Lincoln's First Dog

[Joe Di Cola]

On Monday morning, March 8, 1830, during the Lincolns' move from Indiana to Illinois, at Vincennes they headed for Haines' ferry, drove the caravan onto the ferry, and crossed the Wabash River into Illinois. Here, the Lincolns' dog jumped overboard, landed on a thin sheet of ice, was about to drown, but Abraham, seeing the crisis, jumped into the icy water and saved the dog's life.

What was the dog's name?

I give up, Roger,

After consulting Louis Warren (the best(?) source on the Indiana years and looking over Tarbell's Early Life of Lincoln, I can find no name for the dog. In fact, the dog incident is not mentioned by either. Is this another Sandburg invention (vol. 1, p. 104 --The Prairie Years--also no name mentioned)?

Joe, do you have a copy of "Lincoln's Boyhood" by Francis Marion Van Natter? If so, go to p. 159. The story is on that page.

Thanks, Roger,

I figured, since you brought it up, it had to be in some source--unfortunately one I do not own--HaHa.