Show 1 w fAMilY r HARO SHELLED 1 4 BArTl BAPTISTS Old Church Record Gives Evidence of Faith o of f Presidents President's Parents LINCOLN CITY ind NOV s. s back the mists of ot a century find and nd offering the deer deerskin skin bound rec- rec ds of Little Pigeon Baptist church eat ear here as the ml missing link of ot r Lincoln's religion Thomas McGregor assistant attorney genral genral gen- gen ral 1 of the state of ot Kentucky has iven to an appreciative America f Substantial evidence that Abraham was reared In the simple faith lithe hard shelled Baptist church Uthe E-Uthe Much of the mystery of ot Lincoln's and that of his parents for tier ver a half I century a mooted ques- ques Mon ion has been evaporated by the i of Mr McGregor cGregor In the little tittle findings Id ld deerskin b book ok of ot Little Pigeon t h Burch There here is no record of Abraham I coln's l affiliation with any church f denomination but Mr McGregors McGregor's tory of ot Thomas Thomaa Lincoln moderator ind d pillar of ot the little Baptist church roves conclusively Mr McGregor ays fays that the were Baptists m The parents of A Abraham Lincoln t a fairer estimate than has J seen een allotted them by most of ot the t Biographers l of Lincoln said Mr Mc- Mc regor gor and the stor story as told by the Records that are still to be found In he archives of Little Pigeon church ii rear ar Lincoln City Spender county Y dlana Ian of the devotion bv bythe th 1 e I parents of ot Lincoln to Him who guided the lad of Pigeon n Creek In the hour hourI of the nations nation's travail goes far to give to them their true estimate In I fact they were well to do pioneers of ot their day of ot sturdy ancestral I stock owned a farm domestic animals ani- ani j I mals tools and a family Bible Dible I neighborly sacrificing and active churchgoing members I CHURCH FOUNDED 1816 I Pigeon Creek church was founded I on Tune Juno 8 1816 the year that Thomas ThomasI I Lincoln and his family moved from fromI Kentucky and settled on Little Pigeon creek In what was then Warrick I county Indiana Territory It was then as now the chief church in that vicinity Vh When n the meeting house I was built its site was selected about a a. mile west of ot Thomas Lincoln's home the church building today oc occupying oc- oc c the same place When Lincoln's Lincoln's Lin Lin- coln's mother died she was was vas burled buried between their home and the church the graveyard not having been at that time started at the tho church but when Lincoln's sister Sarah Grisby died In she was burled at the church burying ground where he grave Is yet to be seen marked by a rough stone This church with its continuous existence since 1816 has only tw two p I books bocks containing Its records and mInutes minutes minutes min mIn- utes the first covering the period from 1816 to 1840 It is in this book I I that we find Abraham Lincoln's father stepmother and sister were I active members of ot the hard shell I Babtist church of ot Pigeon Creek Creele and this book with its deerskin cover the hair still remaining not only reveals in its crude historic way the true religion of Lincoln's parents but gives us the best insight yet found to his own religious ls views MARRIED BY METHODIST Thomas Lincoln and Nancy Han Hanks s were married by a Methodist minister minIster minister min min- ister by the name of ot Jesse Head but shortly afterward they were united with one of the churches of ot the Baptist Locust Licking-Locust association of Regular Baptist churches in Kentucky Kentucky Ken Ken- tucky and when whoa Nancy Lincoln died In Indiana Abraham by his own ef efforts efforts et- et forts fort had their Kentucky pastor Elder David Elkins come to their wilderness home and preach at his mothers mother's funeral I After Thomas Lincoln had married Sally Bush Johnson he sent back to I his Kentucky church and obtained his letter of ot fellowship and as the minutes on June 1 I 1823 show he united with the Pigeon Creek church by this letter From that date until they moved to Illinois in 1830 their names appear frequently In the minutes minutes min min- utes of ot the church proceedings Thomas being one of the tho pillars of the church acting as moderator on committees to investigate the conduct of brethren and sisters and as messenger messenger messenger mes mes- to associations bearing the letter of Pigeon Creek to her sister churches The historic minute which records the a affiliation of ot Thomas Lincoln and his wife with this little pioneer church follows June Tune the 7 1823 The church met and after atter prayer proceeded to business 1st Inquired for tor fellowship 2nd Invited members of ot sister churches to seats with us 3rd Opened a dore for tor the Reception Reception Re Re- ce of ot Members Received Brother Thomas Link Link- hon by letter and Received Brother John Wire by Relation and Sister and Thomas Carter by Experience DONATES TO CHURCH Thomas Lincoln was not in such poor circumstances but that he al always always always al- al ways donated to the needs of ot his church said Mr McGregor l in offerIng offering offering offer offer- ing the following copy of an agreement agreement agree agree- I ment to build a new chimney on the meeting house I We 0 the undersigned Do agree one with another to pay the several Somes s next our names in produce this fall taU to be Delivered Betwixt the I first 20 of December the produce as follows Corn wheat whiskey soft sott LInnen wool or any other Article a material to do the work with the produce will be Delivered at Wm Vm Barkers Darkers in go good d mercantile produce Signed with other names Js is Thomas Lincoln white corn corn manufactured man man- pounds pounds 24 Thus continued Mr McGregor we have revealed to us tho the religion of Abrham Lincoln's parents his sister sister sister sis sis- sis sis- ter Sarah and of ot himself He lIe was raised in the simple hard shelled faith which in after atter years ears never left him We re have no record of ot Thomas Lincoln Lincoln or or his wife ever uniting with any church after atter they moved to Illi Illinois Illinois Illi- Illi nois in 1830 |