Lincoln

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	Highlights from The Kentucky Historical Society about Abraham Lincoln

As the nation prepares to celebrate the Lincoln Bicentennial - read some lesser known facts about Kentucky’s Lincoln connections.

Dennis Hanks

Dennis Hanks, the cousin of Abraham Lincoln's mother, was born in Hardin County, Kentucky. He was the illegitimate son of Nancy Hanks, an aunt of Lincoln's mother, also named Nancy Hanks.

Dennis moved to southern Indiana in 1817 and lived with the Sparrow family, relatives of Nancy Hanks Lincoln. Abraham and Dennis became close friends. In 1818, when both the Sparrows' mother and Lincoln's mother died, Dennis moved in with the Lincolns. He and Abraham Lincoln shared the loft space in their cabin. In 1821, he married Sarah Elizabeth Johnston, the daughter of Thomas Lincoln's second wife, Sarah Bush Johnston Lincoln. They moved with the Lincoln family to Illinois in 1830.

Photo of an elderly Dennis Hanks

Photo by Hannah Cornett

Though Dennis and Abraham parted ways after moving to Illinois, they still stayed connected to some degree. From 1844 to 1846, Harriet, his daughter, boarded with Abraham and Mary Lincoln in Springfield while she was at school. In 1851, Lincoln represented Dennis in a lawsuit against William B. White. During Lincoln's presidency, Dennis assisted in the care of Lincoln's aging and ill stepmother.

After Lincoln's assassination, Hanks was a key player in purchasing and displaying to the public a cabin Lincoln lived in briefly in Decatur, Illinois.


		Peter Cartwright (1785-1872)

	Peter Cartwright was a Methodist minister born in Amherst County, Virginia, in 1785. His family moved to Logan County, Kentucky, when he was five years old. Cartwright joined the Methodists after a Great Revival camp meeting near his family's home in 1801. Licensed to preach in 1802, he became known as "Kentucky Boy" because of his powerful speaking voice and skills in oratory. In 1824, Cartwright moved to Sangamon County, Illinois, because of his strong feelings against slavery. He entered politics and was elected to the Illinois House of Representatives in 1828 and 1832. The election of 1832 brought Cartwright and Abraham Lincoln into direct competition since they were both running for the Sangamon County seat in the Illinois House. The election results ended with Lincoln's defeat.