Mary Lincoln Crume

Mary Lincoln Crume (circa 1775 – circa 1832) was born in Linville Creek, Rockingham County, Virginia. She was the daughter of Captain Abraham Lincoln (1744–1786) and Bathsheba Herring Lincoln (circa 1742–1836). Her family originally resided in Augusta County, Virginia, and later moved to Jefferson County, Kentucky, during her childhood.

Mary Lincoln Crume was the third child among five siblings, which included Mordecai (born circa 1771), Josiah (born circa 1773), and Nancy (born 1780). She was born at the Lincoln family homestead in Linville Creek. In her early years, her family relocated from Virginia to Kentucky.

Mary is believed to have entered into a common-law or frontier marriage with Daniel Crume (January 27, 1758 – September 16, 1824) around 1791, although there are no public marriage records for this relationship. This union was reportedly dissolved before 1801. She and Daniel Crume had two daughters: Sarah Crume Hasty (born January 25, 1792, died July 7, 1879) and Elizabeth W. Crume Davis (born 1794, died August 2, 1880). Elizabeth was described as a first cousin of President Abraham Lincoln in a 1917 publication.

On August 5, 1801, Mary married Ralph Crume Jr., who was the nephew of Daniel Crume. She is buried at Crume Valley Cemetery in Breckinridge County, Kentucky.

Mary Lincoln Crume was the aunt of Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States. She was the eldest sister of Thomas Lincoln, Abraham Lincoln's father. Abraham Lincoln referenced his family relations, including his aunt Mary, in autobiographical sketches prepared for his political campaigns. In June 1860, Lincoln authored a short autobiography to promote his candidacy for the presidency, highlighting his ancestry and extended relatives such as Mary Lincoln Crume, noting that some of her descendants resided in Breckinridge County, Kentucky.

During Lincoln’s presidency, he mentioned his aunt Mary in correspondence, including a letter to a cousin, Susana Weathers, in which he thanked her for a pair of socks. Furthermore, Lincoln’s father, Thomas Lincoln, maintained dealings with his sister Mary over several years, constructing a corner cabinet for her dishes, which is now housed at the Brown-Pusey House Museum in Elizabethtown, Kentucky. Thomas Lincoln also sought assistance from Mary and her family during his relocations to Indiana, which may have influenced Ralph Crume Jr.’s move to Indiana in 1829–1830.

The historical records and family histories concerning Mary Lincoln Crume have been documented in various genealogical and historical publications, including works by Michael Burlingame, Jordan Dodd, David Herbert Donald, and others.