Lincoln's views on his mother's ancestry

[Ed Steers]

(05-08-2014 08:57 AM)L Verge Wrote:  Ed Steers has done quite a bit of work on the Lincoln genealogy, I believe. Can we nudge him to chime in?

In as much as there are no references given for the many statements being made it is difficult to know where the information is coming from. Louis Warren is the man who spent a lifetime on this question. Paul Verdune followed up on the question concluding Nancy was born of Lucy in Tidewater, VA. I then followed Paul's work with research of my own and concluded that Nancy was born in Hampshire County, VA (now WV) near Mike's Run (New Creek). The weight of evidence in my opinion supports Warren's claim that Lucy was the widow of James Hanks and her father took her to Hampshire when she was several months pregnant. The fornication charge had nothing to do with Lucy and Nancy. It was filed long after Nancy was born and refrred to Lucy living with Henry Sparrow out of wedlock (as many on the frontier did). The two soon married and the charge was nulled. As to the Berrys, Richard Berry does sign as Nancy's guardian. That Nancy was raised by the Berrys is certainly true and not as an indentured servant or even as a servant. I wrote a lengthy article for the Lincoln Herald summarizing all of the data on both sides attempting to put everything in a single article. The preponderance of evidence supports Warren in my opinion. He was dismissed by most academics, unfortunately, without refuting any of his data. Before anyone makes a positive judgement on this matter it would be well to read the totality of evidence. My article is: "Nancy Hanks, West Virginian?" Lincoln Herald, vol. 100, no. 2 (Summer 1998), pp. 61-81. Ed Steers