Experiences

Replica cabin and outbuildings at the Lincoln Living Historical Farm.

NPS

Abraham Lincoln was very much a product of his environment. He lived in Indiana for 14 years, from the age of 7 to 21. During that time he grew physically and mentally. With his hands and his back, he helped carve a farm and home out of the wilderness. With his mind, he had begun to explore the world of books and knowledge. He had experienced adventure and had known deep personal loss. The death of his mother in 1818 and the death of his beloved sister, Sarah, in 1828, left deep emotional scars. But all those experiences helped make him into the man that he became.

Farm Work

Abraham assisted his father in much of his work on the farm. As he grew older, Abraham assisted in his skill with the plow and especially, the axe. In fact, in later life he described how he "...was almost constantly handling that most useful instrument..." to combat the "...trees and bogs and grubs..." of the "unbroken wilderness" that was Indiana in the early 19th century.

Education

The demands of life on the frontier left little time for young Abraham to attend school. As he later recalled, his education was acquired "by littles" and the total "...did not amount to one year." But despite the limitation he faced, his parents encouraged him in every way possible. Soon his eyes were opened to the joy of books and the wonders of reading and he became a voracious reader.

Tragedy

Life was generally good for the Lincoln's during their first couple of years in Indiana, but like many pioneer families they did not escape their share of tragedy. In October 1818, when Abraham was nine years old, his mother, Nancy Hanks Lincoln, died of milk sickness.

Strength

The remainder of his years in Indiana were adventurous ones for Abraham. He continued to grow and by the time he was 19, he stood six foot four. He could wrestle with the best and local people remembered that he could lift more weight and drive an axe deeper than any man around.

Riverboat Trip to New Orleans

In 1828, Abraham was hired by James Gentry, the richest man in the community, to accompany his son Allen to New Orleans in a flatboat loaded with produce. While there, Abraham witnessed a slave auction on the docks. It was a sight that greatly disturbed him and the impression it made was a strong and lasting one.

Other Jobs and Business Ventures

Abraham continued to work intermittently for Gentry at his store. He also began to take an interest in politics. The Gentry store was often a gathering place for local residents and there Abraham listened as to a number of political views were aired. At home was more talk of politics and he began to form his own opinions. With a keen mind and a gifted knowledge of words he was able to make his own contributions to the discussions.

Another job that Abraham had during his teenage years was operating a ferryboat service across the mouth of the Anderson River. In his spare time he built a scow to take passengers out to the passing steamboats on the Ohio River. One day he rowed out two men and placed them aboard with their trunks. To his surprise each threw him a silver half-dollar. "I could scarcely credit," he said, "that I, a poor boy, had earned a dollar in less than a day."

Although profitable, his business venture also led to one of his first encounters with the legal system. Two brothers, who held the ferry rights across the Ohio between Kentucky and Indiana, charged Lincoln with encroaching on their jurisdiction. Kentucky law, in such cases, provided for the violator to be fined. But, because he did not carry his passengers all the way across he river but only to the steamboats, the judge ruled that Lincoln had not violated the law and dismissed the charge.