Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 36, Number 49, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 5 February 1904 — LINCOLN'S EARLY DAYS. [ARTICLE]

LINCOLN'S EARLY DAYS.

Borne Reminiscences of His Boyhood in Indiana. Until a few years ngo there was in Gentryville an old wooden fire shovel, on which Lincoln had traced these verses: Time—what an smpty vapor ’tie, And days, how swift they are; Swift as an arrow speed our lives, Swift as a slitting star. The present moment —— The stanza was not finished, but it was kept for many years until the old fire shovel disappeared, and its whereabouts are unknown to'this day. There jused to be a character around Gentryville in its early days known as “Old Holmes,” who was often intoxicated. One winter night “Old Holmes” would have been frozen but for Lincoln, who found him and carried him home, sitting up all night to resuscitate him. This* incident started a temperance wave over Spencer County, and the debates were startling and interesting. Half way ty> the long wandering street for many years stood an old blacksmith shop. In front of it was n wide spreading tree, that still waves its lioughs, but every sign of the old shop Is gone. The ground ou which stood the smithy for years was owned by the Rev. Fred Hearing, past commander of the Indiana Grand Army of the Republic, but Is now Jhe property of Jacob Dendinger, a town tjMyblial. Ihis old blacksmith shop was n famous place in the life of Gentryville and was a favorite rpsort for the people of Spencer County/ The old bhyksmith, whose name every one seems to have forgotten, was. n natural story teller, nnd he had nronud him a crowd of ns good story tollers as himself. Abraham Lincoln was at thia shop a great deal, nnd it was a common resort for his father, Thomas Lincoln, and Ab-, rsham’i uncles, John and Dennis Hanks.

The shop was the country news stand and the lecture platform, and it was there that Abraham Lincoln learned many of the stories that he told iu after life. It was here that Dennis Hanks told the story of Sykes’ dog, a story that Lincoln told to Grant after the fall Of Vicksburg, and which was one of the most famous of Lincoln’s stories. Sykes had a dog that was a nuisance, and some one fed him a large cartridge that exploded, and the animal never amounted to much after that as a dog. Lincoln’s application of the story was that those who were complaining of Grant for paroling so many of Pemberton’s army did not realize that after the fall of Vicksburg it did not amount to much as an army.

The Crawford school, which Abraham Lincoln attended, was situated about three miles from here. It was built of round logs, and was not more than six feet high. Some of the older persons in this country remember their parents telling of Andrew Crawford, the teacher, and his brother, Josiah Crawford, the latter known as "Blue Nose” Crawford, a name given him by Abraham Lincoln.

Josiah Crawford once loaned Lincoln n copy of n “Life of Washington,” nnd Lincoln got the book wet, for which Crawford charged him 75 cents, a debt that Lincoln pnid by working for. three days pulling fodder. The local history is that he never forgave Josiah Crawford, and the name "Blue Nose.” that it is said he gave him, is part of the legends of Spencer County to his day. Of the enemies that Lincoln made, none were greater than some members of the Grigsby family, many of whose descendants still live in this neighborhood. Snrnh Lincoln, sister of Abraham, married Aaron Grigsby, and two years later died.

Abrahnm, it Is said, always declared that his sister was not properly treated by the Grigsby*. This brought about a social feud. —Gentryville (lud.i Correspondent St. Louis Republic.