Why Be A Quitter, Abraham Lincoln's Life

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I'm not sure which Moran family member to attribute this too but I can say that it was written on the top portion of the backside of a piece of stationery from The Bobbs-Merrill Company- Inc.  The letter was dated September, 1951 and says: "Presenting Reid's Branson Instructions to Juries". 

A transcription follows the image.

Why be a Quitter?

Abraham Lincoln's 

life (1809-1865) is a

notable example of

final victory surmounting 

defeat.

Observe this chart:

 Age        Year       Occurrence

22 -         1831       Failed in business

23 -         1832       Defeated for Legislature

24 -         1833       Failed in business

25 -         1834       Elected to Legislature

26 -         1835       Death of Sweetheart

27 -         1836       Nervous breakdown

29 -         1838       Defeated for Speaker

31 -         1840         "      " Elector

34 -         1843         "      " Land Officer

34 -         1843         "      " Congress

37 -         1846       Elected to "

39 -         1848       Defeated for "

46 -         1855         "      " Senator

47 -         1856         "      " Vice President

49 -         1858         "      " Senator

51 -         1860       Elected President

Summary

In the course of 29 years 

Lincoln experienced:

Two business failures; a grievous

heartache; a physical breakdown;

nine political defeats; and only

then political success: the last

Yet, at the age of 51, was elected

President of U.S.A.

Verbum Sat Sapienti (translated: A word is sufficient for a wise man)

Turkish Inspired Cast Iron Woman, ca. mid 1800's

As a young boy living at the family home, my husband would go out into the woods and wander the property. And dig.  He did his own version of archaeology and this is one of the items he found many years ago.  He said the woman was always referred to as Amelia Bloomer because it appeared she is wearing bloomers.  I think the cast iron image bears a striking resemblance from the top of her head to the tips of her curl toe shoes to an illustration that appeared in Graham's Illustrated Magazine in 1858.  

Victorian Hair Art, ca. 1890's

I had seen Victorian jewelry made from human hair but this was the first time I had seen a decorative picture made of human hair. The leaves, flower petals, stems, stamens etc are all composed of Moran hair.  There are touches of colored thread and seed pearls as ornamentation as well.  

Hair was often used during Victorian times to commemorate the passing of a loved one, given as love tokens and also to record family history which is probably the case of this rather large, elaborate piece of hair art from the Moran home.

J.W.Moran & Sophia Riley Gunn Wedding Portrait, 1871

John W. was 31 and his bride, Sophia, was 18 when they were married.  

The photo was taken by C.C. Giers in Nashville, TN.

Weakley Count Courthouse Burns, CA 1948

Happy 4th of July from the Moran Family

Florence Irvine Dies from Burns received in House Fire, March 1895

Florence Irvine died tragically at the age of 27 in March, 1895, due to burns she received in a fire at home.  By the time her mother (Agnes Moran Irvine) found her, her upper body was engulfed in flames.  There was little that could be done except to give her morphine injections to make her comfortable till she passed away.  It is assumed that Florence was trying to put out a fire started by having quilts on a rack too close to the fireplace in her bedroom.  

Florence was the daughter of Agnes Moran and Benjamin D. Irvine of Dresden, TN.  This clipping was found in the personal papers of the Moran family.  I presume that it was published in the Dresden Enterprise soon after the death of Florence in March, 1895.  J.W. Moran and Sophia Riley Gunn Moran were Florence's Aunt and Uncle.

1895 was going to be a very sad year for the J.W. Moran family culminating in the death of  Sophia Riley Gunn Moran in October, 1895. 

A Lamentable Affair.

Once again is a Dresden home in 

sorrow on account of the ruthless hand

of death, caused by an accident that

brought sorrow not only to them, but 

to their many friends as well.  May 

God in His infinite wisdom and mercy 

turn away from any of our homes again

such a sad and awful visitation.

Wednesday morning about eight

o'clock Mrs. B.D. Irvine, who was in 

an adjoining room to her daughter,

Miss Florence, heard an unusual noise 

and rushed in to find her a mass of

flames from her waist up.  The horror-

stricken mother, assisted by others who

soon reached her gave as immediate

relief as possible, and Dr. A. Finch

was soon on hand to administer as

much ease as possible to the dying 

girl.  For about twenty minutes, until

morphine administered hyperdermically

could take effect, she suffered much,

but after that she became easy and 

died at 12 o'clock, quietly, surrounded

by parents and brothers, who loved

Miss Florence most devotedly.  The 

entire family is heartbroken, especially 

the loving, Christian mother, who has 

?? unusual degree of earth's sorrows

?? which,however she has

?? a woman can who draw 

her consolation from a Diving Father.

There is not a heart in Dresden today

that does not go out in sympathy to

them in their bereavement, but in such

hours God alone can comfort and sus-

tain.

Miss Florence has been afflicted

since a small child with convulsions.

And? her mother has all these years

?? day and night to prevent

??? such it is not

?? she had a spell.  She was

making the beds there being two in

the room, the quilts from one lying on

a chair in front of the fire, and partly

burned up when discovered.  The

supposition naturally is that Miss

Florence tried to extinguish the flames

and ??? fire, as the lower

?? es were not burned.

The Youth's Companion 1891, Calendar