Abraham Lincoln by Noah Brooks

[Gene C]

Full title - Abraham Lincoln - His Youth and Early Manhood With a Brief Account of His Later Life

In spite of the title, almost 50% of the book is the "Brief Account of His Later Life, dealing with the Lincoln - Douglas debates through his presidency and death.

It's available on Internet Archives
https://archive.org/details/abrahamlinco...9/mode/2up

This is the edition I have. This book appears to be a shorter version of Brooks's book Abraham Lincoln, a biography for young people (also in the Internet Archives).
Both of these books seem to be age appropriate for older teens to adults.

Here is a short biography about Brooks from a link from Mr. Lincoln & Friends
http://www.mrlincolnandfriends.org/the-j...ah-brooks/

Two interesting sections from the book:
Lincoln's father - " and easy-going, but neither industrious nor enterprising. Unable to read until after his marriage, he invariably put on his lack of education all
responsibility for his failures in life ; and these were
many. To his credit it should be said that he resolved
no child of his should ever be crippled as he had been
for lack of knowledge of the commonest rudiments of
learning.(page 3)

Bowlin Green - The debt incurred by the "winking out" of the
store of Berry & Lincoln pressed upon him. So vast
did it seem that he was accustomed to speak of it as "
the national debt." But, unlike most national debts,
it was ultimately paid. In the course of business, the
notes that he and Berry had given for the stock-in-
trade fell into the hands of a person who was more
than usually impatient ; for every man's credit, in
those days, was unlimited. The creditor in this case
seized Lincoln's horse, saddle, and bridle and sold
them under a sheriff's execution. One of Lincoln's
steadfast friends, Bolin Greene, attended the sale, from
which Lincoln, greatly cast down in his mind, absented
himself. Greene bought the outfit, and, to Lincoln's
great surprise and relief, gave them to him with the
injunction, " Pay for them, Abe, when you get ready,
and if you never get ready, it 's all the same to me."
Not long after this, Bolin Greene — long be his name
remembered ! — died, and Lincoln was asked by his
townsmen of New Salem to deliver a eulogy at his
burial. The rising young lawyer attempted the grateful task, but his voice failed him. The tears ran down
his cheeks as he rose to speak, and, overcome with
emotion, he sat down without saying a word. (page 44-45)

Available from Amazon from several different printers
https://www.amazon.com/Abraham-Lincoln-E...898&sr=1-7

I'd rate this as fair, due to limited illustrations. Some parts were good, others parts, fair

[Anita]

Gene, after reading this review I did some searching about Lincoln giving Bowling Greene's eulogy. I came across this. "When, in 1841, Green died at age fifty-­four of a stroke, “Aunt Nancy,” as Lincoln came to call her, asked him to give the eulogy at Green’s funeral. He was unable, however, to complete his tribute to his friend, breaking down in tears and leaving the stand. At the conclusion of the service he escorted Aunt Nancy to a waiting carriage to see her home. On behalf of the Widow Green, Lincoln successfully sued Mentor Graham on a note Graham owed them.[49]"
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/j/jala/262986...w=fulltext
This is the first time I've read that Lincoln sued Mentor Graham on behalf of Widow Green. Can you shed some light on this? Thanks

[Gene C]

This from Mentor Graham, The Man Who Taught Lincoln by Kunigunde Duncan
https://archive.org/details/mentorgraham...ew=theater

Who in Menard County did not need money in November, 1845 • Petersburg court and Springfield court were busy with cases of hog-stealing and brand-changing, crimes that became more common as times grew harder. Many a man stood to take his thirty-nine stripes for a first, or be branded for a second, offense. For his client, Mrs. Bowling Green, Lincoln sued Graham for payment of a note for one hundred dollars. Certain it is that in November, 1845, Graham did not have and could not borrow one hundred dollars.

Lincoln dropped by to talk the matter over. He handed Graham a due bill made to himself for work he had done for Bale in New Salem for which he had never been paid. The due bill happened to be the exact amount of tuition Lincoln had owed Graham since his log-school lessons at the Baptist church in the woods. Lincoln suggested that Graham use this due bill for ten dollars and add to it the various sums for one thing and another which Bale owed Graham. All of these items totaled one hundred dollars. That list of “one thing and another,” still available in its original form at the Petersburg courthouse, shows an entry dating back to Brush Creek days when Graham had cut brush for Bale for fifty cents a day and had never been paid; tuition for many children, both in Illinois and in Kentucky; butter and eggs, and “smoothed lumber” from Graham’s workbench. Jacob Bale, who had been rich enough to buy out everybody as they left New Salem, paid up. And Graham paid Mrs. Green (see Appendix, pp. 255-56).

[Anita]

Thank you Gene ! Have you seen the original list “of one thing and another" at the Petersburg courthouse, maybe on one of your Lincoln tours?

[Gene C]

The "one thing and another" list is on page 255-256 of the Mentor Graham book and probably more legible than the copy at the courthouse (if it's still there)

https://archive.org/details/mentorgraham...ew=theater

[Anita]

(11-04-2024 12:53 PM)Gene C Wrote:  The "one thing and another" list is on page 255-256 of the Mentor Graham book and probably more legible than the copy at the courthouse (if it's still there)

https://archive.org/details/mentorgraham...ew=theater

Finally able to use the link. It was blocked after the site problems. Thanks.