Mordecai Lincoln, uncle to President Abraham Lincoln, lived in this house from around 1797 to 1811.
His father, Captain Abraham Lincoln, the grandfather and namesake of the future president, came to Jefferson County, Virginia, in 1782. In May 1786, Captain Abraham was killed by a group of Native Americans in present-day Jefferson County. He was working in the fields with his sons, Mordecai, Josiah, and Thomas (President Lincoln's father). Mordecai took charge, ordered Josiah to alert the nearby settlement and told Thomas to remain by their father's lifeless body. The fight continued. Mordecai retrieved a gun from the family cabin and then killed the man who threatened Thomas's life. This incident not only left the Lincoln family without a father, but also had a long-term financial impact on the Lincoln brothers.
According to Virginia Law, Mordecai, as the oldest son, inherited his father's entire estate, which included more than 5,000 acres. This law also affected Thomas Lincoln's path through life. Lacking a formal education, he made a living by hard labor, eventually becoming a carpenter and cabinetmaker.
By 1803, Thomas had enough money on hand to purchase a 238-acre Hardin County farm near Mill Creek for $574.07. Thomas spent the remainder of his life working as a farmer, carpenter, and cabinetmaker, skills which he later passed on to his son Abraham. In part, this experience with hard Labor spurred Abraham's self-education and his will to move beyond this life of labor to one dedicated to the study of law.
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Kentucky Lincoln Heritage Trail
1809 Abraham Lincoln born at Sinking Spring farm, in present-day Larue County, Kentucky.
1816 Lincoln family moved from Kentucky.
1841 Abraham Lincoln visited his friend Joshua Speed at Farmington, the Speed family plantation, in Louisville, Kentucky.
1842 Abraham Lincoln married Mary Todd of Lexington, Kentucky.
1847 The Lincoln family visited Lexington, Kentucky, en route to Abraham's only term in Congress.
1860 Abraham Lincoln elected President of the United States in November.
1865 Abraham Lincoln assassinated at Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C.
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A project of the Kentucky Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission produced by the Kentucky Heritage Council in partnership with the Kentucky Historical Society and the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet
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