Nancy Lincoln's Grave

[Gene C]

At the Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial,
between the visitor's center and a reconstructed log cabin, lies a small cemetery
Here a modest headstone marks the burial place of Abraham Lincoln's mother.
She was only 35 when she died. It's a nice, calm, respectful, well maintained site.
But it wasn't always this way.

In 1868, a Civil War veteran named William Q Corbin visited the boyhood home of his former commander-in-chief.
Corbin was dismayed by the unkempt appearance of Nancy Hanks Lincoln's gravesite and wrote a poem on the subject.


"THE NEGLECTED GRAVE OF LINCOLN'S MOTHER
(By William Q. Corbin)

"A wooded hill — a low sunk grave
Upon the hilltop hoary;
The Oak tree's branches o'er it wave;
Devoid of slab — no record save
Tradition's story.

"And who the humble dead that here
So lonely sleeps,
And who, as year rolls after year,
In summer green or autumn sere,
Comes here and weeps.

"So lone and dear, the forest wild
Unbroken seems,
We well might think some forest child,
Grown tired of hunt or war trail wild
Here lies and dreams.

"But no, no red man of the west
Inhabits here;
These clods by wild beasts pressed
Now lie upon the moldered breast
Of one more dear

"For Lincoln's mother here is laid,
Far from her son,
No long procession, no false parades
Of pride or place was here displayed,
No requiem sung.

No summer friends were crowded round
Her humble grave.
The summer breezes bore no sound
Save genuine grief, when this lone mound
Its echoes gave.

"Her husband, and her children dear,
And neighbors rude,
Dressed in their hardy homespun gear,
Were all that gathered round her bier,
In this lone wood.

"High-pile the marble above the breast
Of Chieftain slain;
While in the wild wood of the West,
In tomb by naught but Nature drest,
His mother is lain.

"Her grave from art or homage free
Neglected lies;
And pride and pomp, and vanity,
From this lone grave must ever flee,
As mockeries.

"A nation's grief and gratitude,
Bedecked his bier;
For her who sleeps in solitude,
In this lone grave in western wood,
Have ye no tear.
"And shall the mother of the brave,
And true and good,

Lie thus neglected in a grave,
Unfit for menial, clown or knave,
In this drear wood?

"Oh! Nation of the generous brave,
Be this your shame,
And let this grave without a name
No longer thus neglected be,
Beneath this forest tree."

[RJNorton]

Thanks for this post, Gene. That poem was new to me.

Here are a couple more Nancy Hanks-related poems.

Poet Rosemary Benet wrote the following poem entitled "Nancy Hanks"

"If Nancy Hanks
Came back as a ghost,
Seeking news
Of what she loved most,
She'd ask first
"Where's my son?
What's happened to Abe?
What's he done?"

"Poor little Abe,
Left all alone
Except for Tom,
Who's a rolling stone;
He was only nine
The year I died.
I remember still
How hard he cried."

"Scraping along
In a little shack,
With hardly a shirt
To cover his back,
And a prairie wind
To blow him down,
Or pinching times
If he went to town."

"You wouldn't know
About my son?
Did he grow tall?
Did he have fun?
Did he learn to read?
Did he get to town?
Do you know his name?
Did he get on?"

Julius Silberger wrote "A Reply to Nancy Hanks"

"Yes, Nancy Hanks,
The news we will tell
Of your Abe
Whom you loved so well.
You asked first,
"Where's my son?"
He lives in the heart
Of everyone."

[LincolnMan]

I’ll throw this one in to:


Fire-logs

Nancy Hanks dreams by the fire;
Dreams, and the logs sputter,
And the yellow tongues climb.
Red lines lick their way in flickers.
Oh, sputter, logs.
Oh, dream, Nancy.
Time now for a beautiful child.
Time now for a tall man to come.

Carl Sandburg

[Anita]

Thank you Gene and to all who posted these moving poems honoring Nancy Hanks. Here's another.

"In 1909, as Chicago and the country were celebrating the centennial of Lincoln’s birth, Monroe was thinking of the woman who had borne him. Her poem “Nancy” appeared in Century Magazine in an issue dedicated to Lincoln.[41] It is the first widely read verse on Lincoln’s mother.[42] It had been Monroe’s friend and colleague Ida Tarbell who renewed interest in Nancy Hanks, having boldly challenged Herndon’s accusations about her illegitimacy and promiscuity. Monroe’s Hanks is a product of nature, tragic for not being able to experience her son’s future greatness; she died when Abraham was just nine years old." Go here to read an the entire article "Harriet Monroe's Abraham Lincoln" https://quod.lib.umich.edu/j/jala/262986...w=fulltext

Nancy Hanks by Harriet Monroe

Prairie child,
Brief as dew,
What winds of wonder
Nourished you?

Rolling plains
Of billowy green,
Far horizons,
Blue, serene;

Lofty skies
The slow clouds climb,
Where burning stars
Beat out the time:

These, and the dreams
Of fathers bold,
Baffled longings,
Hopes untold,

Gave to you
A heart of fire,
Love like deep waters,
Brave desire.

Ah, when youth's rapture
Went out in pain,
And all seemed over,
Was all in vain?

O soul obscure,
Whose wings life bound,
And soft death folded
Under the ground;

Wilding lady,
Still and true,
Who gave us Lincoln
And never knew:

To you at last
Our praise, our tears,
Love and a song
Through The nation’s years!

Mother of Lincoln,
Our tears, our praise;
A battle-flag
And the victor's bays!

[LincolnMan]

Thank you Anita-did not know that one.

[ELCore]

(09-11-2019 03:35 PM)Anita Wrote:  Nancy Hanks by Harriet Monroe

Beautiful. Thanks.

[LincolnMan]

Another poem:

Nancy Hanks Lincoln at Little Pigeon Creek

In early spring I take my bonnet from the table.
Tie it under my chin. The air today is damp, but
flowers are coming. I long to discover first blooms.
My basket by the cabin door stands ready. Sarah
and Abraham have lugged buckets the mile from the creek
to our meadow, where animals are tied and munch new
grass on last week's barren ground. I would be off to woods

across the trodden path where sky dips down -- slate blue, sun
lost behind a cloud. My soft skirts brush across straw stubs
where we loose cows and sheep to forage in September.
Now, as winter creeps away, there will be food for all.
At night I dream of flowers unfolding; remember
summer's warmth. Here, searching for green buds, I step over
low bushes to tall oaks. Sun sweeps across my shadow above branch-strewn forests that leafy roofs will cover.
Look! Here in the corner of one quiet glen is where
last August I glimpsed blossoms, frothy-white with heart-shaped
leaves gleaming in summer light. A cold wind stirs today.
Those flowers! It comes to me Aunt Betsy had a dream
the other night about a white bouquet. She told me
in hushed tones. But when I asked for her to tell her dream

to me, she looked away. Trouble filled her eyes. She said
I cannot tell you, Nancy. It's not for me to say.
I recall our first December here. The pole-house there,
where Betsy and her family stay, was home. Three-sided
with fire at open end, it sheltered us. My Tom filled
crevices with straw and mud. Now near our new cabin,
we save long boards to build a floor. God's love -- and hope of

warmth again -- guides me through my passage. But each year spring
comes late and I am tired. Now Abraham is calling
with Sarah close behind. He outgrows shirts and pants in
leaps. Just barely nine, he takes long steps beside my own.
He swiftly splits a log and writes as well as reads. When
daily I read scriptures, he asks me questions. I run
to meet my children. Today my basket holds no blooms.

-- Marilyn Marsh Noll

[RJNorton]

(09-15-2019 07:10 AM)LincolnMan Wrote:  When daily I read scriptures, he asks me questions.

Bill, I have read her seeming ability to do this, too. But I have also read she was illiterate. Anyone know the truth?

[LincolnMan]

I have a picture in my mind of Nancy Hanks having been tall with a slim figure and attractive. However, some accounts don't describe her that way at all. I think my imagining her in the way I have is based on some drawings and/or paintings of her that portray her like that.

[Mylye2222]

(02-07-2020 11:57 AM)LincolnMan Wrote:  I have a picture in my mind of Nancy Hanks having been tall with a slim figure and attractive. However, some accounts don't describe her that way at all. I think my imagining her in the way I have is based on some drawings and/or paintings of her that portray her like that.

Impossible to know the truth since at the time, there were no photographs.

[RJNorton]

I checked Vicky Paulson's book on Hanks' genealogy, and Vicky includes a variety of descriptions of Nancy Hanks:

Dennis Hanks said she was 5' 8" and 130 pounds, bluish-green eyes, highly intellectual.

Presly Neirl Haycraft said Nancy was of good size and comely.

N. W. Bronson said Nancy had a light complexion, dark hair, intelligent and a Christian.

Nathaniel Grigsby said she was 5' 7" with dark hair, light hazel eyes, light complexion, and had an extraordinary strength of mind. She was superior to her husband in every way. She was brilliant, had good sense, and modest.

David Turnham said she was rather above medium height, had rather course features, and was good looking. She weighed about 120 pounds with black hair and blue eyes. She had very good moral habits.

John Hanks said she was tall, slender, dark skinned, black hair and eyes. Her face was sharp and angular with a high forehead. She was an intellectual woman, rather extraordinary. Her nature was kindness, mildness, tenderness, and sadness. He felt Abraham was very much like his mother.

[Steve Whitlock]

(09-15-2019 07:55 AM)RJNorton Wrote:  

(09-15-2019 07:10 AM)LincolnMan Wrote:  When daily I read scriptures, he asks me questions.

Bill, I have read her seeming ability to do this, too. But I have also read she was illiterate. Anyone know the truth?

Roger,

There are some sources, including Wikipedia, that claim Nancy Hanks Lincoln read the Bible to Sarah and Abe. I haven't found anything yet among president Lincoln's letters which verifies that; however, Nancy's mother, Lucy Hanks Sparrow, wrote her own signature and a note professing her willingness to marry Henry Sparrow, which exhibits a degree of literacy. It is not far-fetched to suggest she may have taught Nancy Hanks Lincoln to read a little as well.

[RJNorton]

Steve, many thanks for your input.

[LincolnMan]

(02-07-2020 02:05 PM)RJNorton Wrote:  I checked Vicky Paulson's book on Hanks' genealogy, and Vicky includes a variety of descriptions of Nancy Hanks:

Dennis Hanks said she was 5' 8" and 130 pounds, bluish-green eyes, highly intellectual.

Presly Neirl Haycraft said Nancy was of good size and comely.

N. W. Bronson said Nancy had a light complexion, dark hair, intelligent and a Christian.

Nathaniel Grigsby said she was 5' 7" with dark hair, light hazel eyes, light complexion, and had an extraordinary strength of mind. She was superior to her husband in every way. She was brilliant, had good sense, and modest.

David Turnham said she was rather above medium height, had rather course features, and was good looking. She weighed about 120 pounds with black hair and blue eyes. She had very good moral habits.

John Hanks said she was tall, slender, dark skinned, black hair and eyes. Her face was sharp and angular with a high forehead. She was an intellectual woman, rather extraordinary. Her nature was kindness, mildness, tenderness, and sadness. He felt Abraham was very much like his mother.

I like to see the various descriptions of Nancy. I think we are able to see the commonalities across the various sources- among them that she was intelligent, moral, tall, and had black hair. If the height and weight descriptions are correct she wasn't overweight.
Actually these attributes more or less fall in line with how I imagine her.

[Gene C]

The poem Roger mentions in Post #2 by Rosemary Benet is set to music here

https://rogerjnorton.com/LincolnDiscussi...ancy+Hanks