kentucky on July 27, 1822, to Maria Cook Maxcy and James Maxcy, a veteran of the War of 1812 . James' father, Revolutionary War veteran Joel Maxcy, arrived in Sangamon County in 1827 with his second wife and died the following month. Mary and William had six children: James, Annie, Beverly, Elizabeth, Leigh and Mary. Mary Herndon died on August 18, 1860. The following summer, on July 31, 1861, Herndon married Anna Miles with whom he had three more children: Nina Belle, William and Minnie. The family moved to

2800-498: Was elected in 1838 to the Indiana General Assembly, where he supported internal improvements and economic development and served until 1841. Jones was a supporter of a Whig , Henry Clay and was "incapacitated" for several days when Clay lost the presidential election. Lincoln, who was then an Illinois elector became a Whig, had heard Jones political views and campaigned. Lincoln made speeches for Clay in 1844 and stayed at

2856-616: Was elected mayor of Springfield, Illinois. Both men were members of the Whig Party . In 1856 Herndon was one of the organizers of the fledgling Republican Party after the dissolution of the Whigs. Lincoln also joined the Republican Party, hoping to "fuse" people of disparate political affiliations who wanted to end slavery . Herndon loved to learn and developed "one of the best private libraries in Springfield" including works by historians, economists, humanists, free-thinkers and philosophers. In

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2912-439: Was filled, my father, Peter Brooner, extended his hand to Thomas Lincoln and said, 'We are brothers now', meaning that they were brothers in the same kind of sorrow. The bodies of my mother and Mrs. Lincoln were conveyed to their graves on sleds." Her aunt and uncle Elizabeth (Hanks) and Thomas Sparrow, also her childhood caregivers, are buried nearby. The cemetery is located on the grounds of the Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial ,

2968-604: Was most likely born illegitimate and her family created stories to lead Abraham to believe he was a legitimate member of the Sparrow family. It is believed that Nancy Hanks' grandparents were Ann and Joseph Hanks and that they raised her from infancy until her grandfather died when she was about nine years old. At the time of Nancy's birth, Joseph and his wife and children were all living on 108 acres near Patterson Creek in then-Hampshire County, Virginia (now Mineral County, West Virginia). In March 1784, Joseph Hanks sold his property via

3024-535: Was operated by horse-power. James Gentry, namesake for nearby Gentryville, operated a 1000-acre farm and store. Abraham was a clerk at the store and ferried goods to New Orleans for Gentry. An east–west dirt road to Troy on the Ohio River traversed the community. The roadbed crosses the Lincoln State Park and parts of the road are part of the park's trail system. The Little Pigeon Primitive Baptist Church,

3080-597: Was portrayed in a play called Dearly Beloved: The Vows of a Lincoln Legacy to kick off a three-year bicentennial celebration of Abraham Lincoln's life. The play was held at the Lincoln Homestead State Park in Springfield, Kentucky. Nancy is portrayed by Maria Hill in the Daniel Boone episode "Before the Tall Man." William Herndon (lawyer) William Henry Herndon (December 25, 1818 – March 18, 1891)

3136-469: Was ten years younger than his second cousin Dennis, the boys were good friends. William Herndon, author of Life of Lincoln , describes Nancy Hanks Lincoln: She was above the ordinary height in stature, weighed about 130 pounds, was slenderly built, and had much the appearance of one inclined to consumption. Her skin was dark; hair dark brown; eyes gray and small; forehead prominent; face sharp and angular, with

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