ief wooing, brought back a
wife, Sarah, the widow of one Mr. Johnston, whom he had courted vainly
before her first marriage. He brought with her some useful additions
to his household gear, and her rather useless son John Johnston.
Relatives of Abraham's mother and other old neighbours--in particular
John and Dennis Hanks--accompanied all the family's migrations.
Ultimately, in 1830, they all moved further west into Illinois.
Meanwhile Abraham from an early age did such various tasks for his
father or for neighbouring farmers as from time to time suited the
father. When an older lad he was put for a while in charge of a ferry
boat, and this led to the two great adventures of his early days,
voyages with a cargo boat; and two mates down by river to New Orleans.
The second and more memorable of these voyages was just after the
migration to Illinois. He returned from it to a place called New
Salem, in Illinois, some distance from his father's new farm, in
expectation of work in a store which was about to be opened. Abraham,
by this time, was of age, and in accordance with custom had been set
free to shift for himself.

Each of these migrations was effected with great labour in
transportation of baggage (sometimes in home-made boats), clearing of
timber, and building; and Thomas Lincoln cannot have been wanting in
the capacity for great exertions. But historians have been inclined to
be hard on him. He seems to have been without sustained industry; in
any case he had not much money sense and could not turn his industry to
much account. Some hint that he drank, but it is admitted that most
Kentucky men drank more. There are indications that he was a dutiful
but ineffective father, chastising not too often or too much, but
generally on the wrong occasion. He was no scholar and did not
encourage his son that way; but he had a great liking for stories. He
was of a peaceable and inoffensive temper, but on great provocation
would turn on a bully with surprising and dire consequences. Old
Thomas, after Abraham was turned loose, continued a migrant, always
towards a supposed better farm further west, always with a mortgage on
him. Abraham, when he was a struggling professional man, helped him
with money as well as he could. We have his letter to the old man on
his death-bed, a letter of genuine but mild affection with due words of
piety. He explains that illness in his own household makes it
impossible for him to pay