Lincoln's First Dog

[Joe Di Cola]

(07-06-2012 05:45 PM)Joe Di Cola Wrote:  

(07-06-2012 04:43 PM)RJNorton Wrote:  

(07-06-2012 04:14 PM)Joe Di Cola Wrote:  

(07-06-2012 05:02 AM)RJNorton Wrote:  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.

I neglected to consult Herndon where the dog story is found as a postscript at the end of Ch 3, vol. 1, but still with no name. My apologies to Carl Sandburg who evidently did not make this one up.