JOHN HANKS, whose name will go down in history as an early associate of Abraham Lincoln, was born in Nelson County, Kentucky, three miles from Bardstown, on the 9th of February, 1802. His father, William Hanks, was a Virginian who came to Kentucky at an early day, and settled on the Kentucky river, in Mercer County. His mother's name was Elizabeth Hall. The family lived in Hardin and Breckinridge counties, Ky., till the subject of this sketch was seven years of age, and then moved to Grayson county. He first became acquainted with Lincoln in Hardin county. Mr. Hanks was a first cousin to Lincoln's mother, Nancy Hanks. In the year 1822, when he was twenty years old, he went on a visit to Spencer county, Indiana. He was there two years, and made his home with the Lincolns, who had removed from Kentucky to that state. Abraham Lincoln was seven years younger than himself, and they worked together for two years, making rails, grubbing land, and performing the other labor required in the development of a farm in a new country. Mr. Hanks bought a piece of land next to the Lincoln farm, which he improved, and then went back to Kentucky. He afterwards made several trips, twelve in all, down the Ohio and Missippi rivers to New Orleans. The only means of disposing of surplus farm products in those days was by floating them, on flat-boats, down to New Orleans, where a ready market was found. In the year 1826 he married Susan Wilson, a native of Grayson county, Kentucky.
In the fall of 1828 he moved to Illinois, and settled on the farm which he now owns in Hickory Point township, four miles northwest of Decatur. On his way from Kentucky to Illinois he passed through Spencer county, Indiana, and stopped for a while with the Lincoln family, and Thomas Lincoln, Abe's father, told Hanks to write back when he got to Illinois, and inform them what kind of a country he found, and if it was better than Indiana the Lincoln family would remove to Illinois also. Mr. Hanks wrote back, accordingly, soon after he settled in Macon County, that he liked the country, and considered it superior to that part of Indiana in which they lived. Consequently, Thomas Lincoln moved with his family to Macon county, in March, 1830. When he first came to Macon county, Mr. Hanks had cut enough logs for a house on the Sangamon river, but on account of not being able to get any prairie broke, had settled instead in Hickory Point township. On the arrival of Thomas Lincoln, he told him he might have the logs to build a cabin if he liked the location. The offer was accepted, and young Abe Lincoln hauled the logs together with a yoke of oxen, and a cabin was built near the Sangamon, in Harristown township, in which the Lincoln family lived while they resided in Macon county. In the summer of 1830, he went down to help the Lincolns fence a tract of land, and he and Abe cut and split enough rails to fence fifteen acres. From this lot of rails was taken those displayed at the Chicago convention, in 1860. In the spring of 1831, he and Lincoln built a flat-boat at Sangamon town, five miles from Springfield. They went there in March, cut the timber, built the boat, and in May floated it out of the Sangamon. At St. Louis, Mr. Hanks left the board to come home and see his family, and left Lincoln and the rest of the crew to navigate it down the Mississippi to New Orleans.
In 1832 Mr. Hanks was in the Black Hawk war, having enlisted in a company commanded by Isaac C. Pugh. He came back to Macon county, and was engaged in farming till 1850, and then went to California. He was occupied three years in mining within sixty or seventy miles of Sacramento, and came back in 1853. On the breaking out of the war of the rebellion he volunteered, and enlisted in Co. A., of the 21st Illinois regiment. This was the regiment as colonel in command of which Gen. U. S. Grant entered the war. Mr. Hanks was fifty-nine years old when he enlisted. He served over two years as wagon master. While Grant had command of his regiment he had charge of his staff team. He served in Missouri, Tennessee, Arkansas, Kentucky, Alabama, and Mississippi. Becoming incapacitated from duty by the rheumatism, he was honorably discharged at Winchester, Tennessee, after two years' service.
Since the war, Mr. Hanks has been three times to California and Oregon, and altogether has seen a considerable portion of this country. He has never held office, nor has cared to occupy any public position. After Lincoln had been elected president he invited him to dinner at Springfield, and offered to do anything in his power for his old comrade, but he declined to accept any office, preferring to remain at home with his family. Before the war he was a democrat, but always supported Lincoln when he was a candidate for any office, and since the rebellion has been a strong republican. His wife died in March, 1863. He has had eight children, of whom six are now living. William resides near Monticello, in Piatt county. James Lewis lives in Lake County, Oregon. Jane married Alexander T. Medlin, and is now dead. John Felix died at the age of twenty-one. Emily is the wife of Elijah Loomis of Hickory Point township. Grayson lives in north-west Missouri. Mary Ellen married John Manning, and now lives in Humboldt county, California, and Levi Hanks, the youngest son, lives near Moawequa.