Thomas Lincoln was born 6 January 1778 in Rockingham County, Virginia, United States to Abraham Lincoln (1744-1786) and Bathsheba Herring (c1742-1836) and died 17 January 1851 Coles County, Illinois, United States of unspecified causes. He married Nancy Hanks (1784-1818) 12 June 1806 in Washington County, Kentucky, United States. He married Sarah Bush (1788-1869) 2 December 1819 in Elizabethtown, Kentucky, United States.
Biography
Thomas Lincoln was the father of US President Abraham Lincoln.
Early Life in Kentucky
Shortly after his birth, his father Abraham Lincoln (1744-1786) followed the promptings of famous frontiersman Daniel Boone (1734-1820) to travel the Wilderness Road from Virginia into Kentucky. At age 7 he witnessed an Indian killing his father while farming in the field one day and the same could have happened to him if not his older brother Mordcai Lincoln (1771-1830) had not been quick enough to grab the family gun and kill the Indian.
Thomas was active in community and church affairs in Cumberland and Hardin Counties. He served in the state militia at the age of 19 and became a Cumberland County constable at 24. He moved to Hardin County, Kentucky in 1802 and bought a 238-acre (1.0 km2) farm the following year for 118 pounds; It was located seven miles north of Elizabethtown, Kentucky. When he lived in Hardin County, he was a jury member, a petitioner for a road, and as a guard for county prisoners."
1816 Little Pigeon Creek Settlement
Mass migration to Indiana occurred immediately after the conclusion of the War of 1812 with the British when many Indian tribes in the area abandoned their claim to the land and moved west. Thomas was following in the path of his older brother, Josiah Lincoln and 2nd counsins Austin & Davis Lincoln and in-laws Joseph Hanks in making this move.
In 1816 he moved to a new tract of land (160 acres) at Little Pigeon Creek, Indiana, losing a number of his possessions in the process when his raft overturned on the Ohio River. His family soon followed him afterward where they would live in pretty serious poverty.
After the death of his wife Nancy Hanks (1784-1818) there, he returned to Hardin County and walked right up to the house of Sarah Bush (1788-1869), proposed marriage to her. She accepted promptly and traveled back to Indiana with her three little children where she would become famous as the stepmother who encouraged Abe Lincoln to pursue his studies.
This settlement was pretty remote and lots of wildlife, bear, panthers, turkeys and what not roamed the area.
Children
| Name | Birth | Death | Joined with |
| Sarah Lincoln (1807-1828) | 10 February 1807 Elizabethtown, Hardin County, Kentucky, United States | 20 January 1828 Little Pigeon Creek Community, Spencer County, Indiana, United States | Aaron Grigsby (1801-1832) |
| Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865) | 12 February 1809 Hardin County, Kentucky, United States | 15 April 1865 Washington, D.C., United States | Mary Ann Todd (1818-1882) |
| Thomas Lincoln (1811-1815) | 1811 LaRue County, Kentucky, United States | 1815 LaRue County, Kentucky, United States | |
Siblings
| Name | Birth | Death | Joined with |
| Mordcai Lincoln (1771-1830) | 1771 Augusta County, Virginia | 1830 Fountain Green, Hancock County, Illinois | Mary Mudd (1775-1859) |
| Josiah Lincoln (1773-1835) | 10 July 1765 Bridgewater, Rockingham County, Virginia | 19 September 1835 Depauw, Harrison County, Indiana | Katherine Barlow (1774-1817) |
| Mary Ada Lincoln (1775-1832) | 20 January 1775 Linville, Rockingham County, Virginia | 1832 Fairfield, Breckinridge County, Kentucky | Daniel Edgar Crume (1758-1824) Ralph Crume (1779-1832) |
| Thomas Lincoln (1778-1851) | 6 January 1778 Rockingham County, Virginia, United States | 17 January 1851 Coles County, Illinois, United States | Nancy Hanks (1784-1818) Sarah Bush (1788-1869) |
| Nancy Lincoln (1780-1845) | 25 March 1780 Elizabethtown, Hardin County, Kentucky | 9 October 1843 Hardin County, Kentucky | William Brumfield (1778-1858) |
Research Notes
Some Genealogies incorrectly attempt to assign another child (Elizabeth Lincoln (b1820) to this couple. But in fact she belongs to a different Lincoln family living in Kentucky at which time this Lincoln lived in Indiana/Illinois.
References
Residences
Footnotes (including sources)
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