Anyone here have family Lincoln stories?

Many of my ancestors were living in Central Illinois before and during the Civil War. As I was growing up, I heard stories about my great great grandfathers and their brothers and brothers in law who wore the Blue. I also heard stories of how they and/or their neighbors met Abraham Lincoln, heard him speak, etc. etc.

I thought it would be interesting to share these stories.

When my mother was a little girl, one of her neighbors lived in a house that was an old inn at the time Lincoln rode the circuit. She told my mother how she remembered Lincoln as being very tall and very funny and kind to her and the other children.

I also heard that my great great grandfather and his family heard Lincoln speak on the courthouse steps in Clinton, Illinois, though the family has argued over what he actually said!

Anyone out there have family stories about seeing Lincoln?

I own this mahogany drop-leaf dining table that I inherited from my grandparents. THEY inherited it from one Alice Conkling of Franklin, NE, who employed my grandfather as a handyman for many years when he was young. Alice's father lived with her when he was old (she was a rather mannish-looking spinster, ahem), and no doubt sat at this table for years. It even has a circular pipe burn on it, and I believe he was a pipe smoker (I have several pics of him) - or maybe Alice was the pipe smoker (did I mention she was a mannish spinster?)

ANYWAY - the Conklings came from Springfield IL. Mr Conkling's father (Alice's grandfather) was James C. Conkling, one of Abe Lincoln's best friends/colleagues, and you can find mentions of him on the internet. The younger Mr. Conkling, when he was a kid or young adult, worked in Lincoln's office.

So I have a table that was sat at for at least a couple of years by my reckoning by a man who personally knew Lincoln very well. Imagine that!

Oh, and the table is nothing spectacular. It's got a beautiful finish on it, but the construction looks almost homemade in some ways. Two drop leaves, eight-sided pedestal base, and some odd finials that stick DOWN. And sort of scrolled feet, like somebody would make in their wood shop. I almost wonder if my grandfather made it for Alice, but I'll never know.
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Lincoln's Famous Letter to James C. Conkling:
http://showcase.netins.net/web/creative/lincoln/speeches/conkling.htm
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Conkling, Lincoln, & Herndon is the law firm they had in Springfield.
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http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=19952
James C. Conkling
Birth: 1816
Death: 1899

James & his wife Mercy were good friends & confidantes of Abraham & Mary Lincoln. Conkling was Mayor of Springfield in 1845 & then member of the state legislature. He read the famous "Conkling Letter" from Lincoln at a mass meeting in Springfield in September 1863, in which Lincoln defended so eloquently his policies in the war & the Emancipation Proclamation.

Burial:
Oak Ridge Cemetery and Abbey
Springfield
Sangamon County
Illinois, USA
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I must add for posterity that both my grandparents loved Alice Conkling dearly and considered her a really fine person. She took my grandfather in when his stepfather threw him out, and when my grandparents got married she hosted the wedding and reception. I have only the vaguest recollection of meeting her when I was little. She passed away in about 1968 and my grandparents traveled back to NE (from CO) for her funeral (they NEVER went ANYWHERE). I wish I had been able to chat with her about her amazing family history.

Oh, and one last thing: This means there's only three degrees of separation between me and Abraham Lincoln. WOW. I knew my grandfather, who knew the younger Mr. Conkling, who knew Lincoln. That's a major wow for me.

and my 3rd great-aunt was married to Mathew Brady (the photographer, who took most of the most famous photos of Lincoln). So...I have a family connection, I suppose you'd say.

left her husband to live (in sin) with Abraham Lincoln, the uncle of the 16th president.

<This is family lore I got from another genealogist. I have not verified its accuracy.>