Preponderance of the Evidence in a Civil Trial

[Steve Whitlock]

(03-26-2020 06:32 AM)Gene C Wrote:  Thanks Steve, that's a lot to take in and sort through.

In my opinion, considering how much Herndon discounted Thomas Lincoln's work ethic, lack of ambition, and other parts of his character,
I would not be too surprised he might over exaggerate something about Lincoln's mother. Many Lincoln biographers seem to think Herndon like to stretch the truth in showing how far Lincoln had overcome his humble beginnings.
Lewis Montgomery in "Legends That Libel Lincoln, and David Herbert Donald in "Lincoln's Herndon" do a nice job discussing that

Mr Herndon wouldn't be the only one to criticize Thomas Lincoln's work ethic. We also have an advantage from our point in history in that we know from mtdna evidence and family testimony Nancy Hanks was born out of wedlock, but can't prove, yet, that Nancy's father was an aristocrat who took advantage of Lucy Hanks.

As an aside I didn't know that Rich had done such a study of Herndon, Lincoln and the Fehrenbacher rating system when I sent him the original query, so this is all new to me as well.

All of our discussions at the symposium are open to debate, so if there are factual, supported, healthy disagreements with Rich's presentation, let's have at it. The point of it all, as it appears to me, is that Rich feels Herndon's recollection of what Lincoln told him on the carriage ride was unfairly given a D rating by the Fehrenbachers, who had no idea of any mtdna testing for Abe's maternal line, nor, apparently, any interviews with the Hanks (or Sparrow) family of Joseph and Ann Lee Hanks.