Lincoln's views on his mother's ancestry

[Liz Rosenthal]

We'll never know what AL really said to Herndon on the subject. This is all a paraphrase of Herndon's that he recalled many years after the fact. But AL must have attributed his intelligence to his mother's side of the family, regardless of what he thought of his mother's "legitimacy," given the near-contempt he had for his father. His feelings about his father are a rare example of AL's emotions overtaking his logic. He couldn't always be Spock.

(10-06-2013 03:25 PM)RJNorton Wrote:  

(10-06-2013 02:26 PM)Sally Wrote:  Mansfield also stated that Lincoln believed his remarkable intelligence and insight had come to him from his mother, who had inherited them from her Virginian aristocrat father.

Hi Sally. William Herndon wrote:

"On the subject of his ancestry and origin I only remember one time when Mr. Lincoln ever referred to it. It was about 1850, when he and I were driving in his one-horse buggy to the court in Menard county, Illinois. The suit we were going to try was one in which we were likely, either directly or collaterally, to touch upon the subject of hereditary traits. During the ride he spoke, for the first time in my hearing, of his mother, dwelling on her characteristics, and mentioning or enumerating what qualities he inherited from her. He said, among other things, that she was the illegitimate daughter of Lucy Hanks and a well-bred Virginia farmer or planter; and he argued that from this last source came his power of analysis, his logic, his mental activity, his ambition, and all the qualities that distinguished him from the other members and descendants of the Hanks family. His theory in discussing the matter of hereditary traits had been, that, for certain reasons, illegitimate children are oftentimes sturdier and brighter than those born in lawful wedlock; and in his case, he believed that his better nature and finer qualities came from this broad-minded, unknown Virginian. The revelation - painful as it was - called up the recollection of his mother, and, as the buggy jolted over the road, he added ruefully, 'God bless my mother; all that I am or ever hope to be I owe to her,' and immediately lapsed into silence."

Personally, I do not know of any other source, other than Herndon, where Lincoln is quoted as saying these things. I would think Mansfield is relying totally on Herndon unless someone knows of another source. Offhand, I cannot think of one.