Nancy became ill when she went to help care for her sick neighbors. On October 5, , within two weeks of the first symptoms, Abraham's mother died. Death in a one-room log cabin was a grim experience for the survivors. Nancy's body was prepared for burial in the very room in which the family lived.
Thomas and nine-year old Abraham whipsawed logs into planks, and with wooden pegs they fastened the boards together into a coffin. After the body was properly prepared and dressed by the neighbor women, it was placed into the casket. Nancy was then taken to her final resting-place on the hill just south of the family's farm. Thomas probably followed pioneer custom and placed fieldstones at the head and foot of the grave and may have carved the letters, N. It is impossible to accurately assess the full impact of Nancy's life on Abraham Lincoln.
The people who touch our lives do so in a variety of ways. But by all accounts she had been a fine and loving mother. Undoubtedly she left her mark on the young boy in the countless small and intimate ways that mothers do with their children.
The experience of her death also prepared her son for facing the tragedy and loss that is a part of life as well. The intangible effects of both her life and her death became a part of Abraham's life and helped shape the man he became. It was the understanding that we all share the universal experience of having our lives touched by others that motivated people in the late 19th and early 20th centuries to begin their efforts to preserve Nancy's final resting place, both as a tribute to her and to her son.
Those efforts began with a desire to permanently mark her grave and led, ultimately, to the creation of the National Memorial that exists today. Please allow one business day for replies from NCpedia.
Skip to main content. Is anything in this article factually incorrect? Please submit a comment. Hanks Lincoln , Nancy by Meade B. Horne, References: Paul M. Angle, The Lincoln Reader Asheville Citizen , 10 Feb.
Concise Dictionary of American Biography DAB , vol. Raleigh News and Observer , 10 Feb. Raleigh Sunday Observer , 4 Nov. Tim Taylor, The Book of Presidents Tyler's Quarterly 8 John W.
Wayland, The Lincolns in Virginia Winston-Salem Journal , 12 Sept. UNC Press. Horne, Meade B. Origin - location:. Gaston County. Your name. More information about text formats.
Sarah had never wanted him to run for president, fearful that something would happen to him. I knew they would. When Sarah died in , she was buried in a black woolen dress given to her by her stepson during their final reunion, a token of appreciation for all she had done for him. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! Twice a week we compile our most fascinating features and deliver them straight to you.
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