Really? Honest Abe? Maybe

Going to make a brief departure from the direct lineage branches of the family tree because I found a story about Abraham Lincoln contained in an old, family-generated genealogy of the Lackey families in Illinois. 

When the first Lackey appears in America, the spelling of his name has changed from that of the clan that began in Scotland and ended up in what is now Northern Ireland. You remember from the last post that in the Old Country, the name was spelled Leckie. I haven't found anything that explains the change, but such an occurrence happens frequently enough among immigrants.

The first Lackey in America was Thomas Keaton Lackey Sr., and he, like many other immigrants to America, participated in the American Revolution on the colonies' side. I'll look at some of the engagements in which he took part in the next post. 

One of his relatives, whose connection I haven't quite ferreted out, has a connection to a fella called Abraham Lincoln, who you may remember did some lawyering in Illinois before entering a career in politics. 

This story has hallmarks of a family legend that may prove impossible to substantiate, but it's kinda fun anyway. The genealogy provides this citation for its source: When Lincoln Came to Egypt by George W. Smith, professor emeritus of history at State Teacher College in Carbondale, IL, now Southern Illinois University.

"A traditional Lincoln story is reported by William N. Moyer of Mound City, Pulaski County, Illinois. Mr. Moyer is now along in the 80s and is well posted not only in the local traditional stories, but has made some very valuable research reports to the State Historical Journal. He tells this story as he got it from a justice of the peace in whom Mr. Moyer had confidence. (We sorta have to believe it, now don't we? Oh, and I added comments in parens.)

"Between 1854 and 1858 Hiram Boren had the misfortune to take the life of another man. He was arrested and lodged in the jail in Caledonia, then the county seat of Pulaski County. Mr. Boren had relatives in Springfield. He asked them if there was a good defense lawyer in that city. They replied that Abraham Lincoln was the best defense lawyer in the country. He was engaged to defend Mr. Boren.

"Lincoln often rode horseback to towns where there was not railroad connection, but in reaching Caledonia he took the train for Decatur, then the Illinois Central to Cairo, and a boat up the Ohio sixteen miles to Caledonia. (Don't you love the detail?! It'll be important, I promise.) On opening the case, he found on the jury Joel Lackey, a friend who he knew very well.

"When the trial was over, Lincoln expressed a desire to reach the Illinois Central railroad so he might get an early train for Decatur. (Wait! What was the outcome of the trial?! You've left us hanging!) Now Joel Lackey lived a mile and a half east of the village of Pulaski, a station on the Illinois Central railroad, sixteen miles north of Cairo. (Should be easy to find on Google Maps.) It is six and a half miles from Caledonia west to the Pulaski station, and five miles to the home of Joel Lackey. Mr. Lackey very generously invited Lincoln to go home with him and remain over night and on the morrow Mr. Lackey would be responsible for seeing that Lincoln caught the first train to Decatur. 

"Lincoln was very thankful for so generous an invitation. He accompanied Mr. Lackey and late that particular afternoon one might have seen Lackey, a hill farmer of Pulaski County, and Lincoln, the future President of the United States, riding merrily along the country farm road from Caledonia to the village of Pulaski with a strong oak board for the 'seat-board' and a big sheep skin for a cushion. (Note to future historians -- no one would care about this story if Lincoln hadn't become president.) Lincoln reached the station in time for the morning northbound train for Decatur (whew), and the kindly regard of Lincoln for Lackey was renewed and strengthened."

The account goes on to add details that are supposed to bolster the story and adds that Joel's son and niece used to tell a story in which Lincoln spoke at a religious gathering in Joel's new cabin in about 1850. We are then assured that several people of good reputation had heard the story from the cousins in 1936. I'm sold, aren't you? 

Image: Abraham Lincoln, possibly in the 1840s. 

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