I think I saw the movie called "The Hunt for Red October" once, but it's not my kind of flick. I'm on my own hunt this October.
Hunt due to groundwork by Judge Willams
I'm working on a paper for the Abraham Lincoln class I'm taking at Heartland College . My theme is Abraham Lincoln and his mentors, and one of those I want to include is Mentor Graham, the teacher at New Salem. Thanks to the great article, "Lincolniana," which Judge Frank J. Williams does every year about Lincoln scholarship, I learned of a paper on the Lincoln/Graham relationship. I've been trying in vain to locate it.
Judge Williams is a member of the United States Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission and the Chairman of The Lincoln Forum. He's passionate about Lincoln and his work is invaluable. I got to hear him speak in 2005 when the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum (ALPLM) opened, so I can attest firsthand for his enthusiasm.
Enough about the Judge. I'll share more on his work another time. Back to the Lincoln/Graham paper.
Hunting for Basil Moore treasures
Basil Moore delivered a paper titled, "Abraham Lincoln and His Mentor Graham." at an April 11, 1992 conference "Remembering Lincoln," at Augustana College in Rock Island. The very helpful archivist, Jamie Nelson, at Augustana determined they don't have it. She connected me with Dean Hammer, who was the chair sponsoring the conference. Unfortunately, he didn't know where a copy could be found either. I'd go to the source - Moore - but I believe he passed away a number of years ago.
I'm checking with the ALPLM to see if they have the paper there or know if Moore's collection is in an archive somewhere. I do have a lot of material without this and a copy of Basil Moore's Lincoln coming through interlibrary loan, but I thought this might show the Graham/Lincoln relationship in some light I had not considered.
Thanks for your help in my hunt
My blog is new and just beginning to attract Lincoln buffs like me. I hope some of you are finding some value in it by learning something new from time to time about Lincoln, the scholars who tell his story or the books they've written. My foray into the world of Lincoln is teaching me so much, but I'm still new at learning where to look for all these sources. If you can help, please use the comments function on this blog post.
Happy hunting in your own Lincoln research, and be sure to watch my future postings for more on Lincoln and Graham. Douglas Wilson of the Lincoln Studies Center at Knox College provides information on the relationship which is a bit different than that of those who wrote about it earlier using the anecdotal material passed down through time. I'm looking forward to sharing what I've learned.
© Copyright 2008 Ann Tracy Mueller. All rights reserved.
Showing posts with label Mentor Graham. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mentor Graham. Show all posts
Monday, October 27, 2008
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Learning with Lincoln
Forgive me for not posting for a few days. I've been busy learning with Lincoln -- and with so many others who forged the path before me.
Lincoln - the student or the teacher?
I'm currently working on my term paper for my class at Heartland College. My topic is Lincoln and his mentors. I spent this weekend doing lots of online research and reading in books about the teacher at New Salem, Mentor Graham. Though Lincoln was already an adult at New Salem, his schooling to that point had been less than a year.
Lincoln befriended the village teacher, Mentor Graham, or perhaps Graham befriended him. Either way, as Lincoln delved into his studies - of grammar, of surveying, of law - and read books on a wide range of topics, Graham was there. If the sources I'm reading are to be believed, the two also spent hours discussing many of the topics which would be important or confusing to Lincoln throughout his life - internal improvements, slavery, religion.
The primary book I read today, Mentor Graham: The Man Who Taught Lincoln, by Kunigunde Duncan and D. F. Nikols, was written in 1944, and much of it may be anecdotal, based on myth, stories told by minds that have reshaped them, and hearsay. Yet, I came away believing that there were two students here. I think Graham learned as much in many ways as his student did.
Lincoln Studies Center and Lincoln Studies.com
Those of you who have been following my blog know how much I admire, laud and appreciate the work of the Lincoln Studies Center at Knox College. Drs. Rodney Davis, Douglas Wilson and their colleagues do amazing research there and have made invaluable contributions to the study of Lincoln. One work alone, Herndon's Informants, is perhaps one of the most valuable tools for any Lincoln scholar's bookshelf. I could devote several posts to their work and likely will.
I found another valuable research tool this weekend, though. There is an ambitious young PhD candidate at Southern Illinois University, Samuel P. Wheeler. Wheeler has created a website titled Lincoln Studies: Abraham Lincoln and the American Civil War, which is out of this world in getting students of Lincoln to the sources they need. His Research Links section takes you to nearly any online source possible without the access provided by colleges and universities to their students, including thousands of newspaper articles about Lincoln. Wheeler’s site, http://www.lincolnstudies.com/, was a big help to me this weekend. I know I’ll use it over and over again.
Can’t go wrong
Whether you’re seeking the experience Drs. Davis and Wilson have accumulated over nearly half a century, or the sources to which a budding scholar will guide you, remember two words – Lincoln Studies – and seek both as valuable contributions to your work in the world of Lincoln. I will.
Lincoln - the student or the teacher?
I'm currently working on my term paper for my class at Heartland College. My topic is Lincoln and his mentors. I spent this weekend doing lots of online research and reading in books about the teacher at New Salem, Mentor Graham. Though Lincoln was already an adult at New Salem, his schooling to that point had been less than a year.
Lincoln befriended the village teacher, Mentor Graham, or perhaps Graham befriended him. Either way, as Lincoln delved into his studies - of grammar, of surveying, of law - and read books on a wide range of topics, Graham was there. If the sources I'm reading are to be believed, the two also spent hours discussing many of the topics which would be important or confusing to Lincoln throughout his life - internal improvements, slavery, religion.
The primary book I read today, Mentor Graham: The Man Who Taught Lincoln, by Kunigunde Duncan and D. F. Nikols, was written in 1944, and much of it may be anecdotal, based on myth, stories told by minds that have reshaped them, and hearsay. Yet, I came away believing that there were two students here. I think Graham learned as much in many ways as his student did.
Lincoln Studies Center and Lincoln Studies.com
Those of you who have been following my blog know how much I admire, laud and appreciate the work of the Lincoln Studies Center at Knox College. Drs. Rodney Davis, Douglas Wilson and their colleagues do amazing research there and have made invaluable contributions to the study of Lincoln. One work alone, Herndon's Informants, is perhaps one of the most valuable tools for any Lincoln scholar's bookshelf. I could devote several posts to their work and likely will.
I found another valuable research tool this weekend, though. There is an ambitious young PhD candidate at Southern Illinois University, Samuel P. Wheeler. Wheeler has created a website titled Lincoln Studies: Abraham Lincoln and the American Civil War, which is out of this world in getting students of Lincoln to the sources they need. His Research Links section takes you to nearly any online source possible without the access provided by colleges and universities to their students, including thousands of newspaper articles about Lincoln. Wheeler’s site, http://www.lincolnstudies.com/, was a big help to me this weekend. I know I’ll use it over and over again.
Can’t go wrong
Whether you’re seeking the experience Drs. Davis and Wilson have accumulated over nearly half a century, or the sources to which a budding scholar will guide you, remember two words – Lincoln Studies – and seek both as valuable contributions to your work in the world of Lincoln. I will.
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