At the age of twenty-two, Abraham Lincoln arrived in New Salem,
Illinois, as a strange, friendless, uneducated, penniless boy (in his
own words). He did not remain friendless for long. Meet the community
that welcomed him: Bennett and Elizabeth Abell, the couple who guided
him through heartache; Mary Owens, Elizabeth Abell's sister who helped
educate him in the realm of the heart; Mentor Graham, the schoolmaster
who helped teach him; Bowling Green, the jolly justice of the peace who
allowed Lincoln to practice law before his court; and Slicky Bill
Greene, who clerked with Lincoln at a frontier dry goods store. Making
good use of primary sources overlooked by many historians, Dale Thomas
helps flesh out the important story of Lincoln's formative years in
Menard County.