Sarah Lincoln Grigsby

[Gene C]

I was disappointed when I read this article about Abraham Lincoln's sister on the web site of the Sagamore Institute.
https://sagamoreinstitute.org/sarah-lincoln-grigsby/

There seemed to me too many false or misleading items in the article.

- There is an unidentified picture of a young women, and it's the only picture in the article. I've seen it before, but can't remember who it is. It's not Lincoln's sister.
- Sarah was only 20 when she died, not 30.
- I can't recall previously reading a source that mentioned "Eleven-year-old Sarah Lincoln took on the education of her younger brother and future president, Abraham, following the death of their mother..." and
- "Sarah’s dedication to teaching her brother to read enabled him to gain a law degree and accelerate his ascent in politics."

I may be mistaken, but does anyone know of a credible source for that statement?
Am I being to critical on all of this?

[RJNorton]

Gene, the image in question is Emilie Todd Helm.

[RJNorton]

(08-22-2023 05:33 PM)Gene C Wrote:  - I can't recall previously reading a source that mentioned "Eleven-year-old Sarah Lincoln took on the education of her younger brother and future president, Abraham, following the death of their mother..." and
- "Sarah’s dedication to teaching her brother to read enabled him to gain a law degree and accelerate his ascent in politics."

I may be mistaken, but does anyone know of a credible source for that statement?
Am I being to critical on all of this?

I agree with you Gene. I think Sarah can be given credit for looking after her younger brother, but I do not recall reading credible sources for the statements you cited.

[David Lockmiller]

(08-23-2023 04:49 AM)RJNorton Wrote:  

(08-22-2023 05:33 PM)Gene C Wrote:  - I can't recall previously reading a source that mentioned "Eleven-year-old Sarah Lincoln took on the education of her younger brother and future president, Abraham, following the death of their mother..." and
- "Sarah’s dedication to teaching her brother to read enabled him to gain a law degree and accelerate his ascent in politics."

I may be mistaken, but does anyone know of a credible source for that statement?
Am I being to critical on all of this?

I agree with you Gene. I think Sarah can be given credit for looking after her younger brother, but I do not recall reading credible sources for the statements you cited.

You are not being too critical, Roger. As Lincoln observed: "History is not history unless it is the truth."

And, I believe that your statement regarding his sister Sarah is correct: "I think Sarah can be given credit for looking after her younger brother, but I do not recall reading credible sources for the statements you cited."

I would like to add that this is one of the reasons that I am reluctant to read a lot of Lincoln books.

[Dave B]

Good points, all. I never thought of it like that, wondering sometimes just what IS the truth. An unsuspecting public frequently accepts the printed word as fact. Maybe we're all guilty of that to some extent.
But the detailed knowledge of people on this forum often saves the rest of us from blind acceptance of assertions. And for that I thank all of you.