Abraham Lincoln’s Cousin’s Memories Of Growing Up With The 16th President
Even as an old man, Dennis Hanks had fond and extensive recollections of his famous relative
There are few, if any, Presidents in the history of the United States who were more memorable or impactful than Abraham Lincoln. The 16th holder of the office, he stood out for his extreme pragmatism and guidance of the country through the Civil War. However, he came from very humble origins, which were recalled in detail by one of his cousins many years after the passing of their relative.
Jessie Palmer Weber, Secretary and Librarian of the Illinois State Historical Society, was also the daughter of General John M. Palmer, the former U.S. Senator and Illinois governor. She wrote a paper on the life of Lincoln, which she presented at a local woman’s club. In an article appearing in the February 10, 1908 issue of the Freeport, Illinois The Daily Journal, she cited an 1889 interview with Dennis Hanks, a cousin of the former President, who had strong recollections of his famous relative despite being 90 years old at the time.
Hanks, who was 10 years older than Lincoln, remembered the future President’s birth (in 1809) and the circumstances of his parents:
“Tom and Nancy lived on a farm about two…
