Thomas Lincoln

Thomas Lincoln Sr. was born on January 6, 1778, in Linville Creek, Virginia. He was the son of Abraham Lincoln and Bethsheba Lincoln. During his early childhood, his family moved from Virginia to western Virginia, in what is now Springfield, Kentucky. The Lincoln family amassed an estate of approximately 5,544 acres in Kentucky, which was acquired based on advice from Daniel Boone, a relative of the family.

In May 1786, at the age of eight, Thomas witnessed the murder of his father by Native Americans during a land clearing operation. His life was saved by his brother Mordecai, who was fifteen at the time. During an attack on the new settlement, Thomas's father was killed instantly, and Mordecai shot and killed an attacking Native American attempting to reach young Thomas in the field.

Following the incident, in the late 1780s, the Lincoln family relocated to Beech Fork in Nelson County, Kentucky, near Springfield. Thomas's older brother Mordecai inherited the family estate, which limited Thomas's prospects and compelled him to make his own way. From approximately 1795 to 1802, Thomas held various unskilled jobs, including serving in the state militia at the age of 19 and working as a Cumberland County constable at age 24.

In 1802, Thomas Lincoln purchased a 238-acre farm near Elizabethtown, Kentucky. He was active in community affairs, serving on juries, petitioning for roads, and guarding prisoners. The following year, he built much of the house, known today as the Lincoln Heritage House, in Elizabethtown. In 1806, Thomas engaged in trading, ferrying merchandise by flatboat to New Orleans on behalf of a local store.

Thomas Lincoln married Nancy Hanks on June 12, 1806, at Beechland in Washington County, Kentucky. Nancy was born in Hampshire County, Virginia (modern-day West Virginia), and was the daughter of Lucy Hanks. She was known for her perceptiveness and later served as a significant influence on their son Abraham Lincoln, teaching him to read from the Bible.

The couple's first child, Sarah Lincoln, was born on February 10, 1807, near Elizabethtown. In 1809, they moved to Nolin Creek near Hodgenville, Kentucky, acquiring a 300-acre farm called Sinking Spring Farm. Their second child, Abraham Lincoln, was born there on February 12, 1809. In 1811, the family moved to Knob Creek Farm to seek more fertile land. This estate was situated about ten miles northeast of Sinking Spring Farm and became a place of early childhood memories for Abraham Lincoln. During this period, Thomas Lincoln’s landholdings were repeatedly affected by boundary disputes and title issues due to Kentucky's chaotic land laws and lack of systematic surveys.

Thomas Lincoln was considered an uneducated man, described as a plain, hardworking laborer and a carpenter. He occasionally worked as a manual laborer and built woodwork for homes, but he lacked formal education and extensive wealth. The family experienced significant poverty, which Abraham Lincoln later described as a short and simple record of the poor.

In December 1816, Thomas Lincoln moved his family to Indiana, acquiring land in accordance with the land ordinance of 1785. The move was influenced by considerations related to slavery, as Indiana was a free territory under the Northwest Ordinance. Thomas Lincoln's efforts to establish a farm in Indiana marked a new chapter in the family’s life.