Thomas Lincoln, according to two of his contemporaries “could read a little and could scarcely write his name.” Another description of Lincoln’s lack of formal education stated he, “was man of good morals, good habits, and exceedingly good-humored, he could read and sign his name, [he could] write but little.” One historian summed up the character of Thomas with this description, “Humility, sobriety, industry, and integrity are some of the traits that characterized the Thomas Lincoln we know in this early period of his life.”
Nancy Hanks, born February 5, 1784, came to Kentucky as a young child. Her ancestry is disputed by a number of genealogists and historians. During the half-century from the America Revolution to the 1820s, twenty-seven Nancy Hanks were born. Some historians have ascribed at least four different parentages for her. Dr. Louis A. Warren, a well-known Lincoln scholar stated that Nancy was the daughter of James and Lucy Shipley Hanks. Dr. William E. Barton, another respected scholar of the sixteenth president’s family, noted that Nancy’s mother was indeed Lucy Hanks, but her father’s name remained unknown.
According to President Lincoln’s secretaries, John Hay and John G. Nicolay, the descriptions that they heard of Nancy Hanks stated that she was a “handsome woman of twenty-three (when she married Thomas Lincoln), of appearance and intellect superior to her lowly fortune.” Another account says, “She was twenty-two years of age when she married Thomas Lincoln and twenty-five when Abraham was born. As a young girl she was marked for her beauty and grace and for her vivacity and intelligence. She was tall and slender, delicate rather than strong. The description goes on to say that, “She seems to have been foremost in funmaking, dancing, singing, and frolicking.”
Although Nancy Hanks seemingly had a zest for life, she also had a devout religious side to her nature. She was “Intelligent, deeply religious, kindly, and affectionate.” One account of Nancy states that she “possessed a lofty spirit and was always looking and hoping for something better than the hard lot of a pioneer woman; but with all this she was uncomplaining. She had some education and undoubtedly possessed great power of mind.”
As an adult, Abraham Lincoln said of his mother, She was intellectual by nature, had a strong memory, acute judgment, and was cool and heroic. He also described Nancy as being “slender; her face was fair; her character was strong.” Modern historians have debated the extent of her education. Some say that she could not read or write, while others point out that she could read. An 1860 account of Lincoln’s life states that, “The mother though a ready reader, had not been taught the accomplishment of writing.” The religious devotion that Nancy Hanks Lincoln possessed later inspired her son in some of his darkest hours during the Civil War.
History has not been particularly kind to the memory of Thomas Lincoln. For years, he was dismissed as a near-do-well. However, according to primary source materials on Lincoln, he lived as well or better than many of his contemporaries. He owned his own land, and livestock, and often paid cash for his purchases. He “had the best set of carpenter’s tools in Hardin County. He had an account with the merchants, Bleakley and Montgomery, where he bought various goods.
Beginning about May 1, 1806, Lincoln purchased a number of items for his and Nancy’s upcoming wedding. His list of goods included, two yards of cloth, three yards “coating,” five yards “Brown Holland” three and one half yards “Cassimere,” one and one fourth yards red flannel, five yards “linnen,” nine “skanes” of thread, four “skanes” of silk, two yards of tape, one fourth yards of “Scarlet Cloth,” one half calfskin, buttons, one and three fourths yards of “Jane,” and four sticks of twist. Lincoln had also purchased a hat and a pair of suspenders for his wedding outfit. A tailor in Elizabethtown made his wedding suit.
It would have made Abraham Lincoln proud to know that his parents had been such an exemplary young pioneer couple. Although death of his beloved mother, and hard times would make the childhood of the future president less than ideal, the life of Lincoln had been enriched more than he knew by his parents. Honesty, integrity, and “lofty” ideas had been their gift to their son. He, in turn, gave these gifts to his nation.
REMEMBER! The bicentennial celebration of the marriage of Thomas Lincoln and Nancy Hanks is less than a month away. Be sure to mark your calendars for Saturday, June 3, 2006 for a day that will be remembered in Washington County history. The place: Lincoln Homestead Park.