I have been reading and enjoying Charles Strozier's book on the relationship between Speed and Lincoln and William Butler's name seems to pop up often. It seems like everybody in Springfield either ate and/or lodged there. Lincoln and Butler appeared to have been very close but I think they had a falling out, but I am not sure. Does anybody have information on Butler or know where I can look? Thanks.

I love this excerpt from Lincoln’s speech in Michigan:

“We have been in the habit of deploring the fact that slavery exists among us. We have ever deplored it. Our forefathers did, and they declared, as we have done in later years, the blame rested upon the mother government of Great Britain. We constantly condemn Great Britain for not preventing slavery from coming amongst us. She would not interfere to prevent it, and so individuals were able to introduce the institution without opposition.”

I don’t recall seeing this quote before but I think it says everything on Lincoln’s view regarding slavery.

Thank you to David Lockmiller for sending this photo. David grew up in Decatur, Illinois, and he sent a photo of the plaque which commemorates Abraham Lincoln's first political speech in the summer of 1830.

We have no idea whether Lincoln suffered from syphilis.

We do know that syphilis affected a significant number of the world's population during his lifetime. The actual rate is difficult to identify. Doctors were fearful of telling wives that they were suffering from syphilis ( it was normally the husbands that were paying the medical bills). They were reluctant to state a cause of death as being syphilis.

I see one study in the UK for pre-WW1 males has the rate as being 7.8%
https://academic.oup.com/shm/article/27/3/508/1680054

All the above comment is aimed at making the point that it would be reasonable for Lincoln to concerned as to whether he had contracted syphilis before marriage. Obviously, this would have required sexual activity ... and we have no proof that he was not a virgin when he first met Mary.

A knee-jerk comment would be to assert that he was a man with the same natural urges as most other men at that time and it would have been natural for him to be sexually active. However, he was teetotal (I'm being serious) so he was able to resist peer pressure and he could have controlled his desires.
http://rogerjnorton.com/LincolnDiscussio...tongue.gif
It seems to me (and Ok I have no proof) that he would have had concerns about syphilis and the possibility of him having it. Continuing this line of surmising, it would cause a huge amount of concern for him pre-marriage and would explain his depression and peculiar behaviour.

Then I move on to his letter to Dr Drake asking for advice. He read this to his friend Speed, apparently, but (and I think it significant) he omitted a portion.

In Pox: Genius, Madness, And The Mysteries Of Syphilis
By Deborah Hayden, it is stated that William Herndon wrote that Lincoln told him that he'd contracted syphilis in 1835 or 36. Gore Vidal believed this to be true and said so on US Tv .

Having written all that I am now thinking that you've probably already discussed the issue on the forum ... I did search but couldnt find anything.

I’m seem to be in a “list” mode-so forgive me. What books did Lincoln read- and had an influence on him? The first book that comes to my mind is:
01. The King James Bible

Others?

Living or dead- before Lincoln became president. Who did he admire? Do you think at least 10 could be named?

The farm on which Abraham Lincoln was born was just over 348 acres (according to Harry E. Pratt (The Personal Finances of Abraham Lincoln). I know that surveying wasnt too accurate so that '348' might be an estimate. But it was obviously quite large. Pratt also says Lincoln had another farm at the same time.

It would be interesting to know what crops (if any) would have been grown on a typical Kentucky farm in 1809. I've read there were some livestock. Pigs and chickens I assume. And of course a cow or two (resulting in Nancy's death from milk fever). Any beef cattle? Sheep?

I've also read that Thomas Lincoln was a carpenter ... l'm assuming that this would not have been a full time job.

I had a small hobby farm (as they're called here) of 22 acres and maintaining that took every weekend and most evenings. I assume that Lincoln's farm wouldnt have been fenced (in any real sense ... so livestock in any numbers wouldnt have been realistic ... I guess?)

Any comments/guesses about the Lincoln farm would be good.

As noted in Lincoln Day by Day by Earl Schenck Miers (Editor-in-Chief) for the date December 24, 1848-in part:
“...John D. Johnston, stepbrother, asked for $80. Lincoln tells him his difficulty is idleness, and offers to pay Johnston a dollar for each dollar he earns to May1...”

Last week I visited the spot where Lincoln made his only visit to Michigan (in Kalamazoo). There is a Historical Marker there denoting the occasion. It is located downtown in a park. Ironically, I asked several people who were walking in the park where the Marker was located and they did not know. Mind you, we were standing about a hundred feet from it! I am now informed from a news feed on the internet that there may be plans to erect a Lincoln statue on the site, as well. Maybe that will be an attention getter!
Lincoln’s visit there was in 1856. He gave a speech that was largely unnoticed by the press at the time in support of John Fremont. Unnoticed? I see a pattern!

My grandmother was a Dinkel here in Minnesota, her grandfather Michael Dinkel came to American in the 1840's and was a tailor on the East Coast before joining the army. He was a scout in Missouri, then came up to Minnesota and was the first sheriff of Todd County. I believe Philip Dinkel was a relative, for some reason this article is in our family history "stuff" - anyone know about the Dinkels and the Lincolns?

Tom

The newspaper picture isn't great and is more than 500k
=======================================
(The left-hand column of the photo-copied article is cut off so the first word is often only half there.)

Comment of Family Here Surrounds Lincoln Chair.
By BETH HUGHES


One of Mrs. Abraham Lincoln’s dining room chairs today is many miles from Springfield, Ill., where the former Lincoln family home was located at Ninth and Jackson Sts. Surrounded by sentiment, it [resides] in the home of Mr. and Mrs. George Dinkel of [Glendale] two blocks from the [Alameda] Ave. Burbank city line. The small, brown, stained chair was given by Mary Todd Lincoln to Mr. and Mrs. Philip Dinkel, who were her neighbors on Eighth St.
Friday, the little chair [went] to school with 9-year-old George Dinkel of Pacoima, Philip and Barbara’s great great grandson and grandson to the George Dinkels.
When Mr. Lincoln was elected President of the United States, Mary Todd was proud wife, excited and awed by the thought of moving into the White House as First Lady of the land. And because the Lincoln’s had lived in Springfield home from 1844 until early 1861, she also felt somewhat sad over parting from her friends of 17 years.
In closing up the home, she gave away personal belongings as keepsakes. To her friend Barbara – Mrs. Philip Dinkel, she presented the chair, saying “Here, I want you to have it to remember us by.”
A history of the little chair has been written out as a permanent record by Mrs. John Dinkel, wife of Barbara’s great grandson and young George’s mother.

Join to Can Fruits

There was a close, neighborhood relationship between great-great grandmother Barbara and Mary Todd Lincoln. So much that every year they joined in the housewifery tasks of canning fruits together in Mrs. Lincoln’s kitchen.
One summer nearly became the exception, but for Mrs. Lincoln’s resourcefulness. Apparently without the usual arrangements Mrs. Lincoln had invited Barbara to bring her jars and do some canning.
“I can’t,” Barbara replied, “I’m getting ready to bake bread.” And accordingly to the record her bread that day was baked in Mrs. Lincoln’s kitchen.
At the time of the George Dinkels’ 50th wedding anniversary two years ago, their son John and his wife “washed down” the treasured Lincoln chair and uncovered a faint gold-leaf design on the rounded leges and curved rungs on its back.

Protect Finish

They applied a protective coating of clear shellac to the frame and covered its worn seat with a piece of needle-point which had been worked by Emma Dinkel Adams, daughter of Barbara’s only son George.
In 1949 Emma presented the chair to her brother George [End?]

Caption under Photo:

PRIZED POSSESSION – Dining room chair, once owned by Abraham Lincoln, is conversation subject for the Dinkel family of Glendale and Pacoima. From left are George Dinkel Sr. of Glendale, grandson George 9 and son John of 8900 Gullo Ave., Pacoima.