ISAAC G CISSNA
BOONVILLE, INDIANA , MAY 20
Stories of Abe Lincoln 1915
Published Boonville Standard
May 28 1915

MR. W. E. WILLIAMS
DEAR SIR,
In answer to your inquiry, I will say that I was born May 11 1848 about six miles south of Polk Patch, now Selvin, Warrick County, Indiana and for more than thirty years of my life I lived within Polk Patch and for the remainder of my life I have lived in knowing distance of this little town and I was intimately acquainted with the old people of this community in my early life and I never heard during that time any mention of any fort being built there neither was there any fort there in my time.
As to say the Lincoln’s went on their way to Illinois I will say that about 1882 I bought a horse from JOHN BATES who lives in the neighborhood of where the LINCOLN CITY now stands and after taking that horse home he got out and went back and COLL GASAWAY and I went after him and we found the horse it being late in the afternoon MR JOHN CHINN who at that time lived in the old LINCOLN house then where the town of LINCOLN CITY now stands He and I being very acquainted in our boyhood days insisted on us staying over night with him which we did and during the evening he said that was the house of Lincoln lived in.
That night some of his neighbors came over and stayed until late bed time and some of the principal topics were the Lincoln’s and they all seem to know Lincoln and the Lincoln family and they told many interesting things to me concerning ABRAHAM LINCOLN and during the time the question was asked by MR GASAWAY which way the LINCOLN’S went when they moved to Illinois and MR CHINN said that they went by JONES STORE which stood three fourths mile west of where Gentryville now stands and continued west on the Corydon and Boonville road which ran west by way of what is now Folsomville and from there to Boonville they say he went north to what now is Lynnville and on to Vincennes.
This was the general talk among those present that night we stayed there, for ABRAHAM LINCOLN was in his boyhood days acquainted with these men and now had moved west and now had been in congress and they talked of it as if what a boy could do by going west. They told of many things of ABE LINCOLN in his school days in that community which was very interesting to me.
I give this as not only what I heard that night but afterwards I lived at Loafers Station on this Boonville and Corydon road abt six miles south of Selvin and I also in that community heard the old people say the LINCOLN’S went west to Boonville on this Corydon and Boonville road. And I will further say that I never in all my life heard anybody at Selvin or Polk Patch say the Lincolns went that way when he moved to Illinois.
Yours Truly
ISAAC G CISSNA
Published Boonville Standard May 28 1915
W E WILLIAMS
BOONVILLE INDIANA

SIR

In answer to you inquiry I will say that I was born on the 19th day of March 1858 in Skelton township, Warrick County Indiana on the Corydon and Boonville road about three miles west of the town of Gentryville, Spencer County and excepting two years have lived in and in knowing distance of this community all my life. My father and mother after I was married lived and died in Gentryville and are buried there.
My eldest sister married JACOB OSKINS who was the son of WILLIAM OSKINS who was one of the early settlers of that community and who was one of the neighbors of the LINCOLNS when they lived in that community.
After JACOB OSKINS married my sister he moved onto part of the farm of JOHN ROMINE who was also one of the neighbor to and was well acquainted with the LINCOLNS when they lived in that community.
During the time that said JACOB OSKINS lived on this said farm about one fourth mile west of Pigeon Baptist Church I worked for him and during that time I became acquainted with JOHN ROMINE he being at that time quite a old man and also WILLIAM OSKINS being a aged man at that time.
He would come to the home of his son JACOB OSKINS and MR JOHN ROMINE
would also come and these two old men would talk over as they called it old times and would tell of the early settlers and many things that were very interesting to me being then but a boy.
At that time JACOB OSKINS lived about a mile south of the old LINCOLN farm where LINCOLN CITY now stands and I visited the old farm and have been in the old LINCOLN house quite a number of times while it was yet standing there.
I have seen a great many strangers who came there to see the old house and they would frequently take some memento of relic from the same.
I have seen them take a hatchet and cut chips from the logs to make into toothpicks so as to have some relics from the Lincoln house.
During conversation between JOHN ROMINE and WILLIAM OSKINS. I remember of hearing JOHN ROMINE tell of how slow LINCOLN was that when they started to move to Illinois the first day they got down as far as EDMUND PHILLIP’S for they were moving with oxen and the road very bad, He said the reason he knew this was that THOMAS LINCOLN owned a certain tract of land 80 acres which he wanted to sell or trade for a good horse and after the LINCOLNS had started he followed them caught up with them at EDMUND PHILLIPS and there JOHN ROMINE said he traded to LINCOLN a young horse for the said 80 acres of land and received a deed for same and returned home.
He said that LINCOLN said he was going by way of Boonville I heard these two old men tell of this and many other things about LINCOLN quite often.

Hoping this answers your inquiry
Yours truly
JAMES E STEPHENS
Published Boonville Standard JUNE 11 1915