hide Sorting

You can sort these results in two ways:

By entity
Chronological order for dates, alphabetical order for places and people.
By position (current method)
As the entities appear in the document.

You are currently sorting in ascending order. Sort in descending order.

hide Most Frequent Entities

The entities that appear most frequently in this document are shown below.

Entity Max. Freq Min. Freq
Abraham Lincoln 1,765 1 Browse Search
A. Lincoln 650 0 Browse Search
Thomas Lincoln 535 1 Browse Search
Springfield (Illinois, United States) 395 13 Browse Search
Stephen A. Douglas 280 0 Browse Search
Illinois (Illinois, United States) 258 0 Browse Search
Washington (United States) 212 0 Browse Search
James Shields 172 0 Browse Search
Kentucky (Kentucky, United States) 126 0 Browse Search
David Davis 109 1 Browse Search
View all entities in this document...

Browsing named entities in a specific section of William H. Herndon, Jesse William Weik, Herndon's Lincoln: The True Story of a Great Life, Etiam in minimis major, The History and Personal Recollections of Abraham Lincoln by William H. Herndon, for twenty years his friend and Jesse William Weik. Search the whole document.

Found 238 total hits in 66 results.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Robert Allen (search for this): chapter 4
t rested on him to remain with his father till the law released him from that obligation. With deep regret he retraced his steps to the paternal mansion, seriously determined not to evade the claim from which in a few weary months he would be finally released. Meanwhile occurred his first opportunity to see the world. In March, 1828, James Gentry, for whom he had been at work, had fitted out a boat with a stock of grain and meat for a trading expedition to New Orleans, and placed his son Allen in charge of the cargo for the voyage. Abe's desire to make a river trip was at last satisfied, and he accompanied the proprietor's son, serving as bow hand. His pay was eight dollars a month and board. In due course of time the navigators returned from their expedition with the evidence of profitable results to gladden the heart of the owner. The only occurrence of interest they could relate of the voyage was the encounter with a party of marauding negroes at the plantation of Madame Du
. At last they all came down and had a long conversation about who made the mistake, but it could not be decided. So endeth the chapter. The reader will readily discern that the waiters had been carefully drilled by Lincoln in advance for the parts they were to perform in this rather unique piece of backwoods comedy. He also improved the rare opportunity which presented itself of caricaturing Blue Nose Crawford, who had exacted of him such an extreme penalty for the damage done to his Weems' life of Washington. He is easily identified as Josiah blowing his bugle. The latter was also the husband of my informant, Mrs. Elizabeth Crawford. As the reader will naturally conclude, the revelation of this additional chapter of the Scriptures stirred up the social lions of Gentryville to the fighting point. Nothing but the blood of the author, who was endeavoring to escape public attention under the anonymous cloak, would satisfy the vengeance of the Grigsbys and their friends. B
ncoln, when driven to do so, used this weapon of ridicule with telling effect. He knew its power, and on one occasion, in the rejoinder of a debate, drove his opponent in tears from the platform. Although devoid of any natural ability as a singer Abe nevertheless made many efforts and had great appreciation of certain songs. In after years he told me he doubted if he really knew what the harmony of sound was. The songs in vogue then were principally of the sacred order. They were from Watts' and Dupuy's hymn-books. David Turnham furnished me with a list, marking as especial favorites the following: Am I a soldier of the cross ; How tedious and Tasteless the hours ; There is a fountain filled with blood, and, Alas, and did my Saviour Bleed? One song pleased Abe not a little. I used to sing it for old Thomas Lincoln, relates Turnham, at Abe's request. The old gentleman liked it and made me sing it often. I can only remember one couplet: There was a Romish lady She was
Breckenridge (search for this): chapter 4
the latter place, he remained during the trial of a murderer and attentively absorbed the proceedings. A lawyer named Breckenridge represented the defense, and his speech so pleased and thrilled his young listener that the latter could not refrain from approaching the eloquent advocate at the close of his address and congratulating him on his signal success. How Breckenridge accepted the felicitations of the awkward, hapless youth we shall probably never know. The story is told that during Lincoln's term as President, he was favored one day at the White House with a visit by this same Breckenridge, then a resident of Texas, who had called to pay his respects. In a conversation about early days in Indiana, the President, recalling BreckeBreckenridge's argument in the murder trial, remarked, If I could, as I then thought, have made as good a speech as that, my soul would have been satisfied; for it was up to that time the best speech I had ever heard. No feature of his backwoods life p
William Whitten (search for this): chapter 4
nters were of frequent occurrence in Gentryville in those days, and the prestige of having thrashed an opponent gave the victor marked social distinction. Green B. Taylor, with whom Abe worked the greater part of one winter on a farm, furnished me with an account of the noted fight between John Johnston, Abe's stepbrother, and William Grigsby, in which stirring drama Abe himself played an important role before the curtain was rung down. Taylor's father was the second for Johnston, and William Whitten officiated in a similar capacity for Grigsby. They had a terrible fight, relates Taylor, and it soon became apparent that Grigsby was too much for Lincoln's man, Johnston. After they had fought a long time without interference, it having been agreed not to break the ring, Abe burst through, caught Grigsby, threw him off and some feet away. There he stood, proud as Lucifer, and swinging a bottle of liquor over his head swore he was the big buck of the lick. If any one doubts it, he
Reuben Grigsby (search for this): chapter 4
criptures that hav'n't been revealed yet, was the response. He had found the Chronicles of Reuben. Betsy Ray and Matilda Hawkins respectively. The day following they with their brides returned to the Grigsby mansion, where the father, Reuben Grigsby, senior, gave them a cordial welcome. Here an old-fashioned infare, with feasting and dancing, and the still older fashion of putting the bridal party to bed, took place. When the invitations to these festivities were issued Abe was left out, ain Gentryville with what he was pleased to term The first Chronicles of Reuben. Lincoln had shrewdly persuaded some one who was on the inside at the infare to slip upstairs while the feasting was at its height and change the beds, which Mamma Grigsby had carefully arranged in advance. The transposition of beds produced a comedy of errors which gave Lincoln as much satisfaction and joy as the Grigsby household embarrassment and chagrin. Now there was a man, begins this memorable chapter
James Larkins (search for this): chapter 4
er remember of seeing Abe Lincoln, is the testimony of one of his neighbors, John W. Lamar, Ms. letter, June 29, 1866. was when I was a small boy and had gone with my father to attend some kind of an election. One of our neighbors, James Larkins, was there. Larkins was a great hand to brag on anything he owned. This time it was his horse. He stepped up before Abe, who was in the crowd, and commenced talking to him, boasting all the while of his animal. I have got the best horLarkins was a great hand to brag on anything he owned. This time it was his horse. He stepped up before Abe, who was in the crowd, and commenced talking to him, boasting all the while of his animal. I have got the best horse in the country he shouted to his young listener. I ran him three miles in exactly nine minutes, and he never fetched a long breath. I presume, said Abe, rather dryly, he fetched a good many short ones though. With all his peaceful propensities Abe was not averse to a contest of strength, either for sport or in settlement — as in one memorable case — of grievances. Personal encounters were of frequent occurrence in Gentryville in those days, and the prestige of having thrashed an op
sistently call them social ventilators. Their grossness must have been warmly appreciated by the early denizens of Gentryville, for the descendants of the latter up to this day have taken care that they should not be buried from sight under the dust of long-continued forgetfulness. I reproduce here, exactly as I obtained it, the particular chapter of the Chronicles which reflected on the Grigsbys so severely, and which must serve as a sample of all the others. April 16, 1829. Records Spencer Co., Indiana. Reuben and Charles Grigsby on the same day married The original chapter in Lincoln's handwriting came to light in a singular manner after having been hidden or lost for years. Shortly before my trip to Indiana in 1865 a carpenter in Gentryville was rebuilding a house belonging to one of the Grigsbys. While so engaged his son and assistant had climbed through the ceiling to the inner side of the roof to tear away some of the timbers, and there found, tucked away under
Elizabeth Crawford (search for this): chapter 4
. the fight between John Johnston and William Grigsby. recollections of Elizabeth Crawford. marriage of Sarah Lincoln and Aaron Grigsby. the wedding song. the Chh blowing his bugle. The latter was also the husband of my informant, Mrs. Elizabeth Crawford. As the reader will naturally conclude, the revelation of this add lines of rhyme in which William's weaknesses are handed down to posterity, Mrs. Crawford had often afterwards heard Abe recite, but she was very reluctant from a fe from a campaign song which Abe was in the habit of rendering, according to Mrs. Crawford, attests his earliest political predilections: Let auld acquaintance be John Anderson's Lamentation, as rendered by Abe, was written out for me by Mrs. Crawford, but the first lines, Oh, sinners, poor sinners, take warning by me, Threlated to me in my office one day, says Pitcher, an account of his payment to Crawford of the damage done to the latter's book-Weems' Life of Washington. Lincoln s
country villages of that day with as keen a relish as they are to-day. There is no reason and less evidence for the belief that Abe did not partake of this forbidden fruit along with other boys of the same age and condition in life. Among what Dennis called field songs are a few lines from this one: The turbaned Turk that scorns the world And struts about with his whiskers curled, For no other man but himself to see. Of another ballad we have this couplet: Hail Columbia, happy laought encouraging news of the newly developed state of Illinois. Vast stretches of rich alluvial lands were to be had there on the easiest of terms. Besides this, Indiana no longer afforded any inducements to the poor man. The proposition of Dennis met with the general assent of the Lincoln family, and especially suited the roving and migratory spirit of Thomas Lincoln. He had been induced to leave Kentucky for the hills of Indiana by the same rosy and alluring reports. He had moved four
1 2 3 4 5 6 7