Read these excerpts. My mother, who died in my tenth year, was of a family of the name of Hanks, some of whom now reside in Adams, and others in Macon counties, Illinois. –“1859 Autobiographical Statement for the Chester County Times” He [Lincoln] could remember how he stayed by his mother’s side and watched her face while listening to her read the Bible. –“Abraham Lincoln’s Boyhood Home at Knob Creek” What do these two excerpts help readers understand about Lincoln’s life? His mother’s death led him to find some of her family, who lived in Illinois. He was strongly influenced by the life and death of his mother. He often sat by his mother’s side and watched her face when she read to him. His mother’s family had the last name “Hanks” and lived in Adams.