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loetar44 · (This post was last modified: 06-16-2015 10:50 AM by loetar44.)

(06-16-2015 10:47 AM)RJNorton Wrote: Kees, try refreshing your browser and see if you can see the photo now. It didn't work at first for me, either, but it does now.

Working! Once again a BIG thank you!

(06-16-2015 10:47 AM)RJNorton Wrote: Kees, try refreshing your browser and see if you can see the photo now. It didn't work at first for me, either, but it does now.

and a BIG thank you to Blaine Houmes

Steve Whitlock · 03-15-2020, 11:56 PM

(06-15-2015 04:23 PM)Eva Elisabeth Wrote:
(06-15-2015 02:45 PM)loetar44 Wrote:
(06-15-2015 01:13 PM)RJNorton Wrote: The image of Sophie Hanks arrived from the LOC today. Many thanks to the LOC for sharing it with us. Along with the image there is a typed note which says, "Lincoln's (first) cousin, Sophie Hanks, who grew up with him in Indiana. Her son was displeased with this likeness because the photographer had retouched it so as to remove a mole on her face. He stated that this mark was characteristic of the Hanks family, and that in location and appearance it was similar to the mole appearing on likenesses of Abraham Lincoln."

Image credit: Arther E. Morgan Collection - Library of Congress

Thank you Roger for sharing this photo! Indeed the "spittin image" of Honest Abe in my opinion...

Roger (or someone else) do you have a photo of Dr. Lewis A. Warren ? Thanks!
I 100% agree on the resemblance - thanks for ordering and posting, Roger!!! Weren't there also photos of John LeGrand in the Morgan papers? I was hoping they would have sent you a copy of one of those, too.

I have a photo of Nancy (Lynch) Davison holding one of her sons, from the Morgan collection. She's a daughter of Sophia (Hanks) Lynch-Legrand. It's a pdf file, and I can't attach it here, unless I bother Roger again.

If anyone wants a copy just contact me at ctn59880@centurytel.net.

I have a lot of Legrand information, but no photos of Dr. James LeGrand. However, I have a few associated LeGrand photos, but no serious resemblance to Lincoln there. The attached 1932 letter mentions that there should be a couple of James LeGrand photos in the Morgan collection.

Steve Whitlock · (This post was last modified: 03-16-2020 05:48 PM by Steve Whitlock.)

(03-15-2020 11:56 PM)Steve Whitlock Wrote:
(06-15-2015 04:23 PM)Eva Elisabeth Wrote:
(06-15-2015 02:45 PM)loetar44 Wrote:
(06-15-2015 01:13 PM)RJNorton Wrote: The image of Sophie Hanks arrived from the LOC today. Many thanks to the LOC for sharing it with us. Along with the image there is a typed note which says, "Lincoln's (first) cousin, Sophie Hanks, who grew up with him in Indiana. Her son was displeased with this likeness because the photographer had retouched it so as to remove a mole on her face. He stated that this mark was characteristic of the Hanks family, and that in location and appearance it was similar to the mole appearing on likenesses of Abraham Lincoln."

Image credit: Arther E. Morgan Collection - Library of Congress

Thank you Roger for sharing this photo! Indeed the "spittin image" of Honest Abe in my opinion...

Roger (or someone else) do you have a photo of Dr. Lewis A. Warren ? Thanks!
I 100% agree on the resemblance - thanks for ordering and posting, Roger!!! Weren't there also photos of John LeGrand in the Morgan papers? I was hoping they would have sent you a copy of one of those, too.
I have a photo of Nancy (Lynch) Davison holding one of her sons, from the Morgan collection. She's a daughter of Sophia (Hanks) Lynch-Legrand. It's a pdf file, and I can't attach it here, unless I bother Roger again.

If anyone wants a copy just contact me at ctn59880@centurytel.net.

I have a lot of Legrand information, but no photos of Dr. James LeGrand. However, I have a few associated LeGrand photos, but no serious resemblance to Lincoln there. The attached 1932 letter mentions that there should be a couple of James LeGrand photos in the Morgan collection.

There is a presentation by former trial lawyer Richard G. Hileman available by either going to Genetic Lincoln and clicking the NHL mtdna tab, and near the bottom is mention of a link to go to the presentation, or you can go to https://archive.org/details/4260270.

Rich had to read the whole presentation due to some equipment issues, but the bottom line is that he has some letters and photos you haven't seen, such as a photo of Lewis Warren, and a scathing letter Caroline Hitchcock wrote about William Barton's book. Later, once she realized she was mistaken about her own research, Hitchcock wrote letters begging for a chance to redeem herself.

Rich also has a copy of the letter Sophia (Hanks) Lynch-Legrand, who was still living in MO at the time, wrote to Dennis Hanks asking him if it was true that the Abraham Lincoln she knew was really the President. Dennis referred to that exchange with Sophie in a letter he wrote to President Lincoln.

The photo of Nancy (Lynch) Davison and her son is also in the presentation, as well as the famous photo of Sophia Hanks we have here. As I said there may be several things you haven't seen before. And if all else fails I have a .pdf file of the presentation.

Rich Hileman was one of the five members for the Nancy Hanks Lincoln mtdna study, and has researched her for many years.

(03-16-2020 05:14 PM)Steve Whitlock Wrote:
(03-15-2020 11:56 PM)Steve Whitlock Wrote:
(06-15-2015 04:23 PM)Eva Elisabeth Wrote:
(06-15-2015 02:45 PM)loetar44 Wrote: [quote='RJNorton' pid='48596' dateline='1434392035']

The photo of Nancy (Lynch) Davison and her son is also in the presentation, as well as the famous photo of Sophia Hanks we have here. As I said there may be several things you haven't seen before. And if all else fails I have a .pdf file of the presentation.

Rich Hileman was one of the five members for the Nancy Hanks Lincoln mtdna study, and has researched her for many years.
I just reviewed my .pdf file and see that Rich refers to the Nancy Davison photo as a possible photo of a young Sophia carrying James Legrand; however, a later photo description reveals it is Nancy Lynch Davison, as does the (attached) poor quality photo of Nancy and her husband John Potter Davison in later years.

(03-16-2020 05:14 PM)Steve Whitlock Wrote: [quote='Steve Whitlock' pid='80502' dateline='1584334592']
[quote='Eva Elisabeth' pid='48603' dateline='1434403400']
[quote='loetar44' pid='48598' dateline='1434397511']
[quote='RJNorton' pid='48596' dateline='1434392035']
The image of Sophie Hanks arrived from the LOC today. Many thanks to the LOC for sharing it with us. Along with the image there is a typed note which says, "Lincoln's (first) cousin, Sophie Hanks, who grew up with him in Indiana. Her son was displeased with this likeness because the photographer had retouched it so as to remove a mole on her face. He stated that this mark was characteristic of the Hanks family, and that in location and appearance it was similar to the mole appearing on likenesses of Abraham Lincoln."

Image credit: Arther E. Morgan Collection - Library of Congress

Thank you Roger for sharing this photo! Indeed the "spittin image" of Honest Abe in my opinion...

Roger (or someone else) do you have a photo of Dr. Lewis A. Warren ? Thanks!
I 100% agree on the resemblance - thanks for ordering and posting, Roger!!! Weren't there also photos of John LeGrand in the Morgan papers? I was hoping they would have sent you a copy of one of those, too.
I have a photo of Nancy (Lynch) Davison holding one of her sons, from the Morgan collection. She's a daughter of Sophia (Hanks) Lynch-Legrand. It's a pdf file, and I can't attach it here, unless I bother Roger again.

If anyone wants a copy just contact me at ctn59880@centurytel.net.

I have a lot of Legrand information, but no photos of Dr. James LeGrand. However, I have a few associated LeGrand photos, but no serious resemblance to Lincoln there. The attached 1932 letter mentions that there should be a couple of James LeGrand photos in the Morgan collection.

There is a presentation by former trial lawyer Richard G. Hileman available by either going to Genetic Lincoln and clicking the NHL mtdna tab, and near the bottom is mention of a link to go to the presentation, or you can go to https://archive.org/details/4260270.

Rich had to read the whole presentation due to some equipment issues, but the bottom line is that he has some letters and photos you haven't seen, such as a photo of Lewis Warren, and a scathing letter Caroline Hitchcock wrote about William Barton's book. Later, once she realized she was mistaken about her own research, Hitchcock wrote letters begging for a chance to redeem herself.

Rich also has a copy of the letter Sophia (Hanks) Lynch-Legrand, who was still living in MO at the time, wrote to Dennis Hanks asking him if it was true that the Abraham Lincoln she knew was really the President. Dennis referred to that exchange with Sophie in a letter he wrote to President Lincoln.

The photo of Nancy (Lynch) Davison and her son is also in the presentation, as well as the famous photo of Sophia Hanks we have here. As I said there may be several things you haven't seen before. And if all else fails I have a .pdf file of the presentation.

Rich Hileman was one of the five members for the Nancy Hanks Lincoln mtdna study, and has researched her for many years.

(03-16-2020 05:14 PM)Steve Whitlock Wrote:
(03-15-2020 11:56 PM)Steve Whitlock Wrote:
(06-15-2015 04:23 PM)Eva Elisabeth Wrote:
(06-15-2015 02:45 PM)loetar44 Wrote: [quote='RJNorton' pid='48596' dateline='1434392035']

The photo of Nancy (Lynch) Davison and her son is also in the presentation, as well as the famous photo of Sophia Hanks we have here. As I said there may be several things you haven't seen before. And if all else fails I have a .pdf file of the presentation.

Rich Hileman was one of the five members for the Nancy Hanks Lincoln mtdna study, and has researched her for many years.
I just reviewed my .pdf file and see that Rich refers to the Nancy Davison photo as a possible photo of a young Sophia carrying James Legrand; however, a later photo description reveals it is Nancy Lynch Davison, as does the (attached) poor quality photo of Nancy and her husband John Potter Davison in later years.

I just reviewed my .pdf file and see that Rich refers to the Nancy Davison photo as a possible photo of a young Sophia carrying James Legrand; however, a later photo description reveals it is Nancy Lynch Davison, as does the (attached) poor quality photo of Nancy and her husband John Potter Davison in later years.

RJNorton · 03-17-2020, 11:14 AM

(03-15-2020 11:56 PM)Steve Whitlock Wrote: Rich also has a copy of the letter Sophia (Hanks) Lynch-Legrand, who was still living in MO at the time, wrote to Dennis Hanks asking him if it was true that the Abraham Lincoln she knew was really the President. Dennis referred to that exchange with Sophie in a letter he wrote to President Lincoln.

I tried to find the text of the letter I believe Steve is referring to, and I am posting what I think is the correct one:

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Apreel 5th 64

Dere Abe I Receivd your Little Check for 50.00 I shoed it to mother She cried Like a child Abe She is Mity Childish heep of truble to us Betsy is very feble and has to wait on hir which ort to have Sum person to wait on hir we are getting old We have a great Many to wait on of our Conncetions they will ***** to See us while we Live Abe Charles has Reinlested a gain for three years or Dureing the war this is hard to his Mother Abe we had a horible time on Munday of Court it Brok up got in to a fuss By a Drunkin Soldier I Never Saw Such a time thare was 8 or 10 Killed in the fight one you no Doct yorke of paris Edgar County young E winkler was wounded Abe I Received a Letter from Sophia Lynch now John Lagrand is hir Last husband She wants to no whether you are that Abe Lincoln hir cusin or Not is this not Strange to you it was to me hir Boys all in the army younion Boys at VixBurg Abe you never have Seen as Strong a youning Boy as Charles Hanks I am Mity afraid that Theophilus will gaw into army with Charles he is 15 years old a very Staut Boy he can Shoot as well as I Can Abe Remember My Boys if you Can I Dont ask any thing

Steve Whitlock · 03-17-2020, 12:41 PM

(03-17-2020 11:14 AM)RJNorton Wrote:
(03-15-2020 11:56 PM)Steve Whitlock Wrote: Rich also has a copy of the letter Sophia (Hanks) Lynch-Legrand, who was still living in MO at the time, wrote to Dennis Hanks asking him if it was true that the Abraham Lincoln she knew was really the President. Dennis referred to that exchange with Sophie in a letter he wrote to President Lincoln.

I tried to find the text of the letter I believe Steve is referring to, and I am posting what I think is the correct one:

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Apreel 5th 64

Dere Abe I Receivd your Little Check for 50.00 I shoed it to mother She cried Like a child Abe She is Mity Childish heep of truble to us Betsy is very feble and has to wait on hir which ort to have Sum person to wait on hir we are getting old We have a great Many to wait on of our Conncetions they will ***** to See us while we Live Abe Charles has Reinlested a gain for three years or Dureing the war this is hard to his Mother Abe we had a horible time on Munday of Court it Brok up got in to a fuss By a Drunkin Soldier I Never Saw Such a time thare was 8 or 10 Killed in the fight one you no Doct yorke of paris Edgar County young E winkler was wounded Abe I Received a Letter from Sophia Lynch now John Lagrand is hir Last husband She wants to no whether you are that Abe Lincoln hir cusin or Not is this not Strange to you it was to me hir Boys all in the army younion Boys at VixBurg Abe you never have Seen as Strong a youning Boy as Charles Hanks I am Mity afraid that Theophilus will gaw into army with Charles he is 15 years old a very Staut Boy he can Shoot as well as I Can Abe Remember My Boys if you Can I Dont ask any thing

Yes, that's it! Thank you Roger!! I couldn't find my copy of the letter yesterday, but I was having a tough day, as you can tell by my posts. And yes, I do know I should have written Louis A. Warren, rather than Lewis Warren. No one home in Whitlockville yesterday. Only a little better today. And no, I don't have the virus. Just a bit run down worrying about my daughters and grandchildren in CA. I live in rural MO, not too far from where Sarah Hanks is buried. Margaret (Hanks) Legrand, Sarah's daughter, Sophia's sister, is buried even closer.

Steve Whitlock · 03-17-2020, 05:06 PM

(03-17-2020 12:41 PM)Steve Whitlock Wrote:
(03-17-2020 11:14 AM)RJNorton Wrote:
(03-15-2020 11:56 PM)Steve Whitlock Wrote: Rich also has a copy of the letter Sophia (Hanks) Lynch-Legrand, who was still living in MO at the time, wrote to Dennis Hanks asking him if it was true that the Abraham Lincoln she knew was really the President. Dennis referred to that exchange with Sophie in a letter he wrote to President Lincoln.

I tried to find the text of the letter I believe Steve is referring to, and I am posting what I think is the correct one:

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Apreel 5th 64

Dere Abe I Receivd your Little Check for 50.00 I shoed it to mother She cried Like a child Abe She is Mity Childish heep of truble to us Betsy is very feble and has to wait on hir which ort to have Sum person to wait on hir we are getting old We have a great Many to wait on of our Conncetions they will ***** to See us while we Live Abe Charles has Reinlested a gain for three years or Dureing the war this is hard to his Mother Abe we had a horible time on Munday of Court it Brok up got in to a fuss By a Drunkin Soldier I Never Saw Such a time thare was 8 or 10 Killed in the fight one you no Doct yorke of paris Edgar County young E winkler was wounded Abe I Received a Letter from Sophia Lynch now John Lagrand is hir Last husband She wants to no whether you are that Abe Lincoln hir cusin or Not is this not Strange to you it was to me hir Boys all in the army younion Boys at VixBurg Abe you never have Seen as Strong a youning Boy as Charles Hanks I am Mity afraid that Theophilus will gaw into army with Charles he is 15 years old a very Staut Boy he can Shoot as well as I Can Abe Remember My Boys if you Can I Dont ask any thing

Yes, that's it! Thank you Roger!! I couldn't find my copy of the letter yesterday, but I was having a tough day, as you can tell by my posts. And yes, I do know I should have written Louis A. Warren, rather than Lewis Warren. No one home in Whitlockville yesterday. Only a little better today. And no, I don't have the virus. Just a bit run down worrying about my daughters and grandchildren in CA. I live in rural MO, not too far from where Sarah Hanks is buried. Margaret (Hanks) Legrand, Sarah's daughter, Sophia's sister, is buried even closer.

Roger, I also have copies of the original letters that Samuel H. Hanks (Sarah Hanks' son) and his daughter, Rocy Hanks Walker, sent to Caroline Hitchcock, which state clearly that Samuel is an own cousin to Abraham Lincoln, and that Nancy Hanks Lincoln is his aunt. There are 9 pages if you haven't seen them. With that and Charles Hanks, son of William Hanks Sr, also stating his relationship to Abe in his letter denouncing the ghosted letter attributed to his brother John, it seems that Dennis Friend Hanks and John "The Railsplitter" Hanks aren't the only Hanks to know who they were relative to the president. Add the Sparrows and Legrands, and it's clear they all knew, even if Warren, Hitchcock, etc didn't want to believe them. I find it hard to believe that none of them ever spilled the beans about the father of Nancy or Sarah. But then, they don't mention Joseph Hanks or Ann Lee either, even tho they knew their parents, as shown by the marriage record of Charles Hanks, son of Joseph and Ann "Nanny" (Lee) Hanks.

Steve Whitlock · (This post was last modified: 03-24-2020 02:58 PM by Steve Whitlock.)

"I have a lot of Legrand information, but no photos of Dr. James LeGrand. However, I have a few associated LeGrand photos, but no serious resemblance to Lincoln there. The attached 1932 letter mentions that there should be a couple of James LeGrand photos in the Morgan collection."

I LIED, in regard to photos of Dr James Legrand! I forgot a trove of photos that Richard G. Hileman Jr shared with me from the Morgan Collection.

Sophia (Hanks)Lynch-LeGrand's daughter is found as both Nancy (Lynch) Davidson and Davison.

I have more photos to follow for this journey back thru the years.

(03-24-2020 02:41 PM)Steve Whitlock Wrote: "I have a lot of Legrand information, but no photos of Dr. James LeGrand. However, I have a few associated LeGrand photos, but no serious resemblance to Lincoln there. The attached 1932 letter mentions that there should be a couple of James LeGrand photos in the Morgan collection."

I LIED, in regard to photos of Dr James Legrand! I forgot a trove of photos that Richard G. Hileman Jr shared with me from the Morgan Collection.

Sophia (Hanks)Lynch-LeGrand's daughter is found as both Nancy (Lynch) Davidson and Davison.

I have more photos to follow for this journey back thru the years.

That's it for the Morgan collection re: Sophia Hanks and a couple of her children; however, not the end of the LeGrand story, and other drawings of Sophia from the trunk that Arthur Morgan mentions, the contents of which seemed to have stayed in the Legrand family to it's end in CA. I'd have to check my notes for the last of the Legrands, and when he died, childless. There was a magazine article which mentions some of the timeline, and, I think may have shown a couple of the drawings. Like the Morgan photos, I have it, in a file somewhere.

RJNorton · 03-24-2020, 03:56 PM

Great photos, Steve!

mcclain77 · 04-24-2020, 08:20 PM

Good evening everyone,

Hope you all are staying safe. My name is Carroll "Gene" McClain and I'm relatively new to this symposium. I thought I would drop into this post and share my own personal Hanks connection. I grew up in Decatur, Macon County, Illinois, which is about a 45 minute drive from Springfield, IL.

Growing up, I remember my mother, Shirley McClain, proudly telling all us kids that we were "related to Abraham Lincoln". Unfortunately, it wasn't until her passing that I actually conducted the research to learn that her Great Aunt, Susan Bradshaw Hanks was married to Seth Columbus Hanks, Great-Great Grandson of Joseph Hanks and Anne "Nanny" Lee Hanks, whose lineage to Abraham I'm sure you are all quite aware.

So, it seems, our relation to Lincoln was through marriage into the Hanks' family, but still quite interesting to me. Many of the Hanks are buried just outside of my hometown, Decatur, in a small community called Harristown. It's amazing how much many of us took for granted growing up in the "Land of Lincoln", with frequent field trips to Lincoln's Tomb.

If there are any more of you Hanks out there from Central Illinois, it would be very interesting hearing from you!

Take care and stay safe,

Gene

Anita · 04-25-2020, 06:50 PM

Welcome Gene!

Thanks you for sharing some of your Hanks family history. Hope you'll share more.
Do you still live in Illinois?

I did a quick search of Decatur Harristown and here's what topped the list on Google. It's a story in the Herald and Review, Sept. 13, 2016.
https://herald-review.com/news/local/han...34d99.html

Here's a bit of the story. Gene, do you know this house?

"DECATUR -- In 1866, the man who brought Abraham Lincoln to Illinois and later helped label him the “Railsplitter Candidate” built a brick house in Hickory Point Township.

This was John Hanks, and the house he built still stands -- it’s at 3496 Betzer Ave. Other than peeling white paint, a different porch and a general state of disrepair, it doesn’t look much different than when it was erected."

"John Hanks isn’t a household name among nonhistorians, but he was first cousins with Lincoln’s mother Nancy Hanks Lincoln. He not only brought Lincoln to Decatur, but was also a major figure in Macon County history.

The house in question was built in 1866, but John Hanks’ history on the property dates back to 1829. Like Lincoln, Hanks came to Illinois from Indiana: He lived with the Lincolns awhile before moving west to Macon County in 1828. He originally settled near Harristown along the Sangamon River, and sent word to the Lincolns that there was rich farmland under the prairie and to “pull up stakes and come to Illinois.”

John, though, moved to Bull Point -- now called Hickory Point Township, about a half-mile east of Boiling Springs. He built a cabin there and began farming. When the Lincolns arrived in 1830, he helped them build a cabin, smokehouse and barn near Harristown where John had originally settled. John and Lincoln -- then 21 years old -- split the rails used to build the cabin, and later split more than 3,000 logs in the employ of Macon County Sheriff William Warnick, who lived near there."

Steve Whitlock · 04-25-2020, 08:26 PM

(04-25-2020 06:50 PM)Anita Wrote: Welcome Gene!

Thanks you for sharing some of your Hanks family history. Hope you'll share more.
Do you still live in Illinois?

I did a quick search of Decatur Harristown and here's what topped the list on Google. It's a story in the Herald and Review, Sept. 13, 2016.
https://herald-review.com/news/local/han...34d99.html

Here's a bit of the story. Gene, do you know this house?

"DECATUR -- In 1866, the man who brought Abraham Lincoln to Illinois and later helped label him the “Railsplitter Candidate” built a brick house in Hickory Point Township.

This was John Hanks, and the house he built still stands -- it’s at 3496 Betzer Ave. Other than peeling white paint, a different porch and a general state of disrepair, it doesn’t look much different than when it was erected."

"John Hanks isn’t a household name among nonhistorians, but he was first cousins with Lincoln’s mother Nancy Hanks Lincoln. He not only brought Lincoln to Decatur, but was also a major figure in Macon County history.

The house in question was built in 1866, but John Hanks’ history on the property dates back to 1829. Like Lincoln, Hanks came to Illinois from Indiana: He lived with the Lincolns awhile before moving west to Macon County in 1828. He originally settled near Harristown along the Sangamon River, and sent word to the Lincolns that there was rich farmland under the prairie and to “pull up stakes and come to Illinois.”

John, though, moved to Bull Point -- now called Hickory Point Township, about a half-mile east of Boiling Springs. He built a cabin there and began farming. When the Lincolns arrived in 1830, he helped them build a cabin, smokehouse and barn near Harristown where John had originally settled. John and Lincoln -- then 21 years old -- split the rails used to build the cabin, and later split more than 3,000 logs in the employ of Macon County Sheriff William Warnick, who lived near there."

For anyone wanting a bit more information going back from Seth Columbus Hanks I have enough to show the line back to Joseph and Ann "Nanny" (Lee) Hanks from Seth C. Hanks in the attached document, along with a few photos for Seth and wife, Susan Frances (Bradshaw) Hanks.

The Charles Hanks shown as grandfather of Seth is the same Charles, brother of John "The Railsplitter", who wrote a negative newspaper article about Abraham Lincoln, and called out the fact that his brother never wrote the letter credited to him because he couldn't read or write. I have that newspaper article by Charles Hanks if anyone isn't familiar with it.

Anita · 04-25-2020, 08:48 PM

Thanks Steve. I'd like to see that article by Charles Hanks.

Steve Whitlock · (This post was last modified: 04-25-2020 10:44 PM by Steve Whitlock.)

(04-25-2020 08:48 PM)Anita Wrote: Thanks Steve. I'd like to see that article by Charles Hanks.

Here you are. Abe must have really ticked Charles Hanks off at some point. If I remember correctly Abe wrote a letter to John recalling the little sod busting he had done with Charles, but not much else, after the nasty letter by Charles was printed. Not positive when Abe wrote to John about Charles, and I'm not finding it readily in my files; however, here is a letter attributed as from John to Abe about the Charles Hanks letter. John didn't write that letter either. I think it was Richard Oglesby who wrote the John Hanks letters. Top of my head for that last bit.

Here is another article with testimonials for the veracity of the Charles Hanks letter.

Steve Whitlock · 04-26-2020, 08:49 AM

(04-25-2020 10:01 PM)Steve Whitlock Wrote:
(04-25-2020 08:48 PM)Anita Wrote: Thanks Steve. I'd like to see that article by Charles Hanks.
Here you are. Abe must have really ticked Charles Hanks off at some point. If I remember correctly Abe wrote a letter to John recalling the little sod busting he had done with Charles, but not much else, after the nasty letter by Charles was printed. Not positive when Abe wrote to John about Charles, and I'm not finding it readily in my files; however, here is a letter attributed as from John to Abe about the Charles Hanks letter. John didn't write that letter either. I think it was Richard Oglesby who wrote the John Hanks letters. Top of my head for that last bit.

Here is another article with testimonials for the veracity of the Charles Hanks letter.

It only took me three rereads, after I posted the Charles Hanks letter clipping, to notice the article just below it with the header "Land for the Landless" and the discussion of the Homestead Bill voting. This clipping would fit right in for another recent thread. Always glad to help folks out.

That aside, I notice the Charles Hanks letter left out Mr Lincoln's many accomplishments, including his law practice. I don't know if Charles was a jilted Whig, along with those in the testimonials, but there seems to be a foul whiff of political animus present.

mcclain77 · (This post was last modified: 05-08-2020 10:35 PM by mcclain77.)

(04-25-2020 06:50 PM)Anita Wrote: Welcome Gene!

Thanks you for sharing some of your Hanks family history. Hope you'll share more.
Do you still live in Illinois?

I did a quick search of Decatur Harristown and here's what topped the list on Google. It's a story in the Herald and Review, Sept. 13, 2016.
https://herald-review.com/news/local/han...34d99.html

Here's a bit of the story. Gene, do you know this house?

"DECATUR -- In 1866, the man who brought Abraham Lincoln to Illinois and later helped label him the “Railsplitter Candidate” built a brick house in Hickory Point Township.

This was John Hanks, and the house he built still stands -- it’s at 3496 Betzer Ave. Other than peeling white paint, a different porch and a general state of disrepair, it doesn’t look much different than when it was erected."

"John Hanks isn’t a household name among nonhistorians, but he was first cousins with Lincoln’s mother Nancy Hanks Lincoln. He not only brought Lincoln to Decatur, but was also a major figure in Macon County history.

The house in question was built in 1866, but John Hanks’ history on the property dates back to 1829. Like Lincoln, Hanks came to Illinois from Indiana: He lived with the Lincolns awhile before moving west to Macon County in 1828. He originally settled near Harristown along the Sangamon River, and sent word to the Lincolns that there was rich farmland under the prairie and to “pull up stakes and come to Illinois.”

John, though, moved to Bull Point -- now called Hickory Point Township, about a half-mile east of Boiling Springs. He built a cabin there and began farming. When the Lincolns arrived in 1830, he helped them build a cabin, smokehouse and barn near Harristown where John had originally settled. John and Lincoln -- then 21 years old -- split the rails used to build the cabin, and later split more than 3,000 logs in the employ of Macon County Sheriff William Warnick, who lived near there."

Hello, Anita and thank you so much for the link to the article! I've added that homesite to a list of gravesites and places of interest that I intend on visiting when I go back to Decatur. All of my family still lives there. Unfortunately, no, I had not known about that home until your article, although, I've probably driven by it a thousand times. The Hickory Point area of Decatur is very rural, but a popular area, as our Hickory Point Mall and only (at one time) movie theatre are located there.

Thank you to the others who've posted responses and research into the family. Late last year, I put together an extensive family tree photo album for my 12-yo daughter, my sister, and my niece's family for Christmas. The album began with Lincoln, branched up and over through his mother to the Hanks matriarch and patriarch and then down to the very youngest of my niece's children. They all thoroughly enjoyed it. Lincoln Lineage is the gift that keeps on giving! Hahaha.

I don't know if any of you have had an opportunity to visit Decatur or Springfield, IL, but when I say it is teeming with Lincoln, it truly is. The Lincoln memorial in Springfield is an inspiring place to visit as well. Although, as previously stated, we schoolchildren had gone there so often on field trips that we undoubtedly took it for granted. The circular interior vaults where Lincoln and his family are housed are very somber, but I particularly enjoyed walking around to the back of the monument to see the small entryway where Lincoln was taken prior to the burial within. And, of course, as is customary, we all HAD to reach way up and rub the nose of the Lincoln statue/bust at the front of the memorial for good luck.

I've only recently (this year) begun collecting my own bit of "Lincolnalia", consisting primarily of New York Heralds and New York Daily Tribune newspapers from the days following the assassination. THAT endeavor took on a depth of its own, as I had to do a lot of unexpected studying and researching in order to ensure that I was not purchasing reprints/reproductions. I've still yet to acquire my "unicorn", which would be the various versions of the Herald from April 15th, 1865. Due to the cost involved, I'll most likely have to find them buried in an estate sale somewhere. Well, I've rambled on far too long. Look forward to hearing from you all again.

Gene

(04-26-2020 08:49 AM)Steve Whitlock Wrote:
(04-25-2020 10:01 PM)Steve Whitlock Wrote:
(04-25-2020 08:48 PM)Anita Wrote: Thanks Steve. I'd like to see that article by Charles Hanks.
Here you are. Abe must have really ticked Charles Hanks off at some point. If I remember correctly Abe wrote a letter to John recalling the little sod busting he had done with Charles, but not much else, after the nasty letter by Charles was printed. Not positive when Abe wrote to John about Charles, and I'm not finding it readily in my files; however, here is a letter attributed as from John to Abe about the Charles Hanks letter. John didn't write that letter either. I think it was Richard Oglesby who wrote the John Hanks letters. Top of my head for that last bit.

Here is another article with testimonials for the veracity of the Charles Hanks letter.
It only took me three rereads, after I posted the Charles Hanks letter clipping, to notice the article just below it with the header "Land for the Landless" and the discussion of the Homestead Bill voting. This clipping would fit right in for another recent thread. Always glad to help folks out.

That aside, I notice the Charles Hanks letter left out Mr Lincoln's many accomplishments, including his law practice. I don't know if Charles was a jilted Whig, along with those in the testimonials, but there seems to be a foul whiff of political animus present.

Good evening, Steve. Late last year while compiling my family tree content, I, too, had researched a bit of the correspondence between Lincoln and the Hanks'. I say "researched", when all I really did was visit the Library of Congress' website and conduct a keyword search for "Hanks". One of the things that I took away from the letters was the humorous happenstance that once a family member becomes "famous", the family and friends come out of the woodwork asking for favors. One of the letters that I'd found at the LOC was sent from one of the Hanks to then-President Lincoln asking him to intervene on his behalf to be awarded a contract to become a local postal carrier in Illinois. Hanks had been denied the contract, but failed to mention to Lincoln that it was because his bid for the contract came in higher than that of someone else. A letter from Lincoln to the Postmaster General inquires of him as to why Hanks was not awarded the contract, to which the PG responds that the Postal Service always awards the contract to the lowest bidder, who was, in that case, not Hanks.

Of course, there were several other requests from the Hanks' to the President, asking for this person or that to be appointed to this or that, or for someone in or related to the family to be released from Military duty. All in all, though, I found it very funny that even back then, with the fame of the Presidency, family came knocking on Lincoln's door. I would assume that this was despite the fact that many of the Hanks had not seen or kept in contact with Lincoln for quite some time, since some of the LOC letters from Hanks to Lincoln begin something akin to, "Hello, this is so-and-so...do you remember that we are related?" Haha...

Anyway, just wanted to leave my two cents and see what your impressions were of the correspondence. Take care.

Gene