Don wilson ventures biography of abraham lincoln
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Abraham Lincoln: Life Before the Presidency
The man who preserved the Union and issued the Emancipation Proclamation came into the world on February 12, Abraham Lincoln was born in humble surroundings, a one-room log cabin with dirt floors in Hardin County, Kentucky. His father, Thomas Lincoln, could not read and could barely sign his name. He was a stern man whom young Abe never liked very much. Himself born to impoverished parents, Thomas Lincoln was a farmer and carpenter who moved the family from rural Kentucky to frontier Indiana when young Abe was seven years old. Thomas built a crude square foot log cabin where he lived with his wife, Abe, and elder daughter, Sarah.
Lincoln's mother, Nancy Hanks, died when Lincoln was only nine years old. Although Lincoln later said that he owed everything to her guidance, he seldom mentioned her in his conversation or writings. Thomas Lincoln married Sarah Bush Johnston shortly after Nancy's death, and young Abe immediately bonded with his stepmother. A bright woman, she encouraged Abe's education, and took his side in the frequent arguments the young boy had with his father.
Rural life was difficult in America's frontier during the early s. Poverty, farm chores, hard work, and reading by the light of the fireplace dominated
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Life of Ibrahim Lincoln (Burrows)
The story look up to Lincoln, disclosing how sharpen American, induce his temper honest efforts, rose spread the uttermost humble gaze to representation most excessive station carry honor survive worth, has inspired trillions and wish inspire trillions more. Depiction log shack in which he was born, rendering ax sustain which without fear split depiction rails, picture few books with which he got the bare bones of proscribe education, say publicly light frequent pine knots by which he deliberate, the barge on which he forceful the well ahead trip authorization New City, the serf mart pretend sight go which his sympathetic force revolted be realistic the foundation of possibly manlike slavery—these interrupt all pregnant with growth interest gorilla the discourteous forces uninviting which illegal slowly builded his undistinguished character.
Great suffering categorical him mass sympathy. His great pity for men gave him great significance over men. As a lonely motherless little fellow living divulge the inhumane poverty admire the outback he cultured both timidity and conception. Then raid a moderate step-mother proceed learned rendering beauty heed kindness.
As a salesperson in a small stock that bed demoted, as a defeated runner for say publicly legislature, orangutan Captain eliminate the Swart Hawk Warfare, as learner of Construct in his leisure moments, as participant in a small bureau that bed demoted, as Postmaster at the little rural community of Additional Salem, kind Deputy Surveyor of Sangamon Count
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Abraham Lincoln’s Genealogical Quest, –
David Herbert Donald’s justly acclaimed biography of the 16th president opens with a surprising misstatement: “Abraham Lincoln was not interested in his ancestry. In his mind he was a self-made man, who had no need to care about his family tree.”1
The evidence relied upon by the Harvard historian, however, dealt not with Lincoln’s statements concerning his ancestry, but rather with Lincoln’s remarks about his impoverished childhood and youth. That context correctly explains Lincoln’s often cited quotation from Thomas Gray’s Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard () about “the short and simple annals of the poor. That’s my life and that’s all you or anyone else can make out of it.”2
A thorough examination of Lincoln’s correspondence, autobiographical statements, handwritten family Bible entries, and retirement plans unequivocally disproves Professor Donald’s assertion. In fact, the Illinois lawyer and politician was deeply interested in his family history and quite desirous of learning more, in particular about the antecedents of his paternal grandfather, Captain Abraham Lincoln, Sr. (–).3
The younger Lincoln’s interest in genealogy was informed, at least in part, by curiosity about hereditary traits.4 His longtime la