Saturday 13 July 2013

From Here Lincoln Came

On Wednesday 19th June 2013 I attended the From Here Lincoln Came: Abraham Lincoln in East Anglia, 1809-2009 talk by Dr Sam Edwards at the Norfolk and Norwich Millennium Library. This was the second of three talks celebrating the 50th anniversary of the opening of The 2nd Air Division Memorial Library.

The Memorial Library makes available for loan current material covering all aspects of American history, culture, and life. It also includes some specialised material about the Second World War in the air, and material about the special relationship between the people of the United Kingdom, specifically the people of East Anglia, and the people of the United States.

This talk by Dr Sam Edwards from Manchester Metropolitan University was about Abraham Lincoln's links with East Anglia and celebrating his English ancestry. The great, great, great, great, great, great-grandfather of Abraham Lincoln was Richard Lincoln, a resident of Swanton Morley. His son Edward lived in Hingham and due to a family squabble was disinherited. Edward's son Samuel Lincoln was an apprentice weaver before leaving for the New World in 1637.

Dr Sam Edwards told us of attempts to link Abraham Lincoln to his English roots as part of transatlantic politics. There is bust of Abraham Lincoln in St. Andrew's Parish Church of Hingham in Norfolk. This was a very interesting talk at the Norfolk and Norwich Millennium Library which highlighted the Great Emancipator's East Anglian ancestry.

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