Biography Of Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln was born in a log cabin in Kentucky to Thomas and Nancy Lincoln. The family moved to Indiana and 8 year old Abe helped his father build another log house. A year later his mother died and the house was very empty. His father remarried and in addition to his sister Sarah, who was 3 years older, there were now 3 more children in the family.

When his father could spare him from chores, Lincoln attended school. Schools were held in log cabins, and often the teachers were barely more educated than their pupils. Including a few weeks at a similar school in Kentucky, Lincoln had less than one full year of formal education in his entire life.

Lincolns stepmother encouraged his quest for knowledge. At an early age he could read, write, and do simple arithmetic. Books were scarce on the Indiana frontier, but besides the family Bible, which Lincoln knew well, he was able to read the classical authors.

At the age of 19, being 6 ft. 4 in, lean and muscular, Abraham Lincoln found a job ferrying people across the Mississippi River. In 1828, he was hired officially ferrying merchandise instead of people. Soon, Lincoln made extraordinary efforts to attain knowledge while working on a farm, splitting rails for fences, and keeping store at New Salem, Illinois. He was a captain in the Black Hawk War. Lincoln then opened a general store in New Salem with William F. Berry as his partner. But Berry misused the profits, and in a few months the venture failed. Berry died in 1835, leaving Lincoln responsible for debts amounting to $1100. It took him several years to pay them off. After the general store failed, Lincoln was appointed postmaster of New Salem. The appointment came from Jackson's Democratic administration. Lincoln's Whig views were well known, but, as Lincoln explained it, the postmaster's job was too insignificant to make his politics an objection. As postmaster, Lincoln earned $60 a year plus a percentage of the receipts on postage. He ran an informal post office, often doing favors for friends, such as undercharging them for mailing letters. The job gave him time to read, and he made a habit of reading all the newspapers that came through the office. To augment his income, he became the deputy surveyor of Sangamon County.

In 1834 Lincoln again ran for representative to the Illinois legislature.