Daugherty/Pepper Story

The Daugherty/Pepper family has two stories that are connected with Abraham Lincoln...neither of which has any actual proof.

The first one takes place in the southwest end of Huron, S.D., where a terrific museum (not sure of exact name) can be found. Our cousin, Linda Marcus, is on the museum board. There is an axe in the museum (see photo)and according to Linda, her father, Ivan Daugherty, (son of Frank Daugherty & Laura Carrington) said the ax was found by a Mr. Marvel who was an antique hunter. He had the ax for years and sent it to Denver to be carbon dated. There it was said to be the right age for the following story...

It is said that William Daugherty had the exhibited ax and Abe had the horse and they cut trees together. Here is the inscription on the card from the museum...

AXe- Owned by William Henry Daugherty, Born September 24, 1830. Reported to have been used by him and Abe Lincoln in Virginia. On loan by Ivan Daugherty, Huron.

To begin with, yes, William Henry Daugherty was born in 1830 (one source says 1831) in Virginia, the area now part of West Virginia. I'm quite sure his birthday was February 23. Abe Lincoln was born Feb. 12, 1809, in Kentucky, then moving to Indiana and Illinois.

We know that William Henry lived in Macon County, Illinois, before buying land in Appanoose County, Iowa in 1856. To add to the confusion there's also a Mason County, Illinois. Mason is north of Springfield, while Macon is East of Springfield, close to Decatur. In 1830 Abe's family settled near Decatur. William Henry was born about this time. So the timing doesn't jive, though the location does.

William Henry's father was James William Dougherty but known as William. I have no birthdate for him, but he was married in Maryland in 1825. This does make him closer to Abe's age. In the 1870 census this William lived in Macon County. Because we have no information about where William resided between 1825-1870, it would be possible for he and Abe Lincoln to know each other. Note: from Illinois, this family moved to Iowa.

I do feel that there is a connection between the Lincoln and the Daugherty/Pepper family. Much of this is due to another story from Ralph (Doc) Pesicka. I'll write this intriguing story next.

I would appreciate any help in collaborating the story of the axe. I'd also like to talk to the Marvel family. There are some people of that name still living in the Huron/Wessington area. Some are even relatives. This just strengthens my resolve to re-visit South Dakota late summer or early fall.