SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 6
(By Senators Williams, Sypolt, Foster and Kessler)
Commemorating the bicentennial year of the birth of Abraham Lincoln
by recalling and celebrating the life and legacy of Abraham
Lincoln's mother and Mineral County native daughter, Nancy
Hanks Lincoln.
Whereas, February 12, 2009, marks the 200th anniversary of the
birth of Abraham Lincoln; and
Whereas, It being necessary and proper to pay tribute to the
sixteenth President of the United States of America, it is likewise
necessary and proper to pay tribute to Nancy Hanks, mother of
Abraham Lincoln and native West Virginian; and
Whereas, Mineral County, West Virginia, has long been
recognized as the birthplace of Nancy Hanks; and
Whereas, In 1783 Joseph Hanks purchased a 108-acre parcel on
what is known as Mikes Run in what was then Hampshire County,
Virginia, now Mineral County, West Virginia; and
Whereas, Joseph Hanks married Ann Lee (a distant relative of
Richard Lee, father of Robert E. Lee) and that marriage bore nine
children, one of whom was Lucy Hanks; and
Whereas, While residing on that certain parcel of property
consisting of 108 acres located on Mikes Run in Mineral County,
West Virginia, at a time believed to be not earlier than June 12, 1783, nor later than June 11, 1784, Lucy Hanks bore a child named
Nancy Hanks; and
Whereas, In 1806 Nancy Hanks married Thomas Lincoln and on
February 12, 1809, gave birth to Abraham Lincoln; and
Whereas, Nancy Hanks Lincoln died in 1818, at which time
Abraham Lincoln was just nine years of age; and
Whereas, In 1859 in an autobiography written for Jesse Fell,
Abraham Lincoln wrote that both of his parents were born in
Virginia; and
Whereas, In recognition of an important but often unrecognized
individual who had a significant impact upon the history of this
country, President Lincoln stated, "God bless my mother; all that
I am or ever hope to be I owe to her."; and
Whereas, In 1929 a special commission identified as the Nancy
Hanks Commission was appointed by West Virginia Governor William G.
Conley to investigate the authenticity of the location of the
birthplace of Nancy Hanks and said commission, in its final report
dated September 21, 1929, adopted the findings of Dr. William E.
Barton of Foxboro, Massachusetts, a leading historian on Abraham
Lincoln, as the best evidence on the nativity of Nancy Hanks; and
Whereas, The findings, conclusions and final report of the
Nancy Hanks Commission, as appointed by Governor Conley, recognized
and officially adopted as factual and historical evidence Dr.
Barton's findings that the actual birthplace of Nancy Hanks was, in fact, located within the State of West Virginia; and
Whereas, Said commission further recommended that the "State
of West Virginia acquire this sheltered place in the hills as a
state park, both for its historical significance and for its
picturesque value"; and
Whereas, The facts and conclusions stated in this resolution
are supported and further documented in the article cited as
follows: Steers, Jr., Edward. "Nancy Hanks. West Virginian? A
Review of the Current Status of Research Into the Birthplace of
Nancy Hanks Lincoln." Lincoln Herald (Summer 1998): 61-81.; and
Whereas, Dr. Steers is widely recognized as a Lincoln scholar
and his article on the birthplace of Nancy Hanks reflects his very
comprehensive research into the subject; and
Whereas, Although other reports and investigations have
suggested a birthplace of Nancy Hanks other than Mineral County,
West Virginia, Dr. Steers has determined that the substantial
evidence of record conclusively establishes that the birthplace of
Nancy Hanks was on Mikes Run in present day Mineral County, West
Virginia; therefore, be it
Resolved by the Senate:
That the Senate hereby commemorates the bicentennial year of
the birth of Abraham Lincoln by recalling and celebrating the life
and legacy of Abraham Lincoln's mother and Mineral County native
daughter, Nancy Hanks Lincoln; and, be it
Further Resolved, That the Senate calls upon the citizens of
West Virginia to join in the observance of 2009 as the bicentennial
year of the birth of Abraham Lincoln by recalling and celebrating
the life and legacy of Mineral County's native daughter, Nancy
Hanks Lincoln.
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