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

him in 1822 and died in about 12 mo in childbed. About 1826 & 7 myself and Abe went down to the Ohio & cut Cord wood at 25c per Cord & bought stuff to make Each a shirt. We were proud of this — It must have been about this time that Abe got kicked by a horse in the mill and who did not Speak for several hours and when he did speak — he ended the sentence which he Commenced to the horse as I am well informed & blieve. From this last period 1825 — 6 & 7 Lincoln was Constantly reading, writing — cipher a little in Pikes Arithmatic. ^[17] He Excelled any boy I ever saw, putting his opportunities into Conversation,. He then Some had or got Barclay's English Dictionary ^[18] — a part of which I have now & which can be seen now at my house — and which I am to give to W H Herndon of the City of Springfield. During these years the ports of Mr Lincoln were hunting — shooting squirrels — jumping — wrstling — playing ball — throwing the mall over head — The story about his Carrying home a drunken man is not true as I think or re cellect. He was good Enough & tender Enough & Kind Enough to have saved Any man from Evil — wrong — difficulties or damnation. Let his claim nothing but what is true — Truth & Justice — & Mankind will make him the great of the world: he needs no fictions to back him. Lincoln sometimes attempted to sing but always failed, but while this is true he was harmony & time — & sound. He loved such music as he knew the words of. He was a tricky man and sometimes when he went to log house raising — Corn shucking & such like things he would say to himself and sometimes to to others — I don't want thes fellows to work any more and instantly he would Commence his pranks — tricks — jokes — stories — and sure Enough all would stop — gather around Abe & listen, sometimes Crying — and sometimes bursting their sides with laughter. He sometimes would mount a stump — chair or box and make speeches — Speech with stories — anecdotes & such like thing: he never failed here. At this time Abe was Somewhat He was now and well as before a kind of forward boy & sometimes forward too when he got stubborn: His nature went an Entire revolution. One thing is true of him — always was up to 1830 when our intimacy ended, because he went to Sangamon & I went to Coles Co.: he was ambitious & determined & when he attempted to Excel by man or boy his whole soul & his Energies were bent on doing it — and he in this generally — almost always accomplished his Ends. From these years 1826 — & 7 what has been said of other years is applicable up to 1830 — working — chopping — toiling — woman child & man — . The plays & sports were the Same. In 1829 (March) Thomas Lincoln moved from Spencer Co Indiana and landed in Macon Co Ills, ten miles west of Decatur. In that spring & summer the log cabin which I now have on Exhibition at the Sanitary fair in Chicago was Erected. Lincoln helped Cut the logs — so did John Hanks — Abe halled them & I hewed them all in & raised it the next day we

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