Abraham Lincoln: The Formative Years 1809-1841

By Mary Beth Smith

About Abraham Lincoln: The Formative Years, 1809-1841

Lincoln was one of those rare children who are able to hang onto their true identity in spite of abuse by their parents. Even a controlling, but not physically abusive parent, slows down their children's maturation. Those children lose their identity and sense of self worth for a time. Later, if they are lucky, they will be able to remove themselves from their parents' influence and strike out on their own.

Abraham Lincoln held onto his uniqueness, as best he could, as a child. In spite of his father's bullying, and some say bullying by his birth mother, he worked on his talents--for reading, writing, story telling, lecturing, and teaching, all while still a child.

The Formative Years describes his childhood and his successful attempts to be himself. His years as a young adult in New Salem were very happy because he was freer than ever before to read, study, entertain and get to know the people of the county.

His clinical depression is described for the lucky majority of people who have never experienced it. It includes a fine piece of writing by Hugh Gregory Gallagher who says the pain of acute polio is nothing compared to the pain of clinical depression. (The pain of acute polio is one of the worst kinds of pain there is.)

The book shows how the study of law under John T. Stuart and Stephen T. Logan helped hone his speaking and logic skills. The Formative Years ends with his meeting Mary Todd.

Observations by friends and neighbors, corrected for grammar and spelling mistakes, are frequent to give the reader a picture of how Lincoln looked and acted during these years.

The next book in this series will cover the years 1840 to 1860. It will include information on the Lincoln marriage, Lincoln's lawsuits, his time in Congress, his retirement from politics and his reentry into politics.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Mary Beth Smith
• Release date: Aug 13, 2015
• ISBN: 9781311554628

Mary Beth Smith

Mary Beth Smith graduated from the College of Notre Dame of Maryland in Baltimore, Md. She worked as a computer programmer for 20 years. She enjoys cats, flying, motorcycling and lives in Cocoa, Florida with her husband novelist G. Ernest Smith.

Book preview

ABRAHAM LINCOLN

The Formative Years

1809-1841

By Mary Beth Smith

Copyright © 2015 by Mary Beth Smith.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication can be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without permission in writing from the author or publisher.

First Ebook Edition: August 2015

Smashwords Edition

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To Greg, with love

By their fruits ye shall know them.

Matthew 7:20

The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

Galatians 5:22-23

About Abraham Lincoln,

The Formative Years, 1809-1841

Lincoln was one of those rare children who are able to hang onto their true identity in spite of abuse by their parents. Even a controlling, but not physically abusive parent, slows down their children’s maturation. Those children lose their identity and sense of self worth for a time. Later, if they are lucky, they will be able to remove themselves from their parents’ influence and strike out on their own.

Abraham Lincoln held onto his uniqueness, as best he could, as a child. In spite of his father’s bullying, and some say bullying by his birth mother, he worked on his talents—for reading, writing, story telling, lecturing, and teaching, all while still a child.

The Formative Years describes his childhood and his successful attempts to be himself. His years as a young adult in New Salem were very happy because he was freer than ever before to read, study, entertain and get to know the people of the county.

His clinical depression is described for the lucky majority of people who have never experienced it. It includes a fine piece of writing by Hugh Gregory Gallagher who says the pain of acute polio is nothing in comparison to the pain of clinical depression. (The pain of acute polio is one of the worst kinds of physical pain there is.)

The book shows how the study of law under John T. Stuart and Stephen T. Logan helped hone his speaking and logic skills. The Formative Years ends with his meeting Mary Todd.

Observations by friends and neighbors, corrected for grammar and spelling mistakes, are frequent to give the reader a picture of how Lincoln looked and acted during these years.

The next book in this 4 part series will cover the years 1840 to 1860. It will include the Lincoln marriage, Lincoln’s lawsuits, his time in Congress, his retirement from politics and his reentry into politics.

Table of Contents

Cast of Characters

Introduction

1. Childhood and Youth

2. New Salem

3. The Illinois Legislature

4. Ann Rutledge

5. Springfield

About the Author

Other Books by Mary Beth Smith

Praise by customers for The Joy of Life,

A Biography of Theodore Roosevelt

End Notes

Bibliography

Cast of Characters

AL—Abraham Lincoln

Elizabeth Abell—Wife of Dr. Bennett Abell. Sister of Mary Owens.

William A. Archibald—Member of the Illinois assembly.

Hannah Armstrong—Her husband Jack and AL became close friends after their famous wrestling match.

Jack Armstrong—Took on AL in a famous wrestling match. Then became good friends with him.

Esther Summers Bale—Wife of Hardin Bale.

Hardin Bale—Built a carding mill in New Salem.

George J. Barrett—A Methodist minister and missionary.

William F. Berry—Partnered with AL in a dry goods store.

Albert J. Beveridge—Author of Abraham Lincoln 1809-1858.

Nathaniel William Branson—A Petersburg, Illinois lawyer.

Caleb Carmen—Took Lincoln in as a boarder. A carder and shoemaker.

Augustus H. Chapman—Married Dennis Hank’s daughter Harriet.

Harriet A. Chapman—Daughter of Dennis Hanks.

Henry Clay—Kentuckian who ran for president 3 times unsuccessfully. Was secretary of state under John Quincy Adams. Formulated the Missouri Compromise and the Compromise of 1850.

Isaac Cogdal—Farmer and stone mason.

Josiah and Elizabeth Crawford—AL’s neighbors.

David Davis—Illinois lawyer and judge. AL’s close friend.

Henry E. Dummer—John T. Stuart’s law partner 1833-1837.

Elizabeth Todd Edwards—Sister of Mary Todd. Married Ninian Edwards. Invited her younger sister Mary to live with her.

Ninian Edwards—Son of the Illinois territorial governor. Briefly an Illinois attorney general. He served in the Illinois general assembly then became a Springfield merchant.

Abner Y. Ellis—Involved in the mercantile business in New Salem and Springfield. His father was in business with William Herndon’s father.

Anna Caroline Gentry—Daughter of Absalom Roby; married Allen, son of James Gentry.

James Gentry—Owner of Gentry’s store.

Joseph Gillespie—Legal and political friend of AL.

William Mentor Graham—School teacher who claimed to have helped AL in his studies.

Bowling Green—Justice of the peace.

Lynn McNulty Greene—Married Nancy Owens Abell, niece of Mary Owens Vineyard.

William G. Greene—Worked with AL in Offut’s store.

Aaron Grigsby—Brother of Abe’s friend Nathaniel. Married Abe’s sister Sarah.

Nathaniel Grigsby—AL’s boyhood friend.

Dennis Hanks—AL’s mother’s first cousin.

John Hanks—AL’s mother’s first cousin.

Caleb Hazel—AL’s second teacher.

Elliot B. Herndon—Democrat and William H. Herndon’s brother. Practiced law in Springfield and Sangamon County. Was a U.S. district attorney.

John Rowan Herndon—Cousin of William H. Herndon.

William H. Herndon—AL’s law partner. Collected letters, interviews and statements about Lincoln. His own recollections are documented elsewhere.

John Hill—Son of Sam Hill. Editor who supported Stephen Douglas.

Sam Hill—Leading New Salem merchant. Friend of AL.

Benjamin F. Irwin—Republican and minor public official. Helped find eye witness accounts about AL for William Herndon.

Matilda Johnson—AL’s youngest step sister.

John Johnston—AL’s step brother.

John A. Jones—Brother of Hannah Armstrong. Served with AL in the Black Hawk War.

Nancy Hanks Lincoln—AL’s mother.

Sarah Bush Lincoln—AL’s step mother.

Sarah Lincoln—AL’s sister.

Thomas Lincoln—AL’s father.

Thomas Lincoln, Jr.—AL’s stillborn brother.

Stephen T. Logan—AL’s law partner 1841-1844.

James H. Matheny—Groomsman at AL’s wedding. Whig and admirer of Henry Clay.

Henry McHenry—Married Jack Armstrong’s sister.

John McNamar—alias McNeil. Partnered with Sam Hill. Engaged to Ann Rutledge but returned to New York to get his parents.

Thompson Ware McNeely—Interviewed Menard County residents for William Herndon.

Denton Offut—Speculator and store owner who hired AL when he first came to New Salem.

Samuel C. Parks—AL’s associate in many Logan county cases on the Eighth Judicial Court.

Zachariah Riney—AL’s first teacher.

Absalom Roby—AL’s neighbor.

Ann Rutledge—woman AL is thought to have been engaged to. Daughter of a store and tavern keeper.

James Rutledge—Tavern owner and father of 10 including Ann and Robert Rutledge.

Robert B. Rutledge—Younger brother