The Taylorville Kiwanis Club heard about the history of Abraham Lincoln just head of the celebration of his birthday, from retired Judge Ron Spears, at their weekly meeting Tuesday at Taylorville Memorial Hospital auditorium.
Spears took Kiwanis members thru the former president's life, starting with his birth in Kentucky in 1809, his family's moves to Indiana and then to Illinois.
Spears said that Lincoln's experiences as a child and young adult, influenced his life as he got older and ultimately elected president. 
The former judge added that Lincoln's family's trail in Illinois first landed them just west of Decatur along the Sangamon River, then to Coles County, and ultimately to New Salem.
Spears said that although Lincoln was a failure for most of his adult life, those failures enabled him to work to give equal opportunity for African-Americans during and after the Civil War while president.

The Taylorville Kiwanis Club is part of global organization of volunteers dedicated to improving the world one child and one community at a time.  Weekly meetings are held Tuesdays at noon at the Taylorville Memorial Hospital auditorium.  For information on the club, go to taylorvillekiwanis.com.