Show All I 1 Am or Evero Ever Hope to o Be I Owe to toMy o My MiM Mother ther- ther Lincoln Lincoln's s 's cJ rib ute FIG 11 E history o 0 Lver every y great man mau deI declares declares de de- I 1 cl clares a well known writer begins at athis it his IllS mothers mother's knee Behind every great endeavor and unselfish deed decd ever every noble noble no no- ble career o of f every illustrious man all will be bc I f found ou d a woman woman the the f frail rail and gentle creature crea crea- lyre ture whose range name perhaps per remains remains obscured behind the glory glory of o her son SOil but who began to lu teach him lure high thoughts and ideals and mId o 0 lisp the thc words o of f Our HOur Father Father who art in ill 11 heaven d Abraham braham Lincoln's career began at t ih knee c of Nancy I-I I Planks Flanks aullS Lincoln his mother It was she size who taught him to read from an all anold anold old ld Bible he came to know klow so well vell who told him the stories in Aesop Aesop's 1 s fables and helped him Jim to 10 study the Kentucky y Preceptor It was as size she who taught laught his him the letters o of f alphabet and first trained his land hand to scrawl them It II was size sire who instilled in ill him hima a a. I. I hatred haired of slavery and b by y her own gentle loveliness inspired a regard and esteem for women which lasted throughout his life Nancy 1 Hanks allks Lincoln one otle o of f the great Presidents historians declares was ivas stoop uS V shouldered thin breasted sad sad sad-at at times miserable miserable miserable mis mis- erable a If gentle kind uncomplaining woman whose life lie had Zad been one of hard Izard labor with few enjoyments and who died bc before are her prime rime This was vas T l Nancy mIC II Hanks allks Lincoln who lay on Oil her deathbed tired ant allt and worn her face wan tan her Zer thin boll bOil bony hands clasping those of a year old lad whose sunk deep eyes were filled with tears and who vho when he later became became became be be- came a lIa lib liberator librato razor of a race of of- men declared de de- Glared dared All uA II that I 1 am an or 01 ever Ito hope pe to be I 1 owe to 10 my uty mother Blessings on all he her memory memory ROM nOlI his mother Lincoln once told his friend F FROM and 1 law a partner William II Herndon he be believed believed believed be- be ho Inherited his power ver of ot analysis hl his hla logic his mental activity and his ambition Her memory remained with him one o of the d dearest arest things or of his life life n a noble t type pe of good heroic Womanhood woman woman- hood Nancy mc Hanks was C G years ears old when hen her parents sold their farm In Virginia and went pioneering westward westward westward west west- ward toward I Kentucky Nanc Nancy was the youngest of or ofa ofa orL a L family of ot eight children Her Har father was Joseph tanks Hank and her mother Nancy Shipley n a daughter of ot Hobert Shipley Nancy was born February b 5 1784 Tho Journey westward was a no perilous one ono and It ItIs itis Is 18 said ald Nancy was stolen b by Indians while her parents were on tho wa way Roads were IJa bad In fact thero there WAS only a L footpath through the wilderness where passed tho long procession of at women and children on horseback men trull trudging behind driving the tho 03 caravans cara 11 3 n 8 Picture to yourself the procession described by bo Justice through on through privations Incredible and perils verBs thick thousands thousand of or men women n and children carne curn In successive caravans caravan forming continuous streams of or human beings horses cattle cuttle and othor other domestic animals moving onward along a lonely and ami homeless path to a wild and cheerless land Cast your our eyes back he ho continues continue on ou that long procession of or missionaries In the cause of or civilization tion behold the men on foot Coot with their thelt trusty guns gunson on their shoulders driving stock and leading packhorses packhorses pack pack- horses horos and the women some walking with palls on their heads others riding with children In their laps and other children swung In baskets on horses fastened fas ras- ened to the tails bUs of ot others going before see them en encamped encamped encamped en- en camped at night expecting to be massacred by In Indians In- In behold them In tho the mouth month of or December In that m memorable season SOn of cold called thel tin the J I l t. t t K Lull L L hard winter traveling traveling- l two o or throe miles a a. day And Imagine little Nancy rancy Hanks HankS' spindly logged and end haired golden shivering as ns she sho Q snuggled under blankets pursuing tho road of at tho Uio pioneers In tho the child who was to become the mother of ot Abraham Lincoln was now developed a courage and perseverance perse which was to be inherited and which afterward marked one of or tho the greatest of at men The family settled in Washington county Ken Ion Kentucky Kentucky tucky Lucky In winter Hard lIard work worle confronted them then even privation Trees had to be felled a log cabin built and shelter erected for tho stock stacIe Little Nancy with her sisters ElIzabeth Elizabeth and Poll Polly helped their mother cooking and sewing and ana preparing preparIng preparing ing the rude home while the brothers Charles Joshua William Thomas and Joseph went about with tho the father clearing tho land for cultivation in tho spring rhe They hunted animals and fished In the tho cold streams And nd when spring came the they dug dug- the hard stony ground and planted wh wheat 1 at and corn Thus four years ears passed passed tour four years of at hard haTa toil and hard living and living and then Joseph Hanks died Not ol ollon lon long afterward tho the mother worn with toll toil followed the tho brothers and daughters married and Nancy Nanc left alone was taken In by bo her Aunt Lucy Lucy Lucy-a a sister of her mother who had hall married Richard Berry Barry This home was a happy happ- ono erie and Nancy grew up cheerful and pretty A QUAINT OLD WILL When Nanc Nancys Nancy's B father died ho left a 3 will It is still oil on on the records of at the Bardstown clerks clerk's and andas andas as 5 will bo be son seen Nancy anc was tho the proud heiress of one heifer heUer a pet called The rhe quaint will which was probated Ma May 14 1733 1793 runs In the namo of God Amen I I. I Joseph Hank Honk of ot Nelson Nellon county state of Kentucky being of ot sound mind and memory l but ut weak In body and calling to mind tho the frailty of all human nature do make and demise this my InY last laet will and testament In tho the manner and form tonn following to wit wit- Item I give o he and bequeath unto my son lion Thomas ono one sorrel corral horse hone c culled Major Item I give ul and bequeath unto o my son Joshua ono one gray jray mare o Bonny n l Item Item- I civo ob JuO rh and b bequeath Ju unto ny son eon William o ono one gray r Y horse culled called m Gilbert Item Item- I give siva and bequeath unto my son eon Charles ono one roan horse called Tobo Item Itom I give o and bC bequeath unto t my K son eon o Joseph o ono one horse called D Del Bald Alio AICo Iho rho o l land whereon rc I now noel o live containing I iol one hundred JO JOnh nh and fifty acres Item I give gl and bequeath unto my dA daughter Eliza troth Voth ono one heifer helfer yearling called Gentle Item Item- I give o Io and ond bequeath ath unto my daughter Polly Pony ono one heifer yearling called Ua-ly Ua Item I give Ivo and bequeath unto my Ity daughter dauch- dauch ter Nancy ono one heifer j yearling car line called Item I give and bequeath unto my wife Nanny nil all l and singular u mv my t 3 h whole I estate during her hor life afterward r to 0 bo be equally divided between all nil my children It s also o my wll wish and ami desire that tho the whole of or tho the property first above aboto bequeathed be- be should be bo the 1 property rop of ot my wire wife during her life uro |