Wilson, Douglas L., ed.; Davis, Rodney O., ed.; Hanks, Dennis F. 'Dennis F. Hanks to William H. Herndon (interview)' in 'Herndon's Informants: Letters, Interviews, and Statements About Abraham Lincoln' . Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1998. [format: book], [genre: letter]. Permission: University of Illinois Press
Persistent link to this document: http://lincoln.lib.niu.edu/file.php?file=herndon035.html

24. Dennis F. Hanks to William H. Herndon (interview) ^[1].

Chicago Ills — Sanitary fair June. 13th 1865

Dear Sir:

I received your letter dated the __________ asking 8 or 10 interrogations. I take great pleasure in answering it, question by question as Each is put & in the order asked. The ancestors of Mr Lincoln came from England about the year 1650 — : They first settled in Rockingham County in the State of Virginia and not in Pennsylvania as stated in Abraham Lincolns Biographers — The ancistors of the Lincoln family were Scotch English. Two Men Came over from England about 1650 — one of these brothers was namd Mordaci Lincoln and the other Thomas Lincoln from whom the descendants derived their nature & their name. All died in Virginia These two men were ironside Babtists ^[2] — . There was one of the children of these men who was named Mordaci — the son of Thomas — I knew none of the children of Mordaci. I think that this Mordaci was the great great grandfather of Presdt Lincoln. He was born in Virginia and died about 1700. Mordaci Lincoln was the grandfather of Abraham Lincoln — Mordaci Lincoln was the great grandfather of Abraham Lincoln Presdt. He was born in the State of Virginia Abraham Lincoln the son Mordaci, came his family from Virginia to Ky in about 1780 among the Pioneers of Danl Boon. ^[3] He Mordaci died in Virginia. Mordaci was the father of Abrahams grandfather. Mordaci had 6 children — 4 boys & 2 girls — The only one of his Mordaci's sons I now remember was Abraham Lincoln born about 1755 — who was the grandfather of Abraham — and the father of Thomas He was killed by the Indian near Boonslick Ky no County — . All these persons Abraham Lincoln the grandfather of Abraham the presdt had 3 sons — Mordaci & Abraham — & Thomas Lincoln ^[4] the last being the father of Abraham. All these sons & daughters scattered and went — some to Ky — some to North Carolina — Tennessee — Indiana & Ills. The Hanks family of which I am one was not Connected with the Lincoln family till about 1808 — . Thomas Lincoln — Abrahams father was born in the State of Virginia on the

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