Abe Lincoln-Born in Ky-Raised in Ind-Lived in IL.

[Joe Di Cola]

I agree, Rob. One of the reasons I am so much more interested in Lincoln before he became President is because of my interest in the forces that shaped him, including events, experiences, and individuals. And that is why the New Salem years--short as they were--have such an attraction for me. And that is why I am crazy enough to walk through farm fields and other rural locales in 90F+ temperatures just to visit and chronicle the graves of the New Salem people who befriended Lincoln. The statue of Lincoln at New Salem that depicts him with both an ax and a book says a lot to me--he came to that small village a frontiersman (ax) and left it a lawyer and legislator (book). Tarbell's THE EARLY LIFE OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN is still a good source. More contemporary sources that I find valuable are Wilson's HONOR'S VOICE (par excellence!), Wilson and Davis HERNDON'S INFORMANTS, and Thomas's LINCOLN'S NEW SALEM--although there are others, too, such as Mazrim's THE SANGAMO FONTIER.