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Family Story Brought Abe Lincoln To Life

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By BETTE J. LAFFERTY

Special to the Tribune

Published: October 5, 2008

VALRICO - In 1948, I was 12 when my great-grandmother told me about the time she saw Abraham Lincoln come through her family's little community of Smoke Hole, W.Va. The truth is, her parents told her the story because she was only an infant at the time.

But the idea of knowing someone who had actually seen President Lincoln impressed me tremendously. Her story brought to life a man I only had known as a character in a history book.

Listening to my great-grandmother was the beginning of my fascination with our Civil War president.

Next year, the state of Illinois will host a bicentennial celebration of Lincoln's birth and I'd like to be there. The new Lincoln Library in his hometown of Springfield, Ill., stands as a great tribute to a humble man. The library is fitting; Lincoln loved to read and walked miles to borrow a book.

In 1954, when I was a senior in high school in Ohio, our class trip was to Washington. One of our first stops was the Lincoln Memorial. The brilliant larger-than-life statute of Lincoln sitting in a chair stunned me. The memorial is modeled after the temples of ancient Greece. Its majestic beauty caught me off guard and I stood spellbound for several moments. I can only imagine how the men who worked on this magnificent structure must have felt.

When I moved to South Dakota in 1960, I eventually toured Mount Rushmore. Once again, the grandeur of Lincoln depicted in a majestic monument - this time where the larger-than-life sculpture of his face is carved on the mountainside - fueled my strong respect for the man.

I've read numerous books and articles about Lincoln, trying to understand my blind loyalty. Historians record him as a political genius, a common man of great honor who rose from poverty to power. Perhaps many people remember him only for his height, his stovepipe hat and less than handsome features. But he had a complexity that leaves me wanting more information about the tender-hearted president with a constitution of steel and deep faith in God.

The highlight of my ongoing fascination with Lincoln came in 2006 when my husband and I visited the Gettysburg National Military Park in Pennsylvania. The Battle of Gettysburg was a turning point in the Civil War and cost the lives of nearly 51,000 Union and Confederate soldiers in 1863. Four months later, Lincoln gave his famous Gettysburg Address here.

I tried to envision the fear and strength, the pain and valor experienced by the young men whose blood remains buried in the soil. Both armies believed deeply in their purpose, yet Lincoln remained focused on a larger purpose, saving the Union. For that, we must all be thankful.

We toured the Gettysburg National Cemetery, wandering through the carefully manicured gardens and reading the many headstones. Just as we were getting ready to leave, I noticed a large monument to our left and called out to my husband, "Wait - I want to read this last one."

To my surprise, the inscription on the monument revealed I was standing in the area where President Lincoln had given his famous Gettysburg Address. He had walked on the very earth where my feet seemed cemented to the path. Tears came, and I couldn't speak.

For a moment, I traveled back in time, listening to my hero speak the unforgettable words: "Four score and seven years ago, our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation: conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal."

It was an extraordinary moment and a story I definitely will tell to my children.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Bette J. Lafferty, 72, lives in Valrico and moved to Florida in 1963. She grew up in east Toledo, Ohio, worked for an insurance company and was a mystery shopper for a grocery chain.

She enjoys volunteering for her church and writing short stories and poetry.

She and her husband, Russell, have five children, four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

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