THE M' THER ' ' LINC' LN. ' r o m time to time the superiority of r e co r d evidence over tradition , and of documentary proof over gossip and e legend , is strikingly presented . We have now an int rest ’ a a ing inst nce in the case of Abraham Lincoln s parent ge . t a There has been ex ant, ever since the c reer of Lincoln and every detail connected with him became the subject of m hi s m sy pathetic interest on the part of country en , a suppo iti n n o t s o . that his mother was of legitimate birth This , ' indeed , has not been treated as a supposition it has been cir cumstantially and positively asserted in some of the most ’ ” In ' . i authoritative biographies W . H . Herndon s L fe of Lincoln he relates the story of illegitimacy as coming from Lincoln himself in an isolated and notable conversa M . u n in tion , and J T orse has cited this with full ass ra ce ' ' hi s . ' Life , in the American Statesmen series ther ni z biographers allude to and recog e the tale , and it has no doubt been generally received and credited . i Now, it is plain that there is no truth whatever in th s ' ” story . Nancy Hanks was not the daughter of Lucy t Hanks , as Herndon so posi ively says ' in fact, it is not clear w a s as that there ever such a person Lucy Hanks . Nor w a s an N cy the daughter of any unmarried woman . ' n the contrary , her family record is unimpeachable , her birth i is without a cloud , the ev l story concerning her is appar — r i ently a pure invention not a pu e invent on , either , but an v impure , a base slander , derived from some ulgar and If scandalous source . Lincoln ever told such a story to 3 Mo ther o Lincoln 4 The f . — — Herndon ' hi ch may be confidently disbelieved h e w as mistaken , and must have been misled by some evil whisper 1 that had been unhappily brought to his ears . ” Mr s . s The little book, Nancy Hanks , by Caroline Hank M tt l 1899 Hitchcock, of Cambridge , assachuse s , pub ished in (New ' ork ' ' oubleday M c Clur e is the sour ce of i the knowledge which sets right this story of illeg timacy. It distinctly and conclusively shows who the mother of Lin It It . coln w as . identifies both her parents proves them It i dr reputable people . places her in the list of their ch l en , u with f ll title to respect. ’ Mr s . There is other matter in Hitchcock s book, some of i a which is entitled to our consideration also , but th s in rel tion to the parentage of Abraham Lincoln’ s mother is by h Mr s . as far the most important. Hitchcock found (at Bards o t t wn , Kentucky , the introduc ion to her book states) a as to document, heretofore unprinted , which is conclusive this point . She gives complete , both in type and in photo i fa e s mile s . graphic , the will of Joseph Hank He was of i . 9 Nelson County, Kentucky His w ll is dated January , 1 93 t M a 14 7 , and was duly probated in that coun y, y , of the In same year . his will Joseph Hanks names his eight d chil ren . There were five sons , Thomas , Joshua, William , E iz Charles , and Joseph , and three daughters , l abeth , Polly, Na nc . and y The will provides for them all , and remembers It ’ equally the three girls . thus records the father s impar tial gi fts ' ITEM —I e an d a a E z a o n i . giv beq ue th unto my d ughter li beth e he fer ITE M —I d a a l a ' . an e a ye r ing c lled entle . give b que th unto my d ughte r P a a a ITEM —I an d olly one heifer ye rling c lled L dy . give b equea th ” a a o n a a Pe id unto my d ughter N ncy e heifer ye rling c lled y . k We have here in Nelson County, Kentuc y, in the year 1 93 . w as 7 , Nancy Hanks , daughter of Joseph That she 12 1806 w a s the same who thirteen years later , June , , 1 The genesis of the idea of illegitima te birth was ma de eas ier by im ’ w o f a shi s a Ha n ks s a perfe ct kno ledge the rel tion p of N n cy f mily . The Mother o Lincoln f . 5 M . a married by the Rev Jesse Head , the ethodist pre cher, . u to Thomas Lincoln , is not open to question She is f lly identified by abundant proof. Joseph Hanks had been in Kentucky , prior to his death , only about four years . He had come , it is said , from Amelia ’ ' Mr . s . County , Virginia ollowing now Hitchcock s general ” i w as account, his w fe Nancy (she is called Nanny in the l i w as Sh i le w ll) , and she the daughter of Robert p y . The wi Mr o s . fe of R bert Shipley , Hitchcock says , was named Sarah Rachael . They were in Lunenburg County , Virginia, 176 5 in , where Robert Shipley bought land , three hundred 1 6 a . and fourteen acres , September , of th t year Lunenburg 2 County is near to Amelia County , in which Joseph Hanks is said to have lived before his removal to Kentucky . The Shipleys had five daughters . These and their mar r i e Mr a s s . g , as given by Hitchcock, were MAR' 1. i She married Abraham Lincoln , of Rock ng ham County , Virginia (son of John Lincoln , who had come w as from Berks County, Pennsylvania) . She thus the mother of Thomas Lincoln . Abraham Lincoln removed w as to Kentucky with his family, and killed there by I 4 1 . ndians , 78 2 ' ' C . L She married Richard Berry . They removed 1 8 9 to Kentucky , probably in 7 , with Joseph Hanks and . t others Lucy Berry , af er the death of her sister Nancy , i a ft the w fe of Joseph Hanks , which occurred soon er the ' ” s . death of Joseph , brought up her niece , Nancy Hank Richard Berry was the bondsman for Thomas Lincoln in his marriage to Nancy Hanks . The marriage took place at Rich ’ s ard Berry s house , at Beechland , near Springfield , in Wa h It — — ington County, Kentucky . is this Lucy Berry who 1 is is s a e a s Mr a ac in his a Th the t t ment l o of . S muel Sh kford, p per on ’ l s a n castr New E n la n d His tor ica l a n d enea lo i a l Linco n y , in the g ' g c Re ister A 1887 . es es R w as g , pril , He d crib obert Shipley, ho ever, of a a North C rolin . i' M ' ” rs . c sa s t xt . It is n v so o Hit hcock y he ne county not gy , Nott wa C t tw y oun y lying be een . 6 The M other of Lincoln . has been called in several of the biographies of Lincoln ' Lucy Hanks , it being supposed , through the mists of dim t da u h recollection , that Nancy Hanks was ac ually her g ter by blood, and not merely by adoption . ARAH M 3 . S . She married Robert itchell ' they removed to Kentucky . ELIZABETII . 4 . She married Thomas Sparrow This family also went to Kentucky , and in the accounts of those who remembered the Lincolns and the Ha n kses there are many allusions to the Sparrows . 5. ANC' . N She married Joseph Hanks , referred to i I i above . His will ident fies her . g ve and bequeath to my wife Nanny all and singular my whole estate during if f her l e , a terward to be equally divided between all my dr I t f chil en consti ute , ordain , and appoint my wi e Nanny and my son William as executrix and executor to this my last will and te sta men ' E E ' A ' A ' SC NT ' N NC H N S . Rob er t Shi le h Ra chae l p y TSa ra Ab a ham Lin co ln Richar d Ber r Ro b e t Mitchell Tho S a r w ' e h H n k r y r s . p r o o s p a s __ r Tho mas ' o shua m z ' illi a m. Eli a th ll , b e Ha Cha rles ' o se h m. P ll ' un p , o y o g Eliz a b th m i ll e . Le Ha , v P ll i o y , m. ' esse ' r e n d TH' MAS LINC' LN NANC' A BR AH A M LINC' LN It will be observed that Thomas Lincoln and Nancy — h e of M Hanks were first cousins the son ary Shipley, and I she the daughter of Nancy Shipley. am not aware that di this fact has heretofore been stinctly brought out . ’ Mr s — .