Excerpt from The Biographical Encyclopedia of Illinois of the Nineteenth Century Schools in that region were scarce, and those to be found simple and irregular - the religious institutions still more so. Parson Elkin was the only preacher in the vicinity, and it is said that from the simple addresses of this humble and devoted itinerant Abraham gathered his first ideas of public speech. When eight years of age his father removed into an almost unbroken wilderness within the limits of Spencer county, Indiana, not far from the present town of Gentry ville, where within two years they laid the faithful mother to rest. Inheriting a strong impulse for study, which was stimulated by his parents, Abraham became an early reader and writer, his. Books, though few in number, being well calculated to form a character which has never been sur passed for quaint simplicity, earnestness, purity and great wisdom. They were of a kind, too, which excited his taste for politics, kindled his ambition, and, though a lad, made him a warm admirer of the statesmen of that time. In the winter of 1819 he passed under the care of a step-mother, and as he grew up he became increasingly helpful on the farm. In physical strength and in athletic feats he was the master of all his companions, his modesty as well as his generosity winning their lasting esteem. When eighteen, he built a flatboat and made his first venture to a down-the river market, and when nineteen, though unaccustomed to business, and ignorant of the great stream he was to move upon, he made a successful flatboat trip. To New Orleans. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.