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Lincoln and Parthena Boles
 Abraham Lincoln Boles
born Nov. 1, 1867 Overton Co. TN died Dec. 12, 1954 Scott Co. TN.
The Boles or Bowles family in America dates back to Pre-Revolutionary War years. Not much
is known about the first ancestor of whom we have records, John Bowles, Sr., except that
his wife was either May, Mary, or Polly; that they were married probably in 1761 or 1762;
that they were parents of James b. ca. 1763, in PA. - d. bet. 1850-1860 in Overton Co.,
Tn.), John and Thomas, John's wife was probably born in the 1740's and died between Apr.
27, 1828 and June 17, 1828 in Washington Co., Va. John died between Nov. 2, 1793 and Aug.
19, 1794. The Boles families that now live in Fentress, Overton, Pickett, and Scott
Counties are descended from this James, who fought at the Battle of Kings Mountain.
Col. John Boles, the son of James and Elizabeth Franklin Bowles (b. 1768, VA d. Apr. 1850
Overton Co., Tn) was born June 6, 1802 in Blunt Co., TN. His wife, Matilda Beaty Boles,
was born on July 12, 1810 in TN. They were married in June 1827. Their first child, Robert F. (b. July 4, 1829 in Overton Co., d. Sep. 27, 1912 in
Fentress Co.), married Naomi Worley (b. Nov. 7, 1829), daughter of Hiram and Polly
Whisenand Worley and they were the parents of ten children - John, Alexander, James B.,
George, who died stage 3, Hiram, Matilda, Robert, Abraham Lincoln, (b. Nov. 1, 1867),
Fleming, and Catherine (Little Katy).
After the death of Naomi on Jan. 14, 1873, Robert married Martha Reagan, daughter of John
Reagan and Nancy Finley Reagan, and they were the parents of Grant, William, Mary, Sarah, Savage, and Blaine. Then after Martha's death on Nov. 3, 1886,
Robert married Martha's sister, Susan. Robert and Martha and later, Susan lived in a log
house at Big Piney near Wilder, in Fentress Co., Tn., and they are buried a the Boles
Cemetery in the front yard of the home they shared.
Robert and Noami's son, Lincoln (Link) moved to Scott Co., in 1883, when the Southern
Railway was being built. He worked for a time on the railroad, later working at the
Southern Clay Mfg. Co., a brick making plant, in Robbins. He married Parthena Pemberton
(born Jan. 14, 1874) on Jan. 27, 1895 and they were the parents of one daughter, Annie who
died at birth and four boys, Hobart, born Jan. 14, 1898, George W., born Jan. 25,1901,
James, born Sept 30, 1902 and Theodore, born Mar. 19, 1909.
In his younger days, Link had floated huge logs from the virgin forests down-river to the
mills located near the river. He had also returned to Overton Co., to attend the old
Alpine Institute during the time that A.H. Roberts was teaching there. Link was a very
colorful character, in later years having a long, white beard and mustache, very little
hair and enjoying playing with the local children, some of whom thought that he was Santa
Claus. He sometimes kept snakes in his basement and was not afraid of even the poisonous
varieties. He was a mail carrier during the time that mail trains grabbed the mail sacks
that were hung from a post along the tracks. He was very patient and loving with his
great-grandson, Alan Shoemaker, whom he would lift onto the arm of a rocking chair. Then
they would sit for a long time, rocking and talking until Alan would ask Link to stop and
let his imaginary friend rock also. So, Link would stoop over and pickup the
"friend" and they would all continue rocking. After the amputation of one leg,
due to circulatory problems, Link was bedfast for a year before his death on Dec. 12,
1954, at the home of his son, George W., with whom he had lived for several years. He and
his wife, Parthena, who was paralyzed for 23 years before her death on Jan. 12, 1951 are
buried in the Robbins Baptist Memorial Cemetery.
by Jo Ann Shoemaker
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