The "milk-sick" came to the Lincoln family

[PioneerLady]

Hi Ed:

I'm a soon-to-be former ranger at the Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial site which focuses on Lincoln's boyhood years from ages 7-21. I'm also an M.A. student in history and I am working on my thesis, which is about milk sickness, so this prompted my curiosity!

At the park, the reason we give as to why Abraham, Sarah, and Thomas did not come down with milk sickness is due to the fact they never drank or ate any of the byproduct from the tainted cow. Nancy was attending to her ill friend Mrs. Brooner (who had the milk sickness) and we assumed that is where Nancy contracted the illness by either eating or drinking contaminated food or drink. If I remember correctly (I'll have to look it up at work), Peter Brooner, husband of Mrs. Brooner, had fallen ill as well but survived his bout with the sickness. Mrs. Brooner is buried next to Mrs. Lincoln at our site in Indiana.

You wrote that Nancy's symptoms didn't match those of tremetol poisoning. Can you share with me the source that listed her symptoms? I've never come across any that specifically spoke of her symptoms and I would love to read it!