Nancy Hanks' lineage

[STS Lincolnite]

(02-29-2016 12:07 PM)Steve Whitlock Wrote:  Does the clear-eyed man in the photo appear unhealthy? I think not, which means it couldn't be Thomas Lincoln circa 1850, as purported by some, particularly when he died in 1851.

I have no strong feelings either way in regards to whether this photo is actually of Thomas Lincoln (Abraham's father). Certainly a good case can be made either way.

However, I would warn against making any determination about the veracity of the claim that this is not Thomas Lincoln based on a subjective assessment of apparent health status (healthy or unhealthy) of the subject of this photo. As a healthcare provider, I would be reluctant to judge the health status of the subject of this photo or of anyone else relying solely on a static photograph - unless I wanted to be wrong 50% of the time. Such a health related conclusion would be grossly uninformed and could in no way be supported. No conclusion can accurately be drawn without much more contextual information. I can't off the top of my head even recall if I have ever read what Lincoln's father actually died from. Only, as previously stated in the previous post, that he had bouts of illness for some time before passing away.

I could give lots of examples of patients I have known who appeared at first glance to be the picture of health (looked healthier than me for sure), only to find out upon examination that they had been severely ill for some time (and in one specific instance that springs to mind, the individual passed away within 2 months). Many instances of the reverse are true as well with people looking terrible but are in fact in good general health.

There may certainly be other solid reasons to doubt whether this photograph depicts Lincoln's father, but I wouldn't consider the appearance of the individual (and their healthy or unhealthy look) as any sort of meaningful determinant as to whether this could or could not be the Thomas Lincoln in question.