Family Group Sheet

Jesse Baker, when he first moved to central Illinois, came into Sangamon County near New Salem about 1825 and was contemporary with Abraham Lincoln, the Armstrongs, James Estep and the old people of New Salem.

Jesse said that Lincoln always wore store clothes and was considered an educated man. Rather than being very poor, he was, by comparison with the local standard, rather well off.

As a young man, he went on a trip to Kentucky and bought a fast saddle horse which he had shipped back by boat to Beardstown, Illinois on the Illinois River. From there, he rode his horse, Old Kentucky, overland to New Salem, a distance of about thirty miles.

Soon, all of the local men were looking the horse over and admiring him. Jesse Baker, however, told Lincoln that he would race his horse, Pinhook, against the newcomer at 300 yards for a bet of one hundred dollars. Lincoln immediately accepted the bet and put up the amount in store goods against Jesse's cash. The 300 yards was measured off, Royal (Rile) Potter rode Pinhook and one of the Armstrong boys rode Old Kentucky with every man, woman and child in Salem in attendance.

Pinhook won in a close finish and Lincoln paid up but he then said to Jesse, "You darned old Indian, you knew my horse was sore from travelling and couldn't run. I'll race with you again in six weeks at 600 yards for any stake."

"Oh, no, Abe, we're racing today." Jesse ended the story with, "Abe Lincoln was a very smart man but powerful slow to think."

Jesse always bragged that he had a son, Abraham Lincoln Baker, born 17 March 1836 when Lincoln was 27 years old and unknown. Unfortunately, the boy died in 1838.