Preponderance of the Evidence in a Civil Trial

[David Lockmiller]

(03-29-2020 09:03 PM)Steve Whitlock Wrote:  [S]hould we ever discover who that well-bred VA farmer or planter is, then that would certainly give more credence to the story as being factual.

The unknown fact is who was the Virginia planter grandfather of President Abraham Lincoln. What can genealogy do now to achieve the answer to this question? There are vast databases of genes available to conduct genetic searches. Geography limited to Virginia may be of benefit to the search.

A successful genetic search might well be possible.

The body of Richard III was found beneath a parking lot in Leicester, England, according to experts from the University of Leicester. DNA testing was used to match the infamous king with DNA from a descendant of his sister. (Slate.com, February 5, 2013, "What’s the Shelf-Life of DNA?" How to identify dead kings.)

There could be a number of genetic database sources that would lead to the identification of Lincoln's grandfather. Presumably, he would have had his own legitimate family. And, this rich Virginia planter may have seduced other vulnerable young women who themselves birthed other illegitimate children.

But the key to discovery of the identity may not be Lincoln's DNA, but rather the DNA of his mother who stood closer to the answer in the genealogy tree.

Finally, it should be stated that there is another important childhood factor, other than genetics, that contributed to Lincoln's future success as a man. In the following manner, Mr. Lincoln spoke of his mother to Herndon:

Mr. Lincoln himself said to me in 1851, on receiving the news of his father's death, that whatever might be said of his parents, and however unpromising the early surroundings of his mother may have been, she was highly intellectual by nature, had a strong memory, acute judgment, and was cool and heroic.