Who was Lincoln's mother?

 

Abraham Lincoln's mother was Nancy Hanks Lincoln. She was born on February 5, 1784, in Hampshire County, Virginia (now Mineral County, West Virginia). There are no known photographs of Nancy Hanks Lincoln, so all we know of her appearance comes from descriptions by people who knew her. She was said to be a beautiful woman with dark hair and blue eyes. She was also said to be kind and gentle, and to have a great love of learning.

Nancy Hanks Lincoln, Abraham Lincoln's mother

Nancy Hanks Lincoln died on October 5, 1818, at the age of 34. She is buried in the Pioneer Cemetery in Lincoln City, Indiana.

Nancy Hanks Lincoln had a profound impact on her son, Abraham Lincoln. She taught him the importance of education and reading, and she instilled in him a sense of compassion and empathy. Lincoln often spoke of his mother with great affection, and he credited her with shaping the man he became.

One of the most famous descriptions of Nancy Hanks Lincoln comes from William Herndon, who collaborated with Jesse Weik to publish the first full-scale biography of Abraham Lincoln in 1889. Herndon described Nancy as "a woman of great natural intelligence, of strong religious feeling, and of great tenderness of heart." He also said that she was "a woman of great personal beauty, with a clear, fair complexion, dark hair, and blue eyes."

Herndon's description of Nancy Hanks Lincoln is just one of many that have been written over the years. However, it is one of the most famous, and it provides a glimpse into the woman who helped to shape one of the most important figures in American history.