ALEXANDER GOLDSTEIN

ABRAHAM LINCOLN

An American Migration

ONLY 500 COPIES OF THIS WORK HAVE BEEN PRINTED FROM TYPE, OF WHICH THIS IS

NO. 435

ABRAHAM LINCOLN

An American Migration

Family English Not German

WITH PHOTOGRAPHIC ILLUSTRATIONS

BY

MARION DEXTER LEARNED

Professor of the Germanic Languages and Literatures at the University of Pennsylvania

WILLIAM J. CAMPBELL

PHILADELPHIA

1009

IN MCMORIAJ*

Copyright, 1909 MARION DEXTER LEARNED

PRESS OF

INTERNATIONAL PRINTING Co PHILADELPHIA

L74-

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

CHAPTER I. The Lincolns in New England and New

Jersey ...... , .................... 1-20

CHAPTER II. The Lincolns in Pennsylvania ........... 21-31

CHAPTER III. Abraham Lincoln in Pennsylvania ....... 32~56

CHAPTER IV. Children of Abraham Lincoln, of Spring

field Township, Chester County, Pa. . . 57~66

CHAPTER V. Children of Mordecai Lincoln of Exeter. . 67-99

CHAPTER VI. John Lincoln or "Virginia John," Son of

Mordecai of Exeter ............... 100-117

CHAPTER VII. Abraham Lincoln of Virginia and Ken

tucky ............................ 1 18-129

CHAPTER VIII. The Forms of the Name Lincoln ........ 130-145

JVS2989G8

ILLUSTRATIONS

Opposite Page

Frontispiece — A. Lincoln

House of Mordecai Lincoln, of Exeter, as it Looks To-day 20

Will of Mordecai Lincoln, of Exeter, Pa. (First page) 26

Will of Mordecai Lincoln, of Exeter, Pa. (Second page) . . 28 Inventory of the Estate of Mordecai Lincoln, the Elder, of

Exeter, Berks County, Pa 28

Friends' Meeting House, Exeter, Berks County 30

Petition for Tavern License, Showing Signature of Abra ham Lincoln, of Springfield 44

The Will of Abraham Lincoln, of Springfield 54

Inventory of the Estate of Abraham Lincoln, of Springfield 56

Bill of Costs of Executing Elisabeth Crowl 72

List of Petit Jury Returned by Thomas Lincoln, Sheriff of

Reading, Pa 74

First Page of the Account Book of Abraham Lincoln, of

Exeter 80

Administrators' Account of the Estate of Abraham Lin coln, Son of Mordecai Lincoln, of Exeter (First page) . 86 Administrators' Account of the Estate of Abraham Lin coln, Son of Mordecai Lincoln, of Exeter (Second

page) 86

Administrator's Account of the Estate of Ann Lincoln,

Widow of Abraham Lincoln, of Exeter 88

First Two Pages of the Old "Lincoln Record" 92

Receipt Showing the Signature of John Lincoln 106

Deed of John and Rebecca Lincoln to Isaac Lincoln, Con veying Land on Linville's Creek in 1773 112

Deed of John and Rebecca Lincoln to Isaac Lincoln, Con veying Land on Linville's Creek in 1773 112

Signature of Jacob Lincoln, Son of "Virginia John"

Lincoln 1 18

Old Lincoln House on Linville's Creek, Rockingham

County, Virginia 122

Signature of Abraham and Bathseba Lincoln, Grand father and Grandmother of President Lincoln.. . 126

Viii ILLUSTRATIONS

Opposite Page Present View of Linville's Creek Where it Passes Through

the Original Lincoln Tracts 128

Marriage Certificate of Thomas Lincoln and Nancy Hanks 130

Marriage Bond and Certificate of Thomas Lincoln 132

Deed Showing the Correct Name of "Lincoln," Not

"Linkhorn" 134

Old Lincoln Cabin Near Springfield, Washington County,

Kentucky 136

The Cabin in Which Abraham Lincoln, the President,

Was Born February 12, 1809 138

Warrant Issued to Abraham Lincoln, in Kentucky, Show ing the Name "Linkhorn" 142

Survey of the first Warrant of Land to Abraham Lincoln

in Kentucky (then Virginia) 144

Map of the Migration of the Lincolns from Hingham,

Mass., to Kentucky 146

PREFACE

The following researches into the family of Ab raham Lincoln, in America, are the outgrowth of a suggestion made by Dr. G. Langmann, of New York City, and were carried out by the encourage ment which he gave. In 1901, Louis P. Hennig- hausen, Attorney-at-Law, in Baltimore, Maryland, published in the Report for the Society of the His tory of the Germans, in Maryland, an interesting ar ticle entitled "Abraham Lincoln or Linkhorn" sup porting the view that Abraham Lincoln, the Presi dent of the United States, was descended from a German family by the name of Linkhorn. The argu ment was built up with much skill and found quite general acceptance among the Germans of America, giving rise to German poetry on Lincoln, the Ger man President. In 1903, Dr. G. Langmann, wish ing to have the question investigated in detail, re quested the present writer to have some trained aca demic man from the University of Pennsylvania examine into the records of Lincoln's origin, and publish the results. Failing to find any one with sufficient time to devote to a thorough investiga tion of the subject, the present writer undertook the work himself. He examined all available rec ords in the several states through which the Lin coln family migrated to Kentucky, namely Mass-

(ix)

X PREFACE

achusetts, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, and that part of Transilvanian Virginia, now known as Kentucky. In the course of the in vestigation, he unearthed and exploited much orig inal matter relating to the Lincoln family in their American wanderings.

The simple question of settling the name "Lin coln," or "Linkhorn," and its origin soon assumed the more extended form of a study of the Lincoln family as a typical American migration. It is this two-fold form of the investigation which is pub lished in the following pages.

The author wishes to express his indebtedness to the following persons and institutions :

Former Governor S. W. Pennypacker, who al lowed the author to make use of his rich collec tion of manuscripts; George F. Baer, President of the Reading Railroad, who generously turned over his notes on the Lincoln family in Berks County; Louis Richards, President of the Berks County His torical Society, who gave access to his valuable Note Books; B. F. Owen, of the Berks County Historical Society, who assisted the writer in using the Archives of the Society; Albert Cook My ers, of Moylan, Pa., for valuable assistance and the Exeter cut; George C. Beekman, of Red Bank, New Jersey, for information touching the Bownes and Saltars of that state; Major Armour, of Harrisburg, Pa., who allowed the author to use the Account Books of John Harris; General John

PREFACE XI

E. Roller, of Harrisonburg, Virginia, who intro duced the author to the Lincolns in Rockingham County, Virginia; Gilbert Cope, of West Chester, Pa., who permitted the use of his valuable collec tion of Chester County papers; L. P. Hennighau- sen, of Baltimore, for information concerning the Lincolns of Maryland and Loudoun County, Vir ginia; Colonel R. T. Durrett, of Louisville, Ken tucky, who kindly furnished photographs of Lin coln documents; T. B. Fitzpatrick, of Hodgenville, Kentucky, for the privilege of using photographs of the Lincoln houses, published in his Lincoln Souve nir', the Librarians of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, the Historical Society of Virginia, the Historic-Geneological Society of Massachusetts, the State Library and Department of Public Rec ords, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; the Secretary and his Assistant of the Department of Internal Affairs, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; the Office of Recorder of Deeds, in Freehold, New Jersey, in Philadelphia, West Chester, Reading and Lancaster, Pennsylva nia, in Elkton, Maryland, and in Stanton, Harri sonburg and Winchester, Virginia, and also the Office of the Secretary of State, Trenton, New Jersey, and the Archives in the Surveyor's Office at Perth Amboy, New Jersey.

The following members of the Lincoln family have aided in furnishing information and giving access to original materials :

Dr. J. E. Lincoln, Lacy Spring, Va. ; Miss Kate

Xll PREFACE

Pannebecker, of Linville, Va. ; Mrs. Parvin (nee Lincoln), of Leesport, Pa.; Mr. David Lincoln, of Birdsboro, Pa. ; Mr. Richard Lincoln and Harrison G. Lincoln, and family, of Reading, Pa. ; Mr. Francis H. Lincoln, of Boston, Mass.

As the aim of this study was not to furnish a family tree of the Lincolns in America, which task is being performed by the Geneologist, Mr. J. Henry Lea, the author of this work was happy to be able to turn over to Mr. Lea many of his geneologi- cal notes relating to the date of John Lincoln's migration to Virginia and the Lincoln epitaphs in the old graveyard on Linvill's Creek, for incorpora tion into Mr. Lea's Ancestry of Abraham Lincoln, and to receive in exchange some useful suggestions from Mr. Lea.

The documentary character of this investigation seemed to justify the printing of the most important deeds and other original papers in full. An effort has been made to give the exact text of these rec ords in the original orthography. In some cases it was difficult to decide about the intended use of capitals in the originals, particularly in the case of the letters S and C, which were often written in such a way as to leave it doubtful whether the let ters were intended to be large or small. Glaring mistakes in the original text are usually marked thus : [sic]

THE AUTHOR. PHILADELPHIA, THANKSGIVING DAY, 1908.

ABRAHAM LINCOLN

AN AMERICAN MIGRATION Family English not German.

CHAPTER I.

THE LINCOLNS IN NEW ENGLAND AND NEW JERSEY.

As the Germans have given currency to the the ory that Abraham Lincoln, the President of the United States, was of German ancestry and de scended from a forebear by the name of ''Link- horn," in Pennsylvania, it has seemed worth while to test this theory in the light of the records of the Lincoln family. This study of the original docu ments relating to the Lincolns in the various signifi cant centres of settlement in the colonial period makes it possible to follow the history of the mi gration of one of the most typical families in Amer ica and to trace the motives prompting the migration.

Abraham Lincoln, the President, knew very little about the history of his family, as is shown by a passage in a letter which he wrote, while a Member of Congress, in 1848, to Hon. Solomon Lincoln, of Hingham, Massachusetts : "My father's name is Thomas. My grandfather's was Abraham, the

2 ABRAHAM LINCOLN

same as my own. My grandfather went from Rock- ingham County, Virginia, to Kentucky about the year 1782, and two years afterwards was killed by the Indians. We have a vague tradition that my grandfather went from Pennsylvania to Virginia, and that he was a Quaker. Further than this I have never heard anything. It may do no harm to say that 'Abraham' and 'Mordecai' are common names in the Lincoln family."

In an article contributed to Johnson's Encyclopae dia in 1859, Lincoln traces his ancestry, in a general way, back to New England. He had only a faint tradition of the connecting links in the migration of the various branches of the family from New Eng land, and found the two chief arguments for his New England origin in the family tradition that they came from Massachusetts, and in the persistent recurrence of certain Christian names in the Lin coln family, as we have seen in the letter quoted above. This statement is particularly interesting, as it reflects the crude condition of American geneal ogy, even in the case of the family of a President of the United States, in the middle of the nineteenth century. This brief and indistinct outline of the Lincoln genealogy has been brought out into bold relief since the President's tragic death, and many missing links have been supplied by the genealogists, so that we are now in a position to trace with cer tainty the lineage of the great martyr President.

Even a decade later a biographer of Lincoln

AN AMERICAN MIGRATION 3

writes the following concerning the residence of the Lincolns in Pennsylvania: "Where the Lincolns of Berks County (Pa.) came from, no records have as yet divulged, but they are believed to have been Quakers, and to have escaped from the intolerance of Massachusetts to the friendly soil of Pennsyl vania." * Although this confession of ignorance on the part of the biographer appears to us now little less than naive, it is worthy of note, as this indiffer ence and superficiality have not entirely disappeared from American biography.

The name Lincoln is clearly connected with the place and shire name "Lincoln" (Lind + Colonia) in England and is easily traced in the local records of Lincoln, as may be seen in the Lincoln Marriage Licenses* recently published, in which are found the following entries :

"[a. 1612] John Lincoln of Witherne, yeom., act 50, & ffaithe Cooke, of Libble Carl- ton, wid., aet. 34. appln. by Wm Hundleby, of Witherne, yeom.

[a. 1623] Rich. Lincoln of the Bail of Lincoln, yeom., aet. 28, & Susan Wood, of same Spr, aet. 26. appln. by ffrancis Walker, of same, yeom."

The researches of J. Henry Lea and J. R. Hutch-

* Cf. Biographical Sketch of His Excellency, Lincoln, Late President of the United States. By Charles Henry Hart, LL. B. (Reprinted from the Introduction to the Bib- liographia Lincolniana. Albany, Joel Munsel, 1870, page 4.)

4 ABRAHAM LINCOLN

inson, in a forthcoming work, have traced the Lin- coins back to Robert Lincoln in England, about 1540, in an unmistakable line leading down to the Lincolns of Hingham in England and of Hingham, Massachusetts, in New England.

THE LINCOLNS IN MASSACHUSETTS.

The history of the Lincolns, as we have it now from various sources, shows us that they came from Hingham in England and settled at and near Hingham, Massachusetts. The first settlement at Hingham, Massachusetts, was made by the Rev. Peter Hobart and twenty-nine others, who had land apportioned to them by lot September 18, 1735. The next year, 1736, lands were granted to the fol- following Lincolns: Thomas Lincoln, the miller; Thomas Lincoln, the weaver, and Thomas Lincoln, the cooper. The following year, 1737, land was granted also to Samuel Lincoln, the brother of Thomas Lincoln, the weaver.**

Thomas Lincoln, the miller, was born in England in 1603, and died in Taunton, Massachusetts, in 1683. He first settled in Hingham, Massachusetts, and re moved about 1652 to Taunton. He was called "the miller" to distinguish him from the other prominent Thomas Lincoln of Hingham, who was a large land owner and was known as Thomas Lincoln, the hus bandman, thus making the fourth Thomas Lincoln who settled in Hingham. This Thomas Lincoln, the husbandman, came from Wyndham, England, in

** Cf. the articles on the Lincoln Family by Shackford and Egle, also Hart's Biographical Sketch of His Excellency Lincoln.

AN AMERICAN MIGRATION 5

1638, and married about 1642 Margaret, the daugh ter of Richard Sanger, of Hingham. In addition to these four Thomases and Samuel Lincoln, two other Lincolns settled in the same region: Stephen Lin coln, the brother of Thomas Lincoln, the husband man, and Daniel Lincoln.

Samuel Lincoln, who came over as a "servant" or apprentice, seems to have been the most modest of all the Lincolns in point of property. In the Office of Rolls in London is found the following reference to him : "Francis Lawes, born in Nor wich, Norfolk County, and lining weaver, aged — , and Liddea, his wife, aged 49, with one child, Mary, and two servants: Samuel Lincoen, aged 18 years, and Ann Smith, aged 19 years — ar desirous to pass to New England to inhabit." These people went to New England with William Andrews, of Ipswich, Master of the ship John and Dorothy, of Ipswich, and William, his son, Mr. of the Rose of Yarmouth, April 18, 1637.* It was this Samuel Lincoln, the "servant," who by the irony of democ racy became the progenitor of the family of Abra ham Lincoln, the President of the United States of America. Samuel Lincoln thus came from Norwich, England, in the year 1637, at the age of 18 years. He died May 26, 1690. He married Martha (Lewis), who died April 10, 1693. Ten children were the issue of this union. The eldest son, Samuel, became the progenitor of Lincolns of prominence in Massa-

* Cf. Chicago Tribune, Apr. 14, 1883.

O ABRAHAM LINCOLN

chusetts. The fourth son, Mordecai, was born June 17, 1657, in Hingham, and died October 13, 1727, in Scituate, Massachusetts.* This Mordecai was the great, great, great grandfather of Abraham Lincoln, the President. Mordecai Lincoln was a blacksmith by trade, and established the first smelting furnace in New England. He was a large contributor to wards the erection of the Iron Works at Bound Brook, Massachusetts, which comprised as their chief feature a Catalan forge for making wrought iron.** There is record of him as a foot-soldier of Hingham, Massachusetts, in 1679, and as a black smith in Hull about 1680. In the years 1680 to 1685 he is found among the taxables and is assessed 2/4 Bull, for money there in 1684. His land, or residence, is mentioned in the deed given by Benja min Bosworth and his wife, Beatrice, to Robert Gould Hull, December 14, 1682. His uncle, Thomas Lincoln, the weaver, appears as witness of a deed in 1698.***

A deed in the possession of George Lincoln, of Hingham, dated December 21, 1713, contains the

* Cf. Chicago Tribune, April 14, 1883. (Cp. Cincinnati Gazette, Oct. 6, 1882, referring to Mr. S. Bernard Elliott, of Pataskala, O., as having fixed the pedigree of President Lincoln.)

** Cf. James M. Swank, History of the Manufacture of Iron in All Ages, and Particularly in the United States, from Colonial Times to 1891. (Second Edition, Philadelphia, 1892, page 505.)

*** Cf. Ms. Notes on the Lincoln Family in the Massachu setts Hist. Genealogical Society, Boston.

AN AMERICAN MIGRATION 7

following information: "George Jackson, of Mar- blehead, sells to Mordecai Lincoln, of Scituate, "blacksmith," two parcels of salt-meadow land lying and being in Cohassett, then the Township of Hing- ham, one of which is bounded East by a brook or river called Bound Brook."

Mordecai, the blacksmith, married Sarah, the daughter of Abraham and Sarah (Whitman) Jones. He moved first from Hingham to Hull, and about 1704 to the neighborhood of Scituate, where he built his furnace for smelting ore. Mordecai and Sarah Lincoln had the following children : Morde cai, Abraham, Isaac and Sarah — all born at Hing ham, Massachusetts — and Elizabeth and Jacob, born at Scituate, Massachusetts. In 1727, Mordecai Lin coln, of Hull, willed his sons and executors, Isaac and Jacob, his real estate in Hingham and Scituate. To his other sons, Mordecai and Abraham, he gave no pounds and 160 pounds, respectively, in money and bills of credit. These were the sons, doubtless, who had gone to settle in Monmouth County, New Jersey, adjoining Middlesex, in which county (near Woodbridge) the Massachusetts families of Ilsleys, Moores, Hales, Rolfes, Pikes and others had settled.

It would appear that the Lincolns had found their way to New Jersey and Maryland before 1700. There is mention of Lincoln's Inn, Middle sex County, as early as April 5, 1685, and March 4, 1691-2, showing that the name was fresh in the

8 ABRAHAM LINCOLN

minds of the early settlers. In Maryland a num ber of important entries, particularly in the land records of Cecil County, date back to the same early period. The following entry, for example, shows that there was already a tract of land in Cecil County, called by the name of "Linckhorne," after the manner of plantations in the South :

Maryland Ss/ Know all men by these presents that wee Jonathan Linckhorne and Alexander MccKey [McKoy] of Cecell County planters have leased Lett Assigned & Sett over unto Wm Blay of ye Said County * * * * * tract called Linck horne wch lies on ye East Side of ye Mill branch [for a term of 99 years from date (April 27, 1704). Consideration £5000 of tobacco].

Jonathan Linckhorn (Seal)

his Alexr. M Mackey (Seal)

mark

Witnesses : Wm Wilson Peter Allaby

his

Jn° — Linckhorne mark

[Recorded August 16, 1704. Copied in unbound deed book pp. 188-189, Court House, Elkton, Maryland.]*

Wm. Lincolne appears among the witnesses of the will of Richard Wells, Sr., in Anne Arundel Co.,

* From the notes of Albert Cook Myers.

AN AMERICAN MIGRATION 9

Md., June 22, 1667, and Anne and Jon. Lincoln as witnesses of the will of Nathaniel Garrett, Cecil Co., Md., Apr. 27, 1688.

It is worthy of note that the names Lincoln (or Linckhorne) and McCoy (or McKay), found to gether here in Maryland, and the names Lincoln (or Lincon) and Schenck (or Shanks), found together in New Jersey, are all met with again in the Valley of Virginia in the latter half of the eighteenth century.

THE LINCOLNS IN NEW JERSEY.

It cannot be reasonably questioned that Mordecai Lincoln and Abraham, his brother, of Monmouth County, New Jersey, were the two sons whom Mor decai Lincoln, of Hull, Massachusetts, mentioned in his will in 1727. The circumstantial evidence is quite convincing. First, the fact that the father gave the children at home his land, but to the two brothers, Mordecai and Abraham, their portion in cash, would indicate that they had gone away from home. Second, these two Lincolns, Mordecai and Abraham, are not found in any records of that period, except in those of Monmouth County, New Jersey. Third, these two brothers, Mordecai and Abraham, are found in New Jersey in a settlement made by New Englanders, largely from Massachu setts.

The exact date of the settlement of Mordecai and Abraham Lincoln in East Jersey has not been defi-

IO ABRAHAM LINCOLN

nitely determined. The earliest record of a Lincoln in New Jersey is a reference to Mordecai Lincoln found in the will of Captain John Bowne, a mer chant of Middletown, New Jersey. The will is dated September the I4th, 1714, and shows that Mordecai Lincoln was already married to Hannah Saltar, daughter of Richard and Sarah (Bowne) Saltar, of Freehold, New Jersey, and was evidently settled there. In accordance with the terms of this will, John Bowne bequeathed to his niece, Hannah (Saltar) Lincoln, the sum of 250 pounds. The text of the will runs as follows :

In the Name of God Amen This fourteenth day of September in the year of Our Lord 1714, — I John Bowne of Midletown Merchant being sick and Weake in body but of perfect mind and mem ory thanks to God therefore but Calling to mind the Mortality of the body and that it is appointed [once] for all men once to die do make and or dain this my last Will and Testament; first and principally J give and bequeath my soul into the hands of God that gave it and my body J recom mend to the Earth to be buried in a Christian like and decent Manner at the discretion of my Execu tors here after Named and as to my worldly Estate J give and dispose of the Same in manner follow ing, Imprimus my Will is that all my Just debts be all paid and discharged ; Item I give to my wife Frances Bowne the Sum of four hundred pounds money of the Province aforesaid in Right of her Dowry Jtem J give and bequeath to my Sister Sa-

AN AMERICAN MIGRATION II

rah Saltar all my Plate and the bed whereon J lye and furniture. Jtem J give to Gersham Mot the the sum of two hundred pounds for the use of his Children. Jtem J give to Joseph Dennis one hundred and twenty pounds, to leremiah White the sum of one hundred and twenty pounds, Jtem to Thomas Saltar and John Saltar and Hannah Lincon and to William Hartshorn's three Eldest Chilldren the sum of two hundred and fifty pounds to each of them. The Rest of my Estate both Real, and Personall I Will to be Equally Divided between my Brother Obadiah Bowne and my Brother Richard Saltar, their Heirs and Assigns for Ever, Whome I do hereby appoint Sole Ex ecutors of this my last Will and Testament Jn witness whereof J have hereunto set my hand and Seal the day and year first above written.

John Bowne. Signed, Sealed and Delivered

in Presence of James Paul Joseph Dennis Marget Commen*

[Affidavits of witnesses & certificates of Ro. Hunter, Governor.]

Mordecai Lincoln is appears as "Mordecai Lin- horn" among the mortgagors in the inventory of Capt. John Bowne's estate in 1714.

Another reference to Mordecai Lincoln in East

* Will of John Bowne Sept. 14, 1714, Recorded in A 10 & recorded with affidavits A 27, State House, Trenton.

12 ABRAHAM LINCOLN

New Jersey, is found in a letter of John Saltar to his uncle, Obediah Bowne, executor of Captain John Bowne, dated April 25th, 1716. The part of the let ter in question runs as follows :

April 25th 1716. Honord vncle Bowne

I have Sent by my father Such writings as were in my hands & appurtaining to the Estate of my decd vncle Capt John Bowne. Neare fifty pound in them my vncle had given to me, not many weeks before he dyed, & time failing the property of the debt was not altered in my Name soe be cause I cannot fairly pretend to proceed to Se cure myself wthout yor loane [ ?] I have thought fit to remitt ye same to ye Estate. Haueing onely an order to take Security for the Same to my owne use from vndr his hand & Soe Expect y* yo will be favorable to me on y1 Score ; I depend on your Courtesy y* which was given to me is not in ye Inventary, I have alsoe Send a bond from John Chenoath to my vncle vnder Such like Circum stances for ten pounds & not altered as was or dered & Intended to my brother Lincon — the whole that is giuen and Secured to my brother Thomas Mardden [Madden?] & my self amounts in all to about four hundred & twenty pounds or thereabouts *********** Yor Ever faithful & obedient Nephew, John Saltar*

* This letter was found in 1907 in the possession of Mr. William Crawford, near Red Bank, N. J., who allowed the present writer to photograph it.

AN AMERICAN MIGRATION 13

The importance of this letter for us is to be found in the fact that in it John Saltar calls Mordecai Lin coln, or Lincon, his brother, thus showing that Mor decai Lincoln's wife, Hannah Saltar, was John Sal- tar's sister, and so establishing an important fam ily relation for the New Jersey record of the Lincolns.

The next trace which we have of Mordecai Lin coln in East Jersey appears in a law suit begun by Obediah Bowne in the Monmouth County court, in the year 1716, and continued for a period of four years. The brief minutes of this trial are still extant in the original manuscript Court Book in Freehold, New Jersey, and afford such an interest ing glimpse into the Jersey court procedure of that early time that they seemed worthy of insertion

here:

Court of Com Pleas Feb 28, 1716

Obadiah Bowne Admr &c

u Mordecaj Lincoln

Debt £140

The Like Rule [Plaint. 20 Days to file Declar & Defend1 20 Days to give in Special Bail & to Plead as the Law Directs] Nonsuit for Want of a Proper Power of Attorney.

14 ABRAHAM LINCOLN

Court Session May 35, 1717 (8 a. m.)

Obadiah Bowne Administrator &c

u Mordecaj Lincoln

Debt £140

After hearing Mr. Vernon for ye PI1 & Mr Gor don for the Defend1 Court allowed a Non Pros.

Court Aug 27, 1719 Obadiah Bowne Admr

u Mordecaj Lincorn

Debt

£140 Non Est

Court 28 November 1719 Obadiah Bowne Admr of Elis : Bowne Deced

u Mordecaj Linckorn

Debt

£140 Non Est

Court May 27, 1720 Obadiah Bowne Admr

u

Mordecaj Lincon & Richard Saltar

Debt £140

AN AMERICAN MIGRATION 15

Mr. Kinsey P PI* Ordered that the Sherif Bring ye Body That the PI* Declare Twenty Days The Defend1 to Give Sp : Bail in the like Time.

Nonsuit to ye action u Saltar for Want of Let ters adminis & Nonsuit to ye action u Lincon for Want of a Declar.

Court Aug 27. 1720 Obadiah Bowne Admr

[u]

Mordecaj Lincon &

Richard Saltar Debt £140

Ordered that the Nonsuits in this action be set aside that Lincon have Twenty Days time to give Special Bail and that Each of them have Twenty Days time to Plead, Mr. Kinsey to Declare against Lincoln in the Same time upon Payment of costs by Mr. Saltar the Action against Lincon With drawn by Consent of the Plfc attorney.

In the jury which sat at the Court of Common Pleas August 29, 1717, we find Mordecai Lincoln, Jonathan Borden and Benjamin Borden.

Mordecai Lincoln appears also in another suit brought by him against John Liming, November the 3Oth, 1721, and continued until November 29th, 1722. The proceedure is briefly recorded in the Court Book as follows, and shows that Mordecai Lincoln, either in person or through his attorney, transacted business in New Jersey at this time :

1 6 ABRAHAM LINCOLN

Court Nov. 30 1721

Mordecaj Lincon

u

John Liming Debt

£.. 9.. — Non est

Court Mar i 1721

Mordecaj Lincon

u

John Liming Debt in.. 9. — Non est

Court Nov. 29, 1722.

Mordecaj Lincon

u John Liming

Debt Mr. P. Plaintif in.. 9.. The Like Rule.

The last direct reference to Mordecai Lincoln as resident in New Jersey is found in the following deed issued by Richard Saltar to Mordecai Lincoln under date of February 2d, 1720:

This Indenture made this Second Day of Febru ary in ye Sixth year of his Majestys Reign King George &c over Great Brittain France and Ireland Defender of ye faith &c Annoq Domini one thou sand seven hundred and twenty Between Richard Saltar of the Towne of freehold County of Mon- mouth and and [sic!] Province of New Jersey of

AN AMERICAN MIGRATION 17

ye one Party and Mordecai Lincon of of [sic!] ye Same of the other Party Witnesseth y1 ye said Richard Saltar for and in Consideration of ye sum of one hundred and and fifty two Pounds Curant Money of ye Province aforesaid to ye said Richard Saltar by ye sd Lincon already in hand Paid the receipt whereof he ye said Rich ard Saltar Does hereby owne and that he is there with fully Satis fyed and Paid and thereof and therefrom Does hereby fully clearly and absolutely aquit Release and Discharge ye said Mordecai Lincon his Heirs Exts & adms and every of them forever, HATH given granted Bargained sould aliened Enfeoffed Released and discharged and by these Presence Doth give grant Bargain Sell and Confirme unto him ye said Mordecai Lincon his heirs and assigns forever all those Tracts of Land & Meadow on Machaponix River & Gravill Brook in the County of Middlesex, the first Tract Is bounded on said Matchaponix River on ye South by ye Pine Brook East by the Land now or Late of Willm Estill on ye west, and by Land unsurveyed on ye North ALSO all that Tract Bounded westerly by Gravill Brook Southerly by the Land of William Estill from ye Mouth of Long Meadow Run Easterly & Northerly by Land unsurveyed. ALSO all ye Long Meadow. Upon ye sd Long Meadow Run Bounded west by ye Last Mentioned Tract of Land and all round ye other side up Upland Unsurveyed In all containing four Hundred are. [acres] More or Less besides allow ance for barron Land and High Ways with all the Royaltys Proffets advantages Hereditaments &

l8 ABRAHAM LINCOLN

appurtenances to ye said Land and Meadow Be longing or in anywise apertaining also all ye Estate Right title Interest claime and Demand Whoever of ye said Richard Saltar of in & to or out of ye Same on any Part of them as amply and fully to all Intents & Purposes asye same ward [sic] conveyed and assured to him by a certain Deed of Sale Bearing Date ye seventh Day of No vember Annoq Domini 1717 from John Reid Es quire TO HAVE AND TO HOLD ye said Severall Tracts of Land and Premises with their appurtenances unto him ye said Mordecai Lincon his heirs and as signs to ye only Euse and behoof of ye said Morde cai Lincon his heirs and assigns forever and the said Richard Saltar Doth for himself his heirs exs and adms to and with ye said Mordecai Lincon his heirs and assigs [sic] Covenant Promise and agree In ye Manner and forme following Viz: that the Granted and Bargained Premises with ye ap purtenances are free and Clear of Incumb ranees and that ye said Richard Saltar hath good Right full Power and Law full Authority to Sell and Confirme ye Same In Manner aforesaid and yt ye said Richard Saltar his heirs Exs & Adms Shall and will forever warrant and Defend ye Same In ye Peacable and quiet Possession and Seizen of him the said Mordecai Lincon his heirs and as signs against all Persons whatsoever In Witness whereof the said Richard Saltar hath hereunto set his hand and Scale ye day and year first above written. Richard Saltar (S)

SEALED and DELIVERED In the Presence of Thomas Cox, R. Saltar Junr.

AN AMERICAN MIGRATION 1 9

April 5, 1727 Then appeared before John An derson Esqr one of his Magestys Councill for the Province of New Jersey Richard Saltar Junr a Subscribing Evidence to the above written Instru ment who being Solemnly sworn on the Holy Evangelists of Almighty God did declare that he saw Richard Saltar therein Named Execute the same as his Act and Deed.

Examd by Thos Barrow Sec.

In the year 1728 in the inventory of Elizabeth Salter's Estate mention is made of a debt due Mor- decai Lincon.*

NATHAN LINCOLN OF NEW JERSEY.

There is record in Sussex County, New Jersey, of another Lincoln, Nathan by name, whom we have not been able to trace elsewhere. The document in question is the will of Nathan Lincoln (or Linken) beginning and closing as follows:

"I, nathan Linken [Linkon?] of Sussex County & Westrin division of ye province of New Jersey

He**************

Signed, sealed, published pronounced & deliv ered by the sd Nathan Linken to be his last Will in presence of us John Wood

her Mary [X] Young,

mark Brice Bicky."

* Cf. New Jersey Archives, First Series xxiii, p. 401.

2O ABRAHAM LINCOLN

The will is dated August 7th, 1763. It was re corded January I4th, 1767. By a strange mistake, the signature of the testator was misread as Nathan Metopon, instead of Nathan Linken, and was calen dared under Metopon. It was only by accident that the present writer discovered the identity of this Metopon and thus discovered this third Jersey Lincoln.

It lies beyond the purpose of this study to attempt to trace the relation of this Nathan Lincoln to Mor- decai and Abraham of Monmouth County, New Jer sey, on the one hand, or to the Maryland Lincolns on the other.

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AN AMERICAN MIGRATION 21

CHAPTER II.

THE LINCOLNS IN PENNSYLVANIA.

Both Mordecai Lincoln and his brother Abraham Lincoln migrated from New Jersey to Pennsylvania, where they spent the remainder of their lives, each rearing a numerous family. It is in Pennsylvania that we find the most abundant information of the Lincoln family. Scores of references to the Lin- coins are still preserved in the land records of Har- risburg, Philadelphia, West Chester and Reading, as will appear in the documents printed below.

MORDECAI LINCOLN IN PENNSYLVANIA.

Mordecai Lincoln begins to appear in the Penn sylvania records in 1720 and we may suppose that he migrated from East Jersey to Pennsylvania some time, probably soon, after February 2nd of that year. In the old burying ground near Allentown, Penn sylvania, is found an epitaph which reads "To the Memory of Deborah Lincoln, Aged 3 yrs. 4 mos. May 15, 1720." This probably refers to a child of Mordecai and Hannah Lincoln. The name of Mor decai Lincoln is found in the tax lists of Chester County, Pennsylvania, in 1720 and the following years, as these extracts from the original lists will show :

22 ABRAHAM LINCOLN

1720 near ye Branches of the French Creek & Brandywine

Mordecay Lncoln 35. d.

1722 Nantmeal

Mordecai Lincoln 2s. 6d.

1724 Coventry

Mordecay LinColn 45. 4d.

1725 Coventry

Mordecay Lincolin 35. d.

These tax lists show that Mordecai Lincoln was assessed both in the township of Nantmeal and in that of Coventry "near ye branches of the French Creek & Brandywine." We learn further particu lars about his land in Coventry in another document entitled "Articles of Agreement" between Samuel Nut, William Branson and Mordecai Lincoln, dated February 28th, 1723:

"Articles of Agreement Indented made and Concluded the Twenty Eighth Day of February Anno Doni 1723/4 Between Samuel Nut of the Township of Coventry upon the French Creek in Chester County Ironmonger of the first Part Wil liam Branson of the City of Phila. Merch*. of the Second Part and Mordecai Lincoln of Coventry aforesd. Ironmonger of the Third Part In Man ner following that is to say —

Whereas The sd Samuel Nut William Branson and Mordecai Lincoln Have at their Joint Charge lately erected Built and provided one Dwelling House and a Forge with Engines belonging to

AN AMERICAN MIGRATION 23

their Iron Works besides other Buildings & Erec tions Situate Lying and being on a Certain Tract of Land at French Creek aforesd. * * * Articles of Agreement Indented made and Con cluded the Twenty-eighth Day of February Anno Doni 1723 Between Samuel Nutt of the Town ship of Coventry upon the French Creek in Chester County Ironmonger of the first Part Mor- decai Lincoln of Coventry aforesd. Ironmonger of the Second Part and William Branson of the City of Phila. Merch1. of the third Part In Manner following that is to say —

Know all men by these Press that I Mordecai Lincoln of Coventry In the County Chester for and in Consideration of the Sum of Five Hundred Pounds of Current Lawful Money of America to me in Hand paid by William Branson of Phila. Merch*. The Receipt whereof I do hereby Ac knowledge and thereof do Exonerate Acquit and for Ever Discharge the sd William Branson his Heirs For Ever have bargained sold remised re leased and quitclaimed And by these Presents Do Bargain sell remise release and for Ever quit claim unto him the said William Branson his Heirs and Assigns for Ever all and Singular the one full un divided third Part of One Hundred Acres of Land as also one full undivided third Part of six Acres of Land Together with all my Right Title Interest and Claim whatsoever of in or to the aforesd un divided Rights according to Articles of Aggreem1 made Between Samuel Nutt of the one Part and Mordecai Lincoln of the other part Together with

24 ABRAHAM LINCOLN

all and Singular the Mynes and Minerals Forges Building Houses Lands Improvements whatsoever thereunto belonging or in any wise appertaining to the only proper Use and Behoof of him the said William Branson his Heirs and Assigns for Ever IN WITNESS WHEREOF I have hereunto Set my Hand and Seal the fourteenth Day of December. 1725 mordecai Lincoln

Sealed & Delivered In presence of Jona Robeson Jam Sheary*

Recorded by John Kinsey Jan. 4 1744/5.

The next reference to Mordecai Lincoln in Penn sylvania is a deed of Richard Saltar to Mordecai Lincoln, dated May 26th, 1726. In this deed Mor decai Lincoln is mentioned as "of the County of Chester in the prov'ce of Pensilvania." The docu ment runs as follows :

THIS INDENTURE WITNESSETH That Richard Saltar of Frehold in the County of Monmouth & Provce of New Jersey Yeoman for and in Con sideration of the full and Just sum of pounds

in hand paid to the said Richard Saltar by Mor decai Lincon of the County of Chester in the Provce of Pensilvania the Rec* whereof the said Richd doth hereby Acknowledge and is there with fully Satisfied Contented and paid & thereof

* Power of Attorney D. 2. v. 2, p. 370, Department of Internal Affairs, Harrisburg, Pa.

AN AMERICAN MIGRATION 25

and from every part & parcell thereof doth fully clearly and absolutely Aquit Exonerate and dis charge him the said Mordecai Lincon his heirs and Assigns forever Hath granted Bargained and sould unto the said Mordecai Lincon his Heirs & assigns forever All that Tract of Land lying in the County of Midelsex in New Jersey aforesaid Beginning at a Black Oak Tree marked on four sides standing On the North side of a small slough or run wch is on the North side of a Farm formerly Wm Estell, from thence running North thirty nine de grees westerly Seventeen chains to Matchaponix River thence down the same to the Mouth of a Brook which is One of Robt Barclays Corners & running from the first mentioned Black Oak Tree att the Beginning South forty eight degrees East erly forty chains more or less to the reere Lines of sd Estills Farme thence along the same North & by East & half a point easterly to his corner where a small run comes into the brook thence down the Brook to the above named Barclays cor ner On Matchaponix River — Which Tract of Land by Estimation One Hundred Acres more or less. To Have and To Hold the said Tract of Land with the appurtenances and privileges to the same belonging or in any wise apertaining to him the said Mordecai his heirs and assigns forever as fully & amply to all intents purposes & Construc tions whatsoever as the same was made Over to the said Richard Saltar by deeds of Sale from Dugle Mackolom bearing date the fifteenth day of July Anno Q D Domini 1719 and not other wise Jn Witness whereof J have hereunto Sett

26 ABRAHAM LINCOLN

my Hand and Scale this Twenty sixth day of May Anno Q. Domini 1726.

Richard Saltar (L. S.)

Sealed & Delivered in the Presence of her

Geo X Morlat mark

Richard Saltar Jun

Ebenezer Saltar

April 5th 1727 Then appeared before John An derson Esqr One of his Majestys Council for the Province of New Jersey Richard Saltar Junr who being solemnly Sworn on the Holly Evangelists of Almighty God did declare that he saw Rich ard Saltar above Named execute the same as his Act and Deed. John Anderson Examined & agrees with the original the word (Lincen*) in the IIth line underlined was by mistake in Re cording.

John Terrill Reg

In the year 1730 Mordecai Lincoln acquired of Thomas Millard 303 acres of land (being a part of the thousand acres granted to Andrew Robeson Feb ruary 2Oth, 1718, willed by him to his son Jonathan Robeson, and granted by the last named to Thomas Millard, October 27th, 1729).

The name of Mordecai Lincoln appears among the Justices of the Peace under date of March 5, I732~1 733> and Dec. 3, 1733.

In 1735, Mordecai Lincoln's signature appears

* Cf. Record in Lib. 30 or D. 3, 130, Trenton, N. J.

£ti

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WILL OF MORDECAI LINCOLN, OF EXETER, PA. (First Page.

AN AMERICAN MIGRATION 27

on the return of the reviewers of the road from Schuylkill to Oley, as may be seen in the papers of the Quarter Sessions of Philadelphia, 1735 and 1736.

It is clear from these documents that Mordecai Lincoln migrated to Pennsylvania in or about the year 1720, that he was an ironmonger and bought land in that part of Pennsylvania where the iron industry was developing and where it has continued to flourish until the present day. He was thus fol lowing the tradition of his father who began the iron industry in Massachusetts a generation before.

Mordecai Lincoln made his last will and testa ment February 22d, 1735. His signature was affirmed and sworn to by two of the witnesses, Sol omon Coles and John Bell, June 7th, 1736, at which time the testator was evidently deceased. It is likely that he died late in May, 1736, as the will naturally would have been proven soon after the death of the testator. His mortal remains were buried in the Quaker burying ground, near Oley.* The text of the Will runs thus:

Jn the Name of God Amen J Mordecai Lincon of Amity in the County of philada in the province of pennsylva being sick and weak in body but of sound mind and Memory Do make this my last will and Testament in manner and form following revoking and hereby disanulling and making void all other and former Wills and Testaments by me made whether in word or Writing allowing this to be my last will and Testament and no other.

* The Exeter Meeting is evidently meant.

28 ABRAHAM LINCOLN

Jmprimis it is my mind that in ye first place my Just debts be honiestly paid.

Jtem J give and bequeath unto My son Mor- decai Linkon the half of my land scituate in amity and to his heirs and assigns forever

Jtem J give and bequeath unto my son Thomas Linkon his heirs and assigns forever the one half of my Land in amity aforesaid.

With this proviso that if my present wife Mary should prove with Child at my Decease and bring forth a son, then J order that ye said Land be Di vided into three equall parts, And that Mordecai shall have ye Lower most or South East part, and Thomas the Middle most and the posthumus ye uper part :

Jtem J give and bequeath unto my Daughters Hannah and Mary a Certain piece of Land at Mat- japonix allread settled on them by a deed of gift.

Jtem J give unto my son John Lincon a Certain piece of Land Lying in the Jerseys Containing three hundred acres, and to his heirs and assigns forever.

Jtem J give and bequeath unto my Two daugh ters Anne & Sarah and to their heirs and assigns forever one hundred acres of Land lying at Mat- japonix in the Jersey, which Land J do order my Executrix herein after Named to sell and divide ye money equally between them.

And J do hereby further order and appoint that if any one or more of my Children above named should happen to dye before they arrive to their full age then such share or shares of ye

••'.>

WILL OF MORDECAI LINCOLN, OF EXETER, PA. (Second Page. (Original in the City Hall, Philadelphia.)

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INVENTORY OF THE ESTATE OF MONDECAI LINCOLN, THE ELDER, OF EXETER, BERKS COUNTY, PA.

AN AMERICAN MIGRATION 2Q

deceased shall be Equally Divided amongst ye surviving Children.

Jtem J give and bequeath unto my beloved Wife Mary all ye residue or remainder of My Estate goods Chatties Quick & dead To be at her disposall, and Liberty to remain on My planta- ti[on] at Melar [ ?] Amity untill those my Chil dren are at their severall ages, the better to enable my Wife to bring up all my Children without wasting or embezeling what I have left them.

And J do hereby nominate and appoint my Wife Mary Lincon my whole and sole Executrix of this my last Will and testam[ent]

And my loving friends and Neighbours Jonathan Robeson and George Boone Trustees to assist my Executrix in & seeing this my Will and Testa ment well and truely perform [ed] according to ye true Intent and Meaning thereof.

The within named Mordecai Lincon did sign publish pronounce and declare that this present writing was his last will and Testament ye 22 day of ffebruary A° Dom1 1735

Jn the presence of us Mordecai Lincon

Jsrael Robeson

Solomon Coles aff 7th June 1736

John Bell lur eod

Philada June 7th 1736. Then personally ap- peard Solomon Coles and John Bell two of the wit nesses to the foregoing Will & the sd Solomon on his solemn affirmation & the sd John Bell on his Oath did severally declare they saw & heard Mordecai Lincoln Sign Seal publish and

30 ABRAHAM LINCOLN

declare the same Will to be his Last Will & Testa ment and that at the doing thereof he was of sound mind Memory and understanding to the best of their knowledge.

Coram Pet Evans Rec Gen

The widow of Mordecai Lincoln transfered her power of attorney January 17, 1742, to her son- in-law, William Tallman, of Amity Township. This is the instrument :

Know all Men by these presents that Mary Rodgers of Exeter in the County of Philada in the Province of Pensylvania whole and Sole Ex ecutrix of Mordecai Lincon my deceased Husband (by Virtue of his last Will and Testament were Jmpowered to make Sale certain Lands as by the said Will will at Large Appear) Know ye that I the said Mary Rodgers for divers Good causes and considerations me thereunto moving Have placed made Ordained Constituted & appointed, and in my stead and place have put and Authorized my son in Law William Tallman of Amity in the County aforesaid, yeoman, my True and Layfull Attorney for me and in my Name and to my use and Behoof, to Enter into all these Lands Con taining One hundred Acres lying on Matjaponix in East Jersey with all their Rights members and appurtenances thereunto belonging to Enter all and every part & parcel thereof for me and in my Name to Survey and for me and in my name to bargain Sell Lease or grant to such person or per sons & for such Estate for Life Inheritance or

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AN AMERICAN MIGRATION 31

Otherwise & for Such Sum or Sumes of money as by my said Attourney shall be though [t] meet and requisite to the utermost & best comodity and profit of me, and deed and deeds of the same grants and Estates so to be made for me and in my Name to Seal and as my deed to deliver unto the parties to whome the same shall be so made, And Acquittances & other Discharges for me and in my Name to seal and deliver Hereby giving and granted unto my said Attourney my whole & full power and Authority in touching and concern ing the premisses to do — Execute proceed and fin ish in all things in as Large and Ample manner and form as J myself might or Ought to do if J were personally present, And Ratifying & allow ing whatsoever my said Attorney shall Lawfully Act and do according to the True Jntent & meaning of these presents, Jn Witness whereof J have here unto set my hand & Seal the I7th day of January

A°. D°. 1742.

Mary Rogers (ss) Sealed and delivered in the presence of us

Geo : Boone — Roger Rogers

Be it Remembered that On the 1 7th day of Jan uary 1742. before me George Boone Esqr One of his Majesties Justices of the peace for the City & County of Philada came Mary Rodgers and acknowledged the within power of Attourney to be her deed — Witness my hand ye day of Year

above written.

Geo: Boone (ss)

32 ABRAHAM LINCOLN

CHAPTER III.

- ABRAHAM LINCOLN IN PENNSYLVANIA.

Abraham Lincoln, the brother of Mordecai, also migrated to Pennsylvania and settled in Springfield Township, Chester County, in or about the year 1729, and died there in 1745. He was a blacksmith as well as a yeoman. The following records, refer ring to him, have been found in the documents still extant.

Abraham Lincoln or "Lincon" is mentioned as one of the 22 Jurors in the General Quarter Sessions of the Peace, of Monmouth County, New Jersey, Nov. 22, 1720. With Robert Lawrence and Cor- neles van Horen he made an inventory of Peter Gordon's personal estate May 13, 1725.*

The first appearance of Abraham Lincoln's name in Pennsylvania is found in a deed issued by Thomas Williams, of Freehold, New Jersey, to "Abraham Lincon of Springfield, in the County of Chester and province of Pennsylvania" under date of January 1 6, 1729. From this document we learn that Abra ham Lincoln by a "bargain of Sale" for one year had already occupied the tract in question which was situated on Crum Creek. It would thus appear that Abraham Lincoln moved to Pennsylvania in January or March, 1728, as we may suppose his occupancy followed quickly upon the "bargain of

* Cf. New Jersey Archives, First Series xxiii, p. 190.

AN AMERICAN MIGRATION 33

Sale" which seems to have been dated January I5th, 1728. The deed, recorded in West Chester, Pa., runs as follows :

"THIS INDENTURE made the Sixteenth day of January in the Year of our Lord one Thousand and Seven hundred and Twenty nine (thirty) Between Thomas Williams of freehold in the County of Monmouth and Prove of New Jersey Yeoman of the one part and Abraham Lincon of Springfield in the County of Chester and province of Pennsyl vania Yeoman of the other part WITNESSETH that the said Thomas Williams for an in Considera tion of the sum of Three hundred and Twenty pounds Lawful money of America to him in hand paid by the sd Abraham Lincon the receipt where of is hereby acknowledged and thereof doth acquit & forever Discharge the said Abra ham Lincon his heirs and assigns by these pres ents Have Granted bargained sold aliened enfe- offed released & Confirmed and by these presents do grant bargain sell alien enfeoffe release and Confirm unto the said Abraham Lincon his heirs & assigns all that Tract of Land Situate in Spring field aforesaid Containing three hundred acres withe allowances of Ten acres on the hundred all the Messuage or Tenement & Plantation thereon BEGINNING at a White Oak standing bv Crum Creek thence north fifty five degrees Easterly by Bartho[l]omew Coppocks land three hundred and sixty seven perches to a Post thence south Thirty five degrees Easterly by Thomas Taylors land one hundred and Twenty eight perches to a Black Oak thence south fifty-five degrees West by George

34 ABRAHAM LINCOLN

Lowns Land four hundred and Twenty Seven perches to Crum Creek thence along the said Creek on the Several Courses thereof To the place of Be ginning Containing three hundred and Thirty acres TOGETHER with all the Houses out Houses Edi fices Buildings Gardens orchards mines minerals Wods undwoods Medws [sic] Marshes Swamps criples ways waters waterCourses fishings fowlings haukings Huntings Rights Libertys Priviledges Im provements hereditaments & apurtenances whatso ever thereunto belonging or in any wise appertain ing of all which said Land and premises hereby Granted with their appurtenances the said Abra ham Lincon is now in actual Possession by force and Virtue of a bargain and Sale to him thereof made by the said Thomas Williams for the Term of one Year as by an Indenture in that behalf made bearing Date the day next before the day of the date hereof may apear and the Reversions and remainders rents Issues and profits thereof and all Deeds Writings and Evidences whatsoever Concerning the same To HAVE & TO HOLD the said Messuage or Tenement Plantation and three hun dred and Thirty acres of land and premises hereby Granted or mentioned so to be with their Appur tenances unto the said Abraham Lincon and his heirs to the only proper use and behoof of the said Abraham Lincon his heirs and assigns for ever UNDER the Yearly Quitrent hereafter accru ing to the Lord of the fee thereof AND the said Thomas Williams & his heirs the sd Messuage or Tenement three hundred and Thirty acres of Land

AN AMERICAN MIGRATION 35

Hereditaments and premises hereby Granted with their Appurtenances unto the said Abraham Lin- con his heirs and Assigns against him the said Thomas Williams, and his heirs & against him the said Thomas Williams [any] persons whomsoever Lawfully Claiming or to Claime by from or under him or his heirs shall and will Warant and Defend forever by these presents AND the said Thomas Williams for himself and his heirs doth Covenant Promise and Grant to and with the said Abraham Lincon his heirs & assigns by these presents Thatt he hath in himself Good right full Lawful and Absolute Power and Authority to Grant bar gain sell & Convey all the said Messuage or Tene ment Plantation land & premises hereby Granted with their Appurtenances unto the said Abraham Lincon his heirs and assigns in manner aforesaid AND thatt the said Abraham Lincon his heirs and assigns shall or Lawfully may from time to time and at all times hereafter forever freely quietly & peaceably have hold Occupy Possess and Enjoy the sd Mesuage Plantation Land and premises and every part thereof with the Appurtenances & re ceive and Take all the rents Issues and profits thereof without any manner of Lett Suit Trouble or Molestation whatsoever by any person or per sons whomsoever AND ALSO that the said Mesuage land and premises with their appurtenances now are and from time to time forever hereafter shall remain Continue and be unto the said Abraham Lincon [and] his heirs free and Clear and freely and clearly aquited and discharged of & from all

36 ABRAHAM LINCOLN

and all manner of former & other bargains Sales Gifts Grants Jointures Devises Mortgages Intails Rents Arrearages of Rents [ ?] little charges or In- cumbrances whatsoever the proprietors Quitrents hereafter acrueing for the same only Excepted AND LASTLY that he the said Thomas and his heirs and assigns and all and every other person & persons Whomsoever Lawfully Claiming or to Claim the said Messuage Land and premises hereby Granted shall and will from time to time and at all times hereafter upon the request Cost and Charge in the Law of the said Abraham Lincon his heirs or as signs make do Execute and Acknowledge or Cause so to be all & every such further and other reason able act & acts Deed or Deeds Device or Devices in the Law for the further and better assuring and Confirmation of the said Messuage Land & Plan tation hereby Granted with their appurtenances unto the said Abraham Lincon his heirs and as signs as by him or them or by his or their Counsel Learned in the Law shall be reasonably Devised advised or Requred [sic]

IN WITNESS whereof the said Thomas Williams hath hereunto set his hand and affixed his Seal the day & Year first abov Written.

Thomas Williams (Seal)

Sealed and Delivered by the said Thomas Williams in the pres ence of

Robert Lawrence John Coward —

AN AMERICAN MIGRATION 37

BE IT REMEMBERED the fourteenth day of Sep tember 1747 Before me Benjamin Shoemaker Esqr one of the justices &c personally Came and ap peared William Lawrence of the City of Philadel phia Merchant and the within Written Indenture

his subscribed Thomas (X) Williams to Seal &

mark

with the names Rob1 Lawrence & John Coward &c."

[W. Lawrence attested the signature of his father Robert and the deed was recorded Aug. 22, 1785.]

This same year, 1729, and later, we find the name of Abraham Lincoln among the taxables of Chester County, as the following excerpts from the originals show :

1729 Springfield

Abraham Lincon 14 s. d.

1730 Springfield

Abraham Lincon 12 s. d.

The name Abraham Lincoln continues to be written this way until 1739, when we have the fol lowing entry :

1739 Springfield

Abraham Linghorn

1740 Springfield Abram Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln, of Springfield, before migrat ing from New Jersey, owned two considerable tracts of land in Monmouth County, New Jersey, as may be seen from the land records. One of these tracts,

38 ABRAHAM LINCOLN

containing 240 acres, was granted to him by Safety Borden, February nth, 1722, and the other tract, containing 200 acres, was granted him by Abraham Vanhorn, March 25th, 1725. After purchasing the tract in Springfield Township, on Crum Creek, from Thomas Williams, Lincoln sold both of the above tracts in East Jersey to Thomas Williams, April 29, 1730, for the sum of 590 pounds. The following deed relates the brief title and sets forth the condi tions of sale :

THIS INDENTURE, Made the Twenty ninth day of April in the third Year of the Reign of Our Sovereign Lord George the Second by the Grace of God of Great Britain France & Ireland King, Defender of the Faith &c. Anno Domini One Thousand Seven hundred & thirty Between Abra ham Lincon of the County of Monmouth in the Eastern Division of the Province of New Jersey Blacksmith of the one part And Thomas Wil liams of the Same County Yeoman of the other part WITNESSETH that the said Abraham Lincon for & in Consideration of the Sum of Five Hun dred & Ninety Pounds Current Money of the Said Province to him in hand Paid before the Enseal- ing & Delivery of these Presents by him the said Thomas Williams the Receit whereof he the Said Abraham Lincon doth hereby acknowledge & him self to be therewith fully & Entirely Satisfied Contented & Paid & thereof & of & from every Part & parcel thereof Doth fully clearly & abso lutely Acquit Exonerate & Discharge him the Said Thomas Williams his Heirs Executors Ad-

AN AMERICAN MIGRATION 39

ministrators & Every of them forEver by these presents HATH granted bargained & Sold Aliened enfeoffed & Confirmed And by these Presents Doth fully clearly & absolutely Grant Bargain & Sell Alien enfeoffe Release Convey & Con firm unto him the Said Thomas Williams his Heirs & Assigns forEver All those two Tracts of Land Scituate Lying & Being near Cross- weeks in the County aforesaid herein after Abut ted Bounded & Described Viz : All that Tract of Land which was Granted & Confirmed unto him the Said Abraham Lincon by deed from Safety Borden bearing date the Eleventh day of Febru ary Anno Domini 1722 Containing Two Hundred & forty Acres be the Same more or less BEGIN NING at a Stake Standing in the Clear Land, which is a corner of Benjamin Bordens Land Twenty five Chains from Burlington Path & Ten Chains Eastward of the Land in possession of Richard Borden & Running North North West Twenty three Chains Sixty five Links to the South East Corner of Abraham Vanhorns Land And from said Beginning Stake Running North Seventy Seven Degrees Easterly Forty & two Chains, Then South East to Burlington Path & North Easterly along the Path to the Pines & following the Pines to the corner of John Limings Land Then South Seventy Seven Degrees West along said Limmings line to the above named Vanhornes land and following said Vanhornes lines to the South East Corner of his Land as above mentioned BOUNDED North Westwardly by Vanhorns & Limmings Land South Westwardly by Benja-

4O ABRAHAM LINCOLN

min Bordens Land South Eastwardly partly by Benjamin Borden & partly by Burlington Path North Eastwardly by the Pines AND ALSO All that tract of Land which was granted & Confirmed to him the Said Abraham Lincon by Deed from Abraham Vanhorn bearing Date the Twenty fifth day of March Anno Domini 1725 Containing Two Hundred Acres — BEGINNING at a stake Standing in the rere of the Lott of Land formerly Job Throckmortons of which Lott this Two Hundred Acres is part, which Stake Stands Ten Chains from the South Westernmost Corner of the Said Lott & from thence running South South East Fifty One Chains & thirty five Links Thence North Seventy Seven Degrees Easterly Thirty One Chains & twenty Links to the Line of Land lately Sold to James Borden, Thence North North West Eleven Chains & an half to a Maple Tree by a Brook marked on four sides Thence up the said Brook Ten Chains & forty Links to where the Line of the said Land sold to James Borden cross es said Brook Thence North North West Thirty seven Chains & one Rodd Thence South seventy seven Degrees Westwardly Forty two Chains to the Place where it Began Bounded Southerly Ten Chain short of the Land on which Richard Bor den formerly lived, Easterly by the first above- mentioned Tract of Land Northerly by the Land Sold to James Borden Westerly by the Rere Line of said Lott Together with all & all manner of Housings Buildings Edifices Structures Barns Stables Orchards Fencings Feedings Improve ments Pastures Meadows Woods Trees Waters

AN AMERICAN MIGRATION 4!

Brooks Springs Ponds Pools Pits Easements Pro fits Commodities Royalties Liberties Advantages Emoluments Hereditaments & Appurtenances whatsoever To the said Two Tracts of Land Be longing or in any manner of Ways thereunto Ap pertaining And also all the Estate Right Title Interest Possession Property Claims & Demand whatsoever of him the said Abraham Lincon & his Heirs as well in Law as in Equity of in or unto the said Two Tracts & Granted & Bargained Prem ises with the Appurtenancies with the Reversion & Reversions Remainder & Remainders thereof & of every part & parcel thereof as fully & amply to all Intents Constructions & Purposes whatsoever as the same was Granted & Confirmed unto him the said Abraham Lincon in & by the two Deeds before mentioned Relation to the Same being had more fully & at large may Appear To Have and to Hold the said Two Tracts of Land & Granted & Bargained Premises with all & singular the Rights Members & Appurtenances to the same be longing unto him the said Thomas Williams his Heirs & Assigns for Ever To the only proper Use Benefit & behoof of him the said Thomas Williams his Heirs & Assigns for Ever Yeild- ing & Paying therefore Yearly and Every Year hereafter unto the said Abraham Lincon his Heirs & Assigns for Ever as an Acknowledg ment for the first mentioned Tract of Land upon the Feast of St. Michael the Arch- Angel the Sum of One Penny good & Lawful Money, when the same shall be legally Demanded upon the Premises And he the said Abraham Lin-

42 ABRAHAM LINCOLN

con for himself his Heirs Executors & Admin istrators Doth Covenant Promise Grant & Agree to and with him the said Thomas Williams his Heirs & Assigns by these presents in man ner & form following Viz1: That at the time of the Sealing & Delivery hereof he the said Abra ham Lincon is Lawfully Seized of the Said Two Tracts of Land as above bounded & all & singular & every the Premises & Appurtenances thereof of a good, sure, pure, perfect & absolute Lawful Indefeazable Estate of Inheritance in the Law, in his proper Demesne as of Fee without any Con dition or Limitation of any Use or Uses Estate or Estates in or to any person or persons whatsoever so as to Alter Change Charge Defeat Determine or make Void the Same, or any part thereof And that he the Said Abraham Lincon hath in himself good Rightfull Power and absolute Lawful Au thority to Grant Bargain & Sell the same & Every part thereof unto him the Said Thomas Wil liams his Heirs & Assigns for ever in manner aforesaid And that the same now is free & from time to time & at all times hereafter Shall remain & be free & clear to him the Said Thomas Wil liams, his Heirs & Assigns for Ever from all & all manner of former & other Gifts Grants Bar gains Sales Leases Mortgages & of & from all- other Titles Troubles Charges Demands & Incum- brances whatsoever had made Committed done or suffered to bedone by him the Said Abraham Lin con or any other Person or Persons whatsoever by from or under him so as to Alter Change Charge De fecit or make Void this Same.

AN AMERICAN MIGRATION 43

His Rents or Services that for the last men tioned Tract Shall become due to the Lords Pro prietors only Excepted AND FURTHER he the Said Abraham Lincon for him-self his Heirs Executors & Administrators Doth hereby Covenant Promise Grant & Agree the Said Two Tracts of Land & Granted & Bargained Premises with the Appur tenances unto him the Said Thomas Williams & his Heirs & Assigns, against him the Said Abra ham Lincon & his Heirs & all & Every other Person or Persons whatsoever lawfully laying claim to the same or to any part or parcel thereof shall & will Warrant & for Ever by these Pres ents Defend In Witness whereof he the Said Abraham Lincon hath hereunto Set his hand & Seal the day and year first above written

Abraham (L. S.) Lincon

The written within Instrument Sealed & Delivered in the presence of Benj. Price Lawr Smyth

An old document, the petition of Mordecai Tay lor of the township of Springfield for a tavern license, contains the signature of Abraham Lincoln. This petition sets forth so vividly the primitive con ditions of the Great Road leading from Darby to Springfield in 1743, that it is printed here:

Chester Co. To his Majesties Justices of the peace at the Court of General Quarter Sessions held at Chester the 3ist day of August Annoq Domini 1743 —

The Petition of Mordecai Taylor of the Town ship of Springfield — Humbly Sheweth

44 ABRAHAM LINCOLN

That whereas your Petitioner living on the Great Road leading from Darby to Springfield & so into Conostogoe Road being a Commodious place for a House of Entertainment and no Tavern being within four Miles of him, And Travellers daily travelling that Road And People going back and forward sometimes Twenty or Thirty Wag gons of a Day And Calling at your Petitioners House, which is a great Trouble & Expense to Yor Petit1" Therefore he prays that your Honours would be pleased to grant him a Recommendation to the Governor for a Lycence Accordingly And your Petit1" as in duty bound shall ever pray

Mordecai Taylor.

We whose names are hereunto subscribed being well Acquainted with the above Petitioner believe him to be a suitable person to keep a Public house of Entertainment And prays that You would be pleased to grant him a Recommendation to the Governor for a Lycence Accordingly

B Davis Joseph Powell Jos : Levis

Thomas Taylor Bartholomew Coppock

John Owen Mordecai Massey

Jn° Levis James Rhoades

Abrm Lincon John Rhoads

M Maddock Thomas Fall

James Crozer Joseph Maris

Jno Gibbons Bernhard Van Leer

Jos. Harvey Jsaac Collier *

* From the collection of Mr. Gilbert Cope, who kindly furnished the writer with a photograph of the Petition.

(^ Jfo$&~ ',/^MO,

-Vl ^Sfi _ 7*-v / '/

PETITION FOR TAVERN LICENSE, SHOWING SIGNATURE OF ABRAHAM

LINCOLN, OF SPRINGFIELD. (Original in the Possession of Mr. Gilbert Cope.)

AN AMERICAN MIGRATION 45

In the year 1744 Abraham Lincoln, of Spring field, bought property in Elbow lane in the city of Philadelphia, from William Clare and from John Clare and John Clare's sister, Esther. In his will Lincoln mentions a property bought of Humphrey Clase (Classe) in the same city. In the deeds to the Clare properties, Lincoln is spoken of as "Yeoman of Springfield, Chester County." The relation of Humphrey Clase in the transaction appears in the deeds which follow. The deed of William Clare conveying this portion of the tract in question and received from the estate of his father (William Clare, deceased), here follows in its essential parts:

THIS INDENTURE Made the Twenty Ninth day of March in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and forty four Between William Clare of the City of Philadelphia in the Province of Pennsylvania Cordwainer of the one part and Abraham Lincon of Springfield in the County of Chester Yeoman of the other part Whereas in and by certain Indentures of lease and release bearing date respectively the twenty third and twenty fourth days of June 1720 made between Joshua Carpenter of the said City Gentleman and Eliza beth his wife of the one part and John Rakestraw of the same City Carter and Ruth his wife of the other part he the said Joshua Carpenter and Eliz abeth his wife did for the considerations therein mentioned grant release and confirm unto the said lohn Rakestraw and Ruth his wife A Certain piece or parcel of ground situate lying and being

46 ABRAHAM LINCOLN

in Philadelphia aforesaid Containing in front or breadth on Elbow Lane thirty seven feet and in length forty four feet Bounded northward with Elbow Lane aforesaid Eastward with George Em- len's lot Southward by the back of Chesnut Street lots and westward with other ground of the said Joshua Carpenter with its appurtenances to hold to them the said John Rakestraw and Ruth his wife their heirs and assigns forever Yielding and Paying yearly and every year unto the said loshua Carpenter his heirs and assigns the rent or sum of two pounds nine shillings and four pence lawful money of America at the rates appointed by the late Act of Parliament for ascertaining the rates of foreign coin in the Plantations of America * * [recital of earlier title] ******** Now this indenture witnesseth that for and in consideration of the sum of fifty pounds law ful money of the Province aforesaid unto the said William Clare party thereto well and truly paid by the said Abraham Lincon at or before the seal ing and delivery of these presents the receipt whereof is hereby acknowledged and thereof doth acquit and forever discharge the said Abraham Lincon his heirs executors and administrators for ever he the said William Clare party hereto Hath granted bargained sold released and confirmed and by these presents Doth grant bargain sell re lease and confirm unto the said Abraham Lincon in his actual possession now being, and unto his heirs and assigns All that' the said westernmost tenement new erected on the said piece of ground before described on the south side of Elbow Lane

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Containing thirty seven feet by forty four with a proportionate part of the said piece of ground thereunto belonging ********* IN WITNESS whereof the said parties to these presents have hereunto interchangeably set their hands and seals the day and year first above written

William Clare (Seal)

Sealed and Delivered in the Presence of us

Harry Travers Joseph Breintnall

[Signature of Grantor acknowledged March 30 1744. Recorded April 29 1835]

The deed* of John Clare and Humphrey Clase (the husband of John Clare's sister Esther) conveying the shares of John and Esther to Abraham Lincoln ex plains the appearance of Humphrey Clase in the transaction, and shows that Abraham Lincoln, of Springfield, bought at least three of the four shares of the tract of ground left by William Clare, Sr., to his four children, George, William, Jr., John and Es ther (who married Humphrey Clase) :

THIS INDENTURE Made the nineteenth day of November in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and forty four Between John Clare of the City of Philadelphia Cordwainer and Abigal his wife and Humphrey Classe of the said City

* Deed Book 60, p. 601 ff, City Hall, Philadelphia.

48 ABRAHAM LINCOLN

Mariner and Esther his wife (sister of the said lohn Clare) of the one part and Abraham Lincon of Springfield in the County of Chester Yeoman of the other part Whereas in and by a certain Indenture of lease and release bearing date the twenty third and twenty fourth days of lune one thousand seven hundred and twenty made between loshua Carpenter of the said City Gentleman and Elizabeth his wife of the one part and lohn Rake- straw of the said City Carter and Ruth his wife of the other part he the said loshua Carpenter and Elizabeth his wife for and in the Consideration therein mentioned did grant release and Confirm unto the said lohn Rakestraw and Ruth his wife A Certain piece or parcel of land situate lying and being in Philadelphia aforesaid Con taining in breadth upon Elbow Lane thirty seven feet and in length forty four feet Bounded northward with Elbow Lane aforesaid east ward with George Emlen's lot southward with the back of Chestnut Street lots and west ward with the other ground of the said loshua Carpenter with the appurtenances to hold to them the said loshua Rakestraw and Ruth his wife their heirs and assigns forever Yielding and paying yearly and every year unto the said loshua Carpen ter his heirs and assigns the rent or sum of two pounds nine shillings and four pence lawful money of America at the rate appointed by the late act of Parliament for ascertaining the rates of foreign coins in the Plantations in America on the twenty

AN AMERICAN MIGRATION 49

fourth day of lune yearly forever with clauses of reentry and distress for non payment AND WHERE AS in and by a certain Indenture bearing date the first day of July 1721 (And Recorded at Phila delphia in Deed Book vol 2 page 204 &c) made between the said John Rakestraw and Ruth his wife of one part and William Clare of the said City Cordwainer father of the said John Clare of the other part they the said lohn Rakestraw and Ruth his wife for the consideration therein men tioned did grant release and confirm unto the said William Clare his heirs and assigns all that the above mentioned and described piece or parcel of land with a certain messuage or tenement there on built and erected by the said lohn Rakestraw To gether also with all and singular other the build ings improvements ways alleys passages waters water courses rights easements rights liberties privileges hereditaments and appurtenances what soever thereunto belonging and the reversions and remainders rents issues and profits thereof and all the estate right title interest use possession property claim and demand of them the said lohn Rakestraw and Ruth his wife of in and to the hereby granted premises and true copies of all deeds evidences and writings concerning the prem ises to be had and taken at the proper costs and charges of the said William Clare his heirs or assigns which last recited Indenture contains a covenant on the part of the said William Clare his heirs and assigns well and truly to pay and dis charge yearly forever the said rent of two pounds

5O ABRAHAM LINCOLN

nine shillings and four pence AND WHEREAS the said William Clare after having built and erected another messuage or tenement on the said de scribed lot of ground made his last will and testa ment bearing date the seventeenth day of the fourth month one thousand seven hundred and thirty two wherein he disposed of his estate in the world viz. I give and bequeath unto my beloved wife Esther Clare all my real and personal estate goods and chattels whatsoever to have the full and free use of them during her life and after her decease to be divided equally amongst all my chil dren Item I make my aforesaid wife full and sole executrix of this my last will and testament And Whereas the said Executrix survived the said testator some time and is since deceased and there upon the children namely George Clare William Clare lohn Clare and Esther Clare by Indenture bearing date the Sixteenth day of October 1742 and then intended to be recorded [Recorded in Book 9 Vol. 5 page 101 &c] and an amicable par tition and division of the said Estate whereby it was agreed among other things that the said lohn Clare and his said sister Esther shall hold enjoy and have the Easternmost which is the largest of the two tenements erected on the said piece of ground of thirty seven feet in breadth by forty four feet in length with a proportionable part of the same piece of ground Together with the ap purtenances which Easternmost Tenement and the ground thereto belonging are bargained and sold and intended to be hereby conveyed unto the said

AN AMERICAN MIGRATION 51

Abraham Lincon his heirs and assigns. Now this indenture witnesseth that the said lohn Clare and Abigail his wife and Humphrey Clase and Esther his wife for and in consideration of the sum of one hundred and twenty pounds lawful money of Pennsylvania to them in hand paid and secured to be paid the receipt whereof is hereby acknowledged HAVE and each of them hath granted bargained sold released and confirmed and by these presents Do and each of them DOTH grant bargain sell release and confirm unto the said Abraham Lincon and to his heirs and assigns ALL that the said Easternmost tenement and the ground thereunto belonging situate on the South side of Elbow Lane as aforesaid Together with all the ways alleys waters water courses rights [?] easements rights liberties privileges hereditaments and appurtenances thereunto belonging or in any wise appurtaining and all the estate right title in terest use possession property claim and demands of them the said grantors or either or any of them of in or to the hereby granted premises and true copies of all deeds evidences and writings concern ing the same to have and to hold the said Eastern most tenement situate on the south side of Elbow Lane and a proportionable part thereto belonging of the said lot of ground of thirty seven foot by forty four foot hereditaments and premises hereby granted or mentioned or inteded to be granted with the appurtenances unto the said Abraham Lincon and his heirs to the use and behoof of the said Abraham Lincon his heirs and assigns forever

52 ABRAHAM LINCOLN

Subject to a proportionable part of the said recited rent of two pounds nine shillings and four pence And the said lohn Clare and Abigail his wife and Humphey Clase and Esther his wife the hereby granted premises against them and each of them and all persons lawfully claiming under them unto the said Abraham Lincon his heirs and assigns shall and will warrant and forever defend by these presents And the said lohn Clare for himself his heirs executors and administrators and for the said Abigail his wife and the said Humphey Clase for himself his heirs executors and administra tors for the said Esther his wife do respectively covenant promise and grant that they the said lohn Clare and Abigail his wife and Humphey Clase and Esther his wife shall and will at any time or times hereafter at the reasonable request cost and charges in the law of the said Abraham Lincon his heirs or assigns make execute and acknowledge or cause so to be all and every such further and other reasonable act and acts deed or deeds device or devices in law for the further and better assur ance and confirmation of the said tenement and proportionable piece of ground hereditaments and premises hereby granted as mentioned to be grant ed with the appurtenances unto the said Abraham Lincon his heirs and assigns (under the propor tionable part of rent aforesaid) as by him or them or his or their counsel learned in the law shall be reasonably devised advised or required In Wit ness whereof the said parties to these presents have

THE WILL OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN, OF SPRINGFIELD. (Original in City Hall, Philadelphia.)

AN AMERICAN MIGRATION 53

hereunto interchangeably set their hands and seals the day and year first above written

Esther Classe (Seal)

Humphrey Classe (Seal)

John Clare (Seal)

Abigail Clare (Seal)

Sealed and Delivered in

the Presence of us Jos Howell Joseph Brentnall

The Twentieth day of November 1744

Before me Joshua Maddox Esquire one of the Justices &c came the within named lohn Clare and Abigail his wife and Humphey Classe and Esther his wife and acknowledged the with in written Indenture to be their and each of their act and deed and desired the same may be recorded And the said Abigail and Esther being of full age and apart examined willingly consented.

Witness my Hand and seal the day and year aforesaid

Recorded April 2Qth 1835

Josh. Maddox (Seal)

Abraham Lincoln made his will April 15, 1745. He died a very few days later, for the inventory is dated April 30, 1745. Both the will and the inven tory are interesting documents and shed much light upon the history of this branch of the family. Abra ham bequeathed his estate as follows :

54 ABRAHAM LINCOLN

J ABRAHAM LINCON of Springfield in the County of Chester in the Province of Pensilvania Black smith being sick and weak in body but of well dis posing mind and Memory Praise be given to Al mighty God therefore but in Consideration of the Uncertainty of this Mortal state and not knowing how it may please the Lord to deal with me at this time DO make and Ordain this my last Will and Testament in Manner and form following First and Principally I recommend my Soul into the hands of God that gave it and my body I com mit to the Earth to be buried in a Christian like and decent manner at the discretion of my Execu tors AND as Touching such worldly Estate as it hath pleased the Lord to bestow upon me I give and dispose thereof as followeth IMPRIMIS my will is that in the first place all my Just debts and funeral Expenses be duly paid and discharged ITEM I give to my son lohn all and singular the Land and Premises with the Appurtenances / it being part and parcel of the Plantation whereon I now dwell / Lying on the North East side of the Road leading to Chester to HOLD to him my said son lohn his Heirs and Assigns for ever but if my son lohn should happen to dye before he Attains to the age of Twenty one Years then my will is and I give all the said Land unto my son Abraham his Heirs and Assigns forever ITEM I give and de vise unto my son lacob all the Residue of this my Plantation Situate on the South West side the Road aforsaid with all and Singular the Ap purtenances to Hold to him my said son lacob his Heirs and Assigns for ever PROVIDED also and Upon Condition Nevertheless that my son lacob

AN AMERICAN MIGRATION 55

Builds a Brick dwelling House for the Use of my son lohn at some Convenient place on the land devised to my son lohn as aforsaid at some time within the Term of Ten Years after the date of this my Will which House shall be Seven teen foot Square from out to out Cellar'd Under and Carried Up two story high with a Cedar Roof and Windows Suitable to the Building ITEM I give and devise Unto my son Mordecai if he Returns into this Province within the Term of Seven Years Next after my decease all that Mes suage or Tenement which I purchased of William Clayer Situate in the City of Philadelphia TO HOLD to him my said son Mordecai his Heirs and As signs forever but if it should so happen that my son Mordecai shall not Return before the expira tion of the Term aforsaid then my will is and I do give the said Messuage or Tenement Unto my son Isaac his Heirs and Assigns forever Provided Nevertheless that my son Isaac pay or cause to be paid Unto my son Mordecai if in Case he Re- turnes at any time after the Seven Years aforsaid the sum of ffive Pounds of Lawfull money of Pensilvania ITEM I give devise and bequeath Unto my daughter Rebecca my other Messuage or Tene ment in the City of Philadelphia / loyning to the other before mentioned / which I Purchased of Humphry Clase and lohn Clayor TO HOLD to her my said daughter Rebecca and to the Lawfull heirs of her body for ever but if she should happen to dye before the Age of Twenty one Years or with out Issue then my will is and I give the said Mes suage or Tenement Unto my son Isaac his Heirs

56 ABRAHAM LINCOLN

and Assigns for ever ITEM I give Unto my daugh ter Sara my best feather bed with furniture as also the one half part of the Linnen Usually kept in my large chest ITEM I give Unto my son Abraham the sum of Thirty Six Pounds which I lent him some time since AND further my will is that all the Residue of my Estate after debts and Funeral Expenses paid as aforsaid and Sufficient for the Maintenance of my son John Untill he Arrives to the Age of Fourteen Years / as well Real as Per sonal whatsoever and wheresoever I give Unto my two sons / to witt / Abraham and Isaac to be di vided in two Equal parts or portions share and share alike AND I Nominate Constitute and Ap point my two friends / to witt / Robert Taylor of Marple in the County of Chester aforsaid and loshua Thompson of Ridley in the County afor said Executors of this my last will and Testament AND I Revoke disanul and make void all and every other will and wills by me at any time here tofore made and do Ratifie & Confirm this and no other to be my Last Will and Testament IN WIT NESS whereof I have hereunto sett my hand and seal this ffifteenth day of April in the Year of our Lord One Thousand Seven Hundred and ffbrty ffive. — Abraham Lincon

Signed Sealed Published and delivered by Abra ham Lincon the Testator to be his last will and Testament in the Presence of Us.

Emanuel Lownes aff

John morton Jur 24 April 1745

Jsa. Pearson affirm

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INVENTORY OF THE ESTATE OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN, OF SPRINGFIELD.

AN AMERICAN MIGRATION 57

CHAPTER IV.

CHILDREN OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN, OF SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP, CHESTER COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.

The records contain important traces also of the children of Abraham Lincoln, of Springfield, Ches ter County, Pennsylvania. As we have seen from the will of Abraham, he left the following children : Mordecai, Abraham, Isaac, John and Sarah. Mor- decai is mentioned in the will as absent from home, John and Sarah as minors. The testator seems par ticularly solicitous about his young son, John, as may be seen in the wording of the special provisions of the will in his case. One can read between the lines the father's anxiety as to the boy's reaching his maturity. In case he grows to manhood, the testator directs that a proper house be constructed for his son John. The specifications as to the size and quality of this house are very precise. It must be seventeen feet square, two stories high, and have a cedar roof.

The first document so far found referring to Abraham Lincoln, the son of Abraham of Spring field, is a deed dated May i, 1744, in which John Fordham and his wife Hannah, of the city of Phila delphia, convey a piece of ground on the north side of Jones' alley, in the city of Philadelphia, to "Abra ham Lincon of the same city cordwainer." That this Abraham was not the Abraham of Springfield, but

58 ABRAHAM LINCOLN

the son of the latter, is clear from the fact that he is called "cordwainer" and mentioned as living in Philadelphia. This is further corroborated by a deed of "Abraham Lincon cordwainer" to "Isaac Lincon Carpenter" dated May i, 1745, after the death of Abraham of Springfield. The deed of 1744 runs thus :

THIS INDENTURE Made the first Day of May in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hun- dren and forty four. Between John Fordham late of the City of Philadelphia but now of the Island of Jamaica Upholsterer, and Hannah Fordham of the City of Philadelphia aforesaid Wife of the said John Fordham. of the one part and Abraham Lincoln of the same City Cordwainer of the other Part.

Whereas Abraham Bickley late of Burlington in the Western Division of the Province of New Jer sey. Merchant deceased Father of the Said Han nah Ford — by his Last Will and Testament in Writing duly executed bearing Date the thirteenth Day of October in the Year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and Twenty five did Give & Bequeath unto his Daughter Hannah, divers Lands Tenements & Hereditaments (of which the Piece of Ground herein after particularly men tioned & described is Part) To hold to the said Hannah, her Heirs & Assigns for ever. Under the yearly Quitrent & Reservations accruing to the Proprietor for the same as by the said Will since duly proved Reference being had thereto more fully may appear. [Here follows Letter of Attorney]

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And whereas the said Hannah Fordham hath by Virtue of the said Letter of Attorney from the said John Fordham her Husband as well as in her own Right contracted and agreed with the said Abraham Lincon for the Sale of the Fee Simple and Inheritance of the said Piece of Ground herein after particularly described Subject to the Rent herein after mentioned and to indemnify the same And the said Abraham Lincon his Heirs Ex ecutors and Administrators of and from the Pay ment of the said Mortgage Money and Every Part thereof.

Now this Indenture Witnesseth that now in Pur suance of such Agreement as aforesaid And for and in Consideration of the Payment of the Rent and Performance of the Covenants hereinafter reserved and contained on the Part and Behalf of the said Abraham Lincon his Heirs and Assigns to be paid done and performed They the said John Fordham by his said Attorney the said Han nah his Wife have granted bargained sold released and confirmed and by these presents do grant bar gain sell release and confirm unto the said Abra ham Lincon His Heirs and Assigns all that Piece of Ground situate on the North side of Jones's Alley in the City of Philadelphia aforesaid con taining in Front on the said alley thirty three feet and Seven Inches and extending back or North ward Thirty Foot Bounded Eastward with other Ground of the said John Fordham and Hannah his Wife now in the Possession of George Hard ing Southward with the said Alley. Westward with other Ground of the said John Fordham, and

60 ABRAHAM LINCOLN

Hannah his Wife and Northward with the Ground formerly belonging to James Porbuee * * * Yielding and Paying heretofore unto the said John Fordham and Hannah his Wife and to his Heirs and Assigns of the said Hannah the yearly Rent or Sum of Seven Pounds Ten shillings and nine Pence lawful money of the Province of Pennsyl vania aforesaid on the first day of May in each year for ever ********** And also that the said Abraham Lincon his Heirs or Assigns shall & will within the space of Two Years next ensuing the Date, hereof, at his and their own proper Costs and Charges cause to be erected built and finished in or upon the said hereby granted Piece of Ground and Premises one good Tenantable Dwelling House of Brick or Stone two Stories High above ground with a cellar under the same. * * * [Re corded April 10, 1767.]

Another important document bearing upon the sons of Abraham Lincoln, of Springfield, is a deed of mortgage dated September 14, 1747, in which "Jacob Lincon, of Kingsess [ing], in the County of Philadelphia Sithemaker and Anne his Wife and Abraham Lincon of the City of Philadelphia, cord- wainer" mortgage Jacob Lincoln's plantation in Springfield township to Jacob Duche for the sum of 200 pounds. The text of the document follows :

"Be it Remembered that the fourteenth Day of September Anno Dom 1747 the Mortgage here after mentioned was produced Before Thomas

AN AMERICAN MIGRATION 6l

Greene Esqr one. of the Provincial Judges and thereupon Came Jacob Lincon and Anne his Wife and Abraham Lincon who acknowledged the sd Writing to be their Deed and Desired ye same might be recorded the sd Anne thereunto Volun tarily Consenting she being of full age Secretly and apart Examined and the contents of ye sd Writing read unto her wch said Mortgage is re corded in ye Office for recording of Deed in ye sd County the Thirtieth Day of October Anno Dom 1747 in these Words (viz)

THIS INDENTURE made the fourteenth Day of September in the Year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and forty seven Between Jacob Lincon of Kingsess in the County of Philadel phia Sithemaker and Anne his Wife and Abraham Lincon of the City of Philadelphia Cordwainer of the one part and Jacob Duche of the City of Philadelphia Merch* of the other part WHEREAS the sd Jacob Lincon in and by a Certain Obligation or Writing Obligatory under his hand and seal bearing Even Date herewith standeth Bound unto the sd Jacob Duch'e in the sum of Two hundred Pounds Law full money of Pennsylvania condi tioned for the Payment of one hundred pounds Lawful money aforesaid Together with Law full Interest for ye same in manner following, to say * * *

Ye said Jacob Lincon and Anne his Wife and Abraham Lincon * * * Have Granted Bar gained sold released and Confirmed and by these Psents [sic] do Grant Bargain Sell release and Confirm unto ye sd Jacob Duch'e and to his heirs

62 ABRAHAM LINCOLN

and assigns All that his ye sd Jacob Lincon's Mes suage Plantation and Tract of Land thereunto Be longing Situate in Springfield Township in ye County of Chester Lying on the South West side of ye road Leading from Springfield Meeting House to the Burrough of Chester & Lying be tween the sd road & Crum Creek and extending from the said Creek by Bartholomew Coppocks Land North fifty five Degrees Easterly to the aforesd road and from ye said Road to the sd Creek south fifty five degrees West by George Lownes Land Containing one hundred and eighty acres or there about be the same more or less (which Abraham Lincon ye farther of ye sd Abraham and Jacob Parties hereto by his Last Will and Testament of the I5th Day of April 1745 Devised unto this sd son lacob in ffee * * *" [Recorded in the Court House, West Chester Pa.]

An indenture, dated February 14, 1754, informs us concerning a third son of Abraham Lincoln, of Springfield, namely, Isaac Lincoln, who with his wife, Mary, conveyed to George Westcott of the same city, brazier, a certain piece of ground willed by Abraham Lincoln of Springfield to his son Isaac, and situated on the south side of Elbow lane. This same document gives important information as to Mordecai Lincoln, the absent son of Abraham of Springfield. It appears here that Mordecai did not return within the seven years allowed by the will, nor at any time afterwards up to the date of this deed, a period of nearly ten years. Thus the property

AN AMERICAN MIGRATION 63

willed to Mordecai was divided between Abraham and Isaac Lincoln, as directed by their father's will. The text of the indenture follows below :

THIS INDENTURE Made the Fourteenth day of February in the year of our Lord one thousand seven Hundred and fifty four Between Isaac Lin- con of the City of Philadelphia Carpenter and Mary his wife of the one part and George Wescott of the said City Brazier of the other part Whereas in and by a certain Indenture bearing date the twenty ninth day of March in the Year 1744 be tween William Clare of the said City of Philadel phia Cordwainer of the one part and Abraham Lin- con of Springfield in the County of Chester Yeo man who was the father of the said Isaac Lincon of the other part reciting as therein is recited he / the said William Clare for the consideration therein mentioned did grant release and confirm unto the said Abraham Lincon A Certain messuage or tenement and lot or piece of ground situate in the City on the South side of Elbow Lane &c. * * * * and the said Abraham being so thereof seized and did make his last will and testament in writing bearing date the fifteenth day of April 1745 and therein divided All that messuage or tenement which he purchased of William Clare situate in the said City unto the said testators son Mordecai if he returned into the Province of Pennsylvania within the term of seven years to hold to him the said Mordecai his heirs and assigns forever But if it should happen that his son Mordecai shall not re turn before the expiration of the term of seven

64 ABRAHAM LINCOLN

years aforesaid then the testators will is and he doth give the said Messuage & testament unto his said son Isaac his heirs and assigns for ever Provided nevertheless that his son Isaac pay or cause to be paid unto the said Mor- decai if in case he returns at any time after the seven years aforesaid the sum of five pounds lawful money of Pennsylvania as [at?] in and by the said last recited Indenture and last will relation being thereunto had respectively ap pears and shortly after the making of the tes tament aforesaid he the said testator died And the said Mordecai did not return into the said Province within the term aforesaid limited nor at any time since So that the estate in the premises is vested in the said Isaac Lincon as divided by the Instrument aforesaM Subject nevertheless to the payment of the said five pounds unto the said Mordecai if in case he shall hereafter arrive in the said Province Now this indenture witnes- seth that the said Isaac Lincon and Mary his wife for and in consideration of the sum of sixty five pounds lawful money of Pennsylvania unto them well and truly paid by the said George Wescott * * * do bargain sell * * * A certain piece of ground being the westermost part of the aforesaid thirty seven foot * * * bounded northward with Elbow Lane &c * * *

Isaac Lincon Mary Lincon

[Receipt also signed by same

Acknowledged Feb 14, 1754

Recorded Apr. 29, 1835]

AN AMERICAN MIGRATION 65

John Lincoln, the young son of Abraham Lincoln of Springfield, died without issue and his land passed to Abraham, his brother, and was divided by him, Abraham, between his daughters, Rebecca and Hes ter. Rebecca married James Carter, a merchant of Philadelphia, and Hester died young.

Isaac Lincoln, the son of Abraham of Springfield, married Mary Schute December the 3Oth, 1746. Jacob Lincoln, son of Abraham of Springfield, mar ried Ann Rambo, June, 1747. Jacob died June 5, 1769, aged 44 years, and was buried at Kingsessing Swedes Church.

In Old Swedes Church, Philadelphia (O. S. C. P.), First Baptist Church, Philadelphia (F. B. C. P.), St. Michael's and Zion Churches, and in Christ Church, Philadelphia (C. C. P.), we find the follow ing records of Lincoln marriages, which we arrange here in chronological order, with the reference to the church in parenthesis :

Lincoln, Daniel, and Mary Medley, June 2, 1742 Lincon, Isaac, and Mary Shute, Dec. 31, 1746

(C. C. P.).

Jacob Lincoln and Ann Rambo, June 1747. Jacob died June 5 1769 aged 44 years, buried at Old Swedes, Kingsessing. Anne died Feb. 8, 1819, aged 94 years, buried at same place.

Children: Moses, Catarina (b. June 16. 1751), John (b. Feb. I, 1756, m. Elizabeth Neal or O'Neal Oct 8, 1781), Rebecca (b. Dec. n, 1757), Mary (b. Aug. 17, 1763), Jacob (b. Apr. 1766).

66 ABRAHAM LINCOLN

Lincon, Rebecca, and Joseph Rush, Sept. 19, 1750

(C. C P.). Lincoln, Rebecca, and James Carter, Mar. 7, 1763

(F. B. C. P.). Lincoln, Margaret, and James Gregory, July 17,

1769 (C.C. P.). Lincon, Sarah, and Samuel Pastorius, Nov. 28,

1771 John Linkhorn and Elizabeth O'Neal Oct. 8, 1781

(O. S. C. P.). Barbara Kinch Lincorn, Elizabeth, and John Hart, July 7, 1791

(O. S. C. P.). Lincoln, Jacob, and Mary Taylor, April n, 1792

(O. S. C. P.). Lincoin, Moses, and Barbara Kinch, Mar. 19,

1795 (O. S. C. P.). Lincoln, Benjamin, and Ann Cowan, May 19,

1806 (C. C. P.).

The Parish Register of Christ Church, Philadel phia, contains the following :

"Christenings 1735 Aug 3. Mordecai Son of At>- raham and Rebecca Lincoln age 15 years" "1748 April 13 Lincoln, negro slave of Robert

Grove adult"

"1749 Feb. n John son of John & Catharine Lin coln born Decbr 17. 1749"

AN AMERICAN MIGRATION 67

CHAPTER V.

CHILDREN OF MORDECAI LINCOLN OF EXETER.

Having followed the traces of Abraham Lincoln of Springfield and his children in the counties of Chester and Philadelphia, we return to Mordecai Lincoln of Exeter and trace his family in Berks County, Pennsylvania, and in Virginia and Ken tucky, down to Abraham Lincoln, the President of the United States.

It will be remembered that Mordecai Lincoln of Exeter, Pennsylvania, son of Mordecai of Hull, Massachusetts, provided in his will for three sons, Mordecai, John and Thomas, and conditionally for a posthumous child. This posthumous child, as the documents will show, was born Oct. 18 (O. S.), or Oct. 29 (N. S.), 1736, after his father's death, named Abraham and received his share of his father's estate in accordance with the provisions of the will. Mordecai of Exeter made his surviving wife, Mary, his executrix and appointed his friends, Jonathan Robeson and George Boone, to assist her in settling the estate.

MORDECAI LINCOLN, SON OF MORDECAI OF EXETER.

The earliest references to Mordecai Lincoln, son of Mordecai of Exeter, show him to be unmarried.

68

ABRAHAM LINCOLN

In the tax lists of Berks County his name appears

as follows:

£ £ s d Township Single 1754 Mordecai Lincoln 9 Exeter

1757 Marthicai Lingcoln

and half tenement 20 Exeter

1758 Mordecai Lincoln

Tent H 20 Exeter

Special Assessment

for the same year 10 Married 1759 Lincoln, Mordecai 10 15 Exeter

1759 Mordecai Lincoln

(County Tax) 12

1760 Lincoln, Mordecai 15 Exeter

1761 Lincoln, Mordecai 15 39 Exeter 1763 Lincoln, Mordecai 22 5 Exeter

1765 Lincoln, Mordecai 21 I u 6 Exeter

1766 Lincoln, Mordecai 18 46 Exeter

The name of Mordecai Lincoln (or "Lincorn") appears frequently in the old manuscript account book kept by Abraham Lincoln, his brother, from 1755 to 1778. On the first page of this book is written :

Abram Lincoln | Beginning to Doy et at| Mor decai Lincorns ye 2 Ith of ye third month | In the year 1757.

The following entries appear at different times during this year 1757 and later:

AN AMERICAN MIGRATION 69

Mordecai Lincoln Dr| to four Days mak ing Shingels Mordecai Lincoln] to two days and a ^>

Reaping £o 55 6d

Mordecai Licln to one days work 020

Mordecai Lincoln for one days work 020 Mordecai Lincoln to one days work 020

and cash [ ?]

Mordecai Lincoln to one J^ days work o I o Mordecai Lincoln to 2A of a days work o i 6 Mordecai Lin [coin] to work Mordecai Lincoln to 3 days and a half

work 070

Mordecai Lincoln to One days sawing Jn

exchange of Work

Mordecai Lincoln to Cash 020

1759, May Mordecai Lincoln to a Half a

bushel of flax sade 026

June Mordecai Lincoln to three Bushel

of Buck Wheat 6

1770 April ye ioth Cr

Mordecai Lincoln

Cr by work at the Rase

apil [sic] ioth by 2^2 days work

April ye 14th no [=anno] 1770 Cr by work on the Rods

Mordecai Lincoln i hand

Mordecai Lincoln Mikel Syser & Jacob Battle is to Maintane two Thirds of ye Rase from ye first of march to the Six teenth of October yere af ter yer

1778 October Cr by work dune at the Ras

24th Mordecai Lincoln i hand

7O ABRAHAM LINCOLN

1779

April 3

Mordeca [sic] two hand one d day & Self prt"

The land records of Berks County contain refer ence to a number of transactions of Mordecai Lin coln, as the following list will show :

Grantor Mordecai Lincoln, Oct. 16, 1766, Grantee William

Tallman, Asst, book 6, page 330.

Grantee Mordecai Lincoln, Apr. n, 1769, Grantors Abra ham et al., Exeter, book 14, page 543. Grantor Mordecai Lincoln, Apr. u, 1769, Grantee Jacob

Bechtel, Exeter, book 14, page 545. Grantor Mordecai Lincoln, Apr. n, 1769, Grantee Michael

Seyster (= Zeister), Release, book 15, page 5. Grantee Mordecai Lincoln, May 9, 1769, Grantors Thomas

and Abraham Lincoln, Exeter, book n, page 307. Grantors Mordecai & Abraham Lincoln, May 16, 1770,

Grantee Michael Zeister, Exeter, book 6, page 504. Grantor Mordecai Lincoln, Mar. 29, 1773, Grantee Mary

Rogers, Sch. River, book iB, page 535. Grantor Mordecai Lincoln, May 22, 1784, Grantee Jno.

Spohn, Exeter, book 9 ,page 54. Grantor Mordecai Lincoln, Oct. 30, 1784, Grantee Henry

Huyett, Ex. Com. Bk. P., book i, page 163. Grantors Mordecai Lincoln et al., July 4, 1789, Grantee

Rebecca Nagle, Exeter, book 12, page 4.

There is a reference to Mordecai Lincoln in the deed books of Berks County, Pennsylvania, show ing that he and his wife, Mary, conveyed to Mary Rogers, of Reading, a certain property originally belonging to the estate of his father Mordecai Lin coln of Exeter. The deed which is dated March 29, 1773, begins and ends as follows:

THIS INDENTURE Made the 29th day of March in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hun dred and seventy three BETWEEN Mordecai Lin-

AN AMERICAN MIGRATION 71

coin of Exeter Township in Berks County and Province of Pennsylvania Yeoman and Mary his Wife of the one part and Mary Rogers of the Town of Reading in ye County and province aforesaid Widow of the other part [Here fol lows the recital of the title, the essential part of which runs : "And the said Thomas Millard and Barbara his Wife by Jndentures of Lease & re lease bearing date the 9th & ioth days of May Anno domini 1730 did grant and Confirm the same One Thousand acres of land and premises unto the said Mordecai Lincoln the Elder in fee [then follows the recital of the will of Mordecai Lincoln of Exeter, "the elder" and the conditions of sale by Mordecai Lincoln (Junior) and his wife Mary to Mary Rogers]

her

Mary M Lincoln (Seal)

mark MORDECAI LINCOLN (Seal)*

In the Account Books of John Harris we find this interesting entry :

1785 Linkhorn in Town Dr. £ s d

June Ist To Sundries brought from

Folio 169 687

To 27 Bundles Rye Straw Lent May 21 1790 Reed the opposite acco1 in full £6.8.7.

This was evidently Mordecai Lincoln, son of Mordecai of Exeter, who appears in a deed dated July 4, 1789, as a resident of Dauphin County, Pa. Mordecai settled later in Fayette County, Pa.

* Cf. Deed Book I. B., 535 et seq., Reading, Pa.

72 ABRAHAM LINCOLN

THOMAS LINCOLN, SON OF MORDECAI OF EXETER.

The second son of Mordecai Lincoln, the elder, of Exeter, was Thomas Lincoln, who took a promi nent part in the affairs of Berks County, Pennsyl vania. His name appears in the early tax lists with the following assessments :

Berks Co. Tax List i £ s. d. Township

1757 Thomas Lingorn 6 Amity

1758 Thomas Lincoln 16 4 Exeter

1758 Thomas Lincoln 15

his Tennant 5

20 i 10 Exeter

1759 Lincoln Thomas 7 10 6 Reading

1759 Lincoln Thomas 15 126 Exeter

1760 Tho' Lincoln 9 Reading 1760 Lincoln Thomas 6 9 Reading

In 1758 he was made sheriff of Berks County, a fact which strangely enough escaped the officials of the same county some years ago, when they had the calendar of sheriffs printed, but omitted the name of Thomas Lincoln. The present writer had the peculiar pleasure of rediscovering Sheriff Thomas Lincoln and identifying his signature in old lists of jurors returned by him while sheriff. The original bond given by Thomas Lincoln, as newly elected Sheriff to the King, is duly recorded* and may be reprinted here as a document of interest :

KNOW ALL MEN by these Presents that We Thomas Lincoln of Exeter Township in the

*In Commission Book A No. 2, p. 268-9. (Department of Internal Affairs, Harrisburg, Pa.)

t

BILL OF COSTS OF EXECUTING ELISABETH GROWL. (Original in the Possession of Louis Richards, of Reading, Pa.)

AN AMERICAN MIGRATION 73

County of Berks Esqr Jsaac Levan of Ex eter aforesaid Gent, and William Boone of the same place Gent, are held and firmly bound unto our Sovereign Lord George the second by the Grace of God of Great Britain France and Ire land King Defender of the Faith &ca in the Sum of three hundred Pounds Current Money of Penn sylvania to be paid to our said Sovereign Lord the King his Heirs or Successors to which Payment well and truly to be maide We do find our Selves each and every or any of Us for and in the Whole our each and every or any of our Heirs Execu tors and Administrators respectively Jointly and Severally firmly by these Presents Sealed WITH our Seals Dated the fifth Day of October in the thirty second year of the Reign of our said Lord the King & in the Year of our Lord one thousand and seven hundred and fifty-eight.

THE CONDITION of this obligation is such That WHEREAS the above bounden Thomas Lincoln on the second Day of October Jnstant was Elected Sheriff for the said County of Berks for the en suing Year by the Freemen of the said County according to an Act of Assembly of this Province passed in the fourth year of the Reign of Queen Ann entitled an Act for Regulating Elections of Sheriffs & Coroners As by a certain Jndenture bearing Date the second Day of October Jnstant made or mentioned to be made BETWEEN Thomas Lincoln Coroner of the said County of the one Part & Joseph Boone Sebastian Levan Mounce Jones Benjamin Talbert Ganis Dickinson & Henry Snyder Freeholders of the said County

74 ABRAHAM LINCOLN

of the other Part Gentlemen Freeholders of the Said County of the other Part Relation bearing thereunto had appears NOW if the said Thomas Lincoln by himself or his Lawful Deputy shall and do well and truly perform his Duty & Trust in the said office of Sheriff when thereunto law fully and thoroughly Qualified according to the Tenor of the Affirmation which he shall make for the due Execution of his said Office Or else to be and remain in full Force and Virtue to the Uses Jntents and Purposes in the said Act — men tioned and appointed And to no other Use Jntent or Purpose whatsoever Thomas Lincoln (Seal) Jsaac Levan (Seal) Willm Boone (Seal) Sealed and Delivered in the Presence of Us C. Brockden, Rob1 Harper. Acknowledged at Philadelphia the fifth day of October A°. D*. 1758 Before me Wm Coleman, Recorded 6th Day of October, 1758.

The records of the Prothonotary's office in Read ing contain many papers executed by Thomas Lin coln during his term as sheriff. The accompanying list of jurors* and the very interesting case of the hanging of a woman, will serve as specimens, both of his work and of his signature.

The following transactions of Thomas Lincoln appear in the land records of Berks County, Pennsylvania :

* The "List of Jurors" was found by the co-operation of the Prothonotary and his aides. The original of the execu tion account is in the possession of Louis Richards, Esq., of Reading, President of the Bucks County Historical Society, who kindly permitted the writer to have it photographed.

I * • ' / . 7 /

,t /^ /

LIST OF PETIT JURY RETURNED BY THOMAS LINCOLN, SHERIFF OF READING, PA.

AN AMERICAN MIGRATION 75

Grantor Thomas Lincoln, Dec. 29, 1757, Grantee William

Tallman, Schuylkill, book 6, page 327. Grantor Thomas Lincoln, Feb. 15, 1759, Grantee Richard

Wistar, Hereford, book 5, page 373. Grantor Thomas Lincoln, Nov. 4, 1760, Grantee Michael

Zeister, Exeter, book 2, page 178. Grantee Thomas Lincoln, Sept. 9, 1761, Grantor Hans

Adam Epler, Reading, book 9, page 435. Grantor Thomas Lincoln, Nov. 14, 1761, Grantee Adam

Scheier, Reading, book 36, page 265. Grantee Thomas Lincoln, May 14, 1762, Grantor David

Henderson, Reading, book 4, page 265. Grantor Thomas Lincoln, Nov. 28, 1763, Grantee Jacob

Rowbold, Reading, book 9, page 437. Grantor Thomas Lincoln, Mar. 14, 1764, Grantee Conrad

Bower, Reading, book 4, page 267. Grantee Thomas Lincoln, May 4, 1774, Grantor Mary

Rogers, Discharge, book iB, page 536.

The following document gives us a specimen of the business transactions of Thomas Lincoln, Sheriff:

To ALL PEOPLE to whom these Presents shall come I Thomas Lincoln late Sheriff of the County of Berks in the province of Pennsylvania send Greeting WHEREAS by a writ of Fieri Facias to me directed bearing Teste the Fifteenth Day of February in the Thirty second Year of the King's Reign (1759). issuing out of the Court of Com mon Pleas of the County aforesaid I was Com manded That of the Goods and Chattels Lands and Tenements which were of Rudolph Berkey late of the said County Yeoman deceased other wise lately called Rudolph Pierge of Maxataneya twship Philadelpa County Yeoman at the Time of

76 ABRAHAM LINCOLN

his Death in the hands of Richard Wistar late of my County Merchant Acting Executor of the last Will and Testament of the said Rudolph Berkey in my Bailiwick I should Cause to be levied as well a Certain Debt of One Thousand Pounds lawful Money of Pennsylvania * * * * Now Know ye that I the said Thomas Lincoln late Sheriff of the County of Berks aforesaid for and in consideration of the aforesaid Sum of One thousand and Ten pounds unto me well and truly paid by the said Richard Wistar at and before the en sealing and delivery hereof the Receipt whereof I do hereby Acknowledge and thereof do Acquit and for ever discharge the said Richard Wistar his Heirs Executors and Administrators by these presents have granted bargained Sold Aliened released and Confirmed And by force and Virtue of the last recited Writ and of the Laws of this province in such Case made and provided DO grant bargain sell alien release and Confirm unto the said Richard Wistar and to his Heirs and

Assigns All those the above described Messuage *

***************

In the deed of Thomas Lincoln to Michael Zeister we have important information of Thomas Lincoln's land:

This Jndenture made the fourth Day of No vember in the Year of Our Lord one thousand seven hundred and sixty Between Thomas Lin-

* Deed Book 5, p. 373 et seq., Recorder's Office, Read ing, Pa.

AN AMERICAN MIGRATION 77

coin of the Town of Reading in the County of Berks in the Province of Pennsylvania Esquire and Elizabeth his Wife of the one part And Michael Zeister of the same Place Sadler of the other part Witnesseth that the said Thomas Lin coln and Elizabeth his Wife for and in Consid eration of the Sum of one thousand pounds law ful Money of Pennsylvania to them in hand paid by the said Michael Zeister the receipt whereof is hereby acknowledged have given granted ali ened released enfeoffed and confirmed and by these presents do give grant bargain and sell alien release enfeoff and confirm unto the said Michael Zeister and his heirs a certain Tract and parcel of Land situated in Exeter Township in Berks County aforesaid Bounded by the follow ing lines to wit * * * * thence by Land of Ab raham Lincoln and other Land of the said Wil liam Tallman * * * * Containing by Computa tion three hundred and three acres be the same more or less [Being part of a Tract of one thou sand Acres of Land which Tobias Collet Daniel Quair and Henry Goldey by Deed Dated the twen ty eth day of February Anno Domini 1718 granted to a certain Andrew Robeson in ffee And which the said Andrew Robeson by his Last Will devised to his son Jonathan Robeson in ffee * * * and which the said Jonathan Robeson by Deed Dated the twenty seventh day of Octo ber Anno Domini 1729 granted to a certain Thomas Willard in ffee And which the said Thomas Millard by Deed DATED DATED the tenth

78 ABRAHAM LINCOLN

day of May Anno Domini 1730 granted to Mor- decai Lincoln (the Father of the said Thomas Lincoln) in ffee One third part of which One- Thousand-Acre-Tract the said Mordecai Lincoln by his Last Will and Testament dated the twenty

second day of February Anno Domini 1735

***************

Tho. Lincoln (Seal)

Elizabeth Lincoln (Seal)*

The following refer to sales of property made to or by Thomas Lincoln in Reading :

This Jndenture Made the fourteenth Day of November in the year of our Lord one thousand Seven Hundred & sixty one Between Thomas Lin coln of the town of Reading in the County of Berks and province of Pennsylvania Gentleman and Elizabeth his wife of the one part and Adam Scheir of the said town of Reading Carpenter of the other part Whereas the Horible Thomas Penn & Richard Penn Esquires Proprietories in * * * * 1752 did Give Grant Release and confirm unto a Certain Francis Morgan * * * * Lot of Ground situate in the Town of Reading aforesaid and Marked in the General Plan of the said Town N° 404 * * * *

And Whereas the said Francis Morgan and Jane his wife by Deed indented under their Hands and Seals bearing date the thirteenth day of No vember in the year of our Lord one thousand

* Deed Book 2, 175 ff., in Recorder's office, Reading, Pa.

AN AMERICAN MIGRATION 79

seven hundred and sixty one for the Considera tion therein Mentioned did Grant and Confirm unto a Certain Thomas Lincoln and to his Heirs and Assigns All that the above Mentioned and Described Lot of Ground N° 404 With the Ap purtenances &c*

THIS INDENTURE made the Fourteenth Day of March in the Year of our Lord one Thousand Seven Hundred and Sixty four BETWEEN Thomas Lincoln of Reading in Berks County and Prov ince of Pennsylvania Mason and Elizabeth his Wife of the one part And Conrad Bower of the same Place Inn Keeper of the other part &c.**

[Consideration 130 pounds, 7^ acres.]

Thomas Lincoln appears also, even more fre quently than Mordecai his elder brother, in the old Account Book of Abraham Lincoln, their youngest

brother, as the following entries will show :

£ s d 1756 Thomas Lincoln to 3 days work at

2 s Pr day 060

Thomas Lincoln Cr by one Quir

and a ^ of Paper o i o

Thos Lincoln to one day and a half 030 Thos Lincoln fife days and a halfs

work Dt o II o

Thos Lincoln to one weeks Work o 12 o Thos Lincoln to one day and ^2

halfs work 030

* Deed Book 3 B, pp. 265 et seq. ** Deed Book 4, pp. 267 et seq.

8O ABRAHAM LINCOLN

Thos Lincoln to one days work 020 Thos Lincoln Dt for work o i o

Thos Lincoln to Cash Lent o ? ?

Thos Lincoln dt upon Ballans

March ye first 007

Thos Lincoln to sawing 6 foot 013 1758 Thos Lincoln to sawing 5 days at

s d

at 2.. 6 per Day o 12 6

Decmbr 30 Thos Lincoln to one

half Days work o i o

Jany Thos Lincoln to one

Days wriding [writing?] 026

ABRAHAM LINCOLN, SON OF MORDECAI OF EXETER.

The third son of Mordecai Lincoln, the elder, of Exeter, was John Lincoln, or "Virginia John," as tradition has handed down his name. Inasmuch as it is through him that the migration of the Lincoln family is continued into Virginia and in his descend ants to Kentucky, it will be more convenient to treat him last and to consider his youngest brother, Abra ham, next before leaving the traces of the family in Pennsylvania.

The records of Abraham Lincoln, the posthumous son of Mordecai the elder, of Exeter, and his de scendants are preserved fortunately in an old family book, or "Lincoln Record," as we shall call it here. This book, still preserved in manuscript, is one of the precious heirlooms of the descendants of Abraham Lincoln. The MS. contains, in the first part, the record of the family of Abraham Lincoln

FIRST PAGE OF THE ACCOUNT BOOK OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN, OF EXETER. (Original in the Possession of Richard Lincoln, of Reading, Pa.)

AN AMERICAN MIGRATION 8 1

and, in the second part, the record of the Boone family.* The Record appears to have been first kept by posthumous Abraham Lincoln, then by his sons Mordecai and Thomas, and then by Thomas' son, John D. Lincoln and others. It was copied some years ago by Harrison P. Lincoln, who had blue prints made and furnished a number of them to libraries and individuals.

The Lincoln Record is very precise in its data, as the entries, concerning Abraham Lincoln and Anna Boone, his wife, will show. The text of the Lincoln part of the "Lincoln Record" is printed in full at the end of this chapter.

The name of Abraham Lincoln, the posthumous son of Mordecai, the elder, of Exeter, like that of his brothers, appears in the tax lists of Berks County, Pennsylvania, as the following, taken from the orig inals, now found in the possession of the Berks County Historical Society, will show :

* A fragmentary record of the Boone family in the hand writing of the Lincoln Record is still extant in loose sheets in the possession of Louis Richards, President of the Berks County Historical Society. It contains the following inter esting notes:

"Daniel Boone [son of Squire & Sarah Boone] was born October, A. D. 1733.

He and the Rest of their Family left Exeter on the I May 1750, and moved to North Carolina, where they settled. But at present he is settled on the Ohio at Kentucky.

1781 October 20. Then Daniel came to see us, the first Time.

1788 February 12. Then Daniel Boone (with Rebecca his Wife & their Son Nathan) came to see us. Died at Charette Village in Missouri on the 26 of Sept. 1820."

82 ABRAHAM LINCOLN

£ £ s. d. Township

1758 Abraham Lincoln

[Single Men] I

(Special Assessment)

1759 Lincoln Abram Exeter

1759 Abram Lincorn

[Single Men]

1760 Lincoln Abram 18 I 7 Exeter

1761 Lincoln, Abram* 9 Exeter 1763 Lincoln Abram 20 5 Exeter

1765 Lincoln Abraham 19 I 8 6 Exeter

1766 Lincoln Abram 18 46 Exeter

The following entries of transactions of Abraham Lincoln appear in the land records :

Grantor Abraham Lincoln, Dec. 29, 1757, Grantee William

Tallman, Sch. River, book 2B, page 43. Grantors Abraham Lincoln et al., Apr. n, 1769, Grantee

Mordecai Lincoln, book 14, page 543. Grantors Thomas and Abraham Lincoln, May 9, 1769,

Grantee Mordecai Lincoln, Exeter, book n, page 307. Grantor Abraham Lincoln, May 26, 1769, Grantee William

Tallman, Exeter, book 7, page 195.

The first of these documents gives such important information that it seemed well to print it here. From it we learn the title to the land before Morde cai, the elder, of Exeter bought it, and also the fact that Abraham Lincoln was the posthumous son of Mordecai, the elder :

* This assessment was probably made in 1760, as the Lincoln Record says Abraham Lincoln married Anna Boone July 10, 1760.

AN AMERICAN MIGRATION 83

THIS INDENTURE Made the twenty ninth day of December in the Year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and fifty seven BETWEEN Abraham Lincoln of Exeter in the County of Berks In the Province of Pennsylvania Yeoman of the one part and William Tallman of the same place Weaver of the other part WHEREAS by Certain Indentures of Lease and Release dated the Nineteenth and Twentieth days of February in the Year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred & Eighteen made between Tobias Collet Citizen and Haber dasher of London Daniel Quair of London and Henry Goldney of London Linnen Draper of one part and Andrew Robison then of Roxburrow in the County of Philadelphia Yeoman of the Other part and Recorded in Philada. in Book H Coll. 4. page 118 & they the said Tobias Collet Daniel Quair, and Henry Goldney for the Consideration therein Mentioned Confirmed unto the said An drew Robison in ffee A Certain Tract of Land Lying on the East side of the River Schuylkill in Philadelpa. County Beginning at a Beech tree by the said River Schuylkill and Running thence North twenty degrees East four hundred and twenty Perches to a Corner Stone thence North Seventy degrees West ffour hundred and twenty perches to a post then South Twenty Degrees West two hundred and Ninty Perches to a Hickery Tree marked Standing on the Bank of the said River then down the same on ye Several Courses thereof to the place of beginning Containing one thousand Acres of Land [and a Certain Tract of Six Hun-

84 ABRAHAM LINCOLN

dred Acres Lying on the West Side of Schuylkill with the Appurtenances] The said Two Tracts of Land to be holden by the said Andrew Robison his heirs and Assigns Under the Yearly Quit Rent of one Bever Skin on the first day of March for ever AND the said Andrew Robison being So Seized of the said Premises Dyed did by his Last Will and Testament bearing date Anno Domi 1719 Give unto his third Son Jonathan Robison the above Described one thousand Acres of Land with ye Appurtenances AND Whereas Andrew Robison Eldest Son and heir at Law of the said Andrew Robison the Testator in and by a Deed Poll under his hand and Seal duly Executed for ye Consid eration Therein Mentioned did Grant Release Quit Claim and Confirm unto the said Jonathan Robi son all the said one thousand Acres of Land with the Appurtenances To HOLD to him the said Jona than Robison His Heirs and Assigns forever as by the said Deed dated the tenth day of January A : D : 1726 may Appear AND WHEREAS by Cer tain Indentures of Lease & Release Tripartite made between Jonathan Robison and Elizabeth his wife of the first part Mordecai Lincoln of ye second part and Thomas Millard of ye third part the said Jonathan Robison & Elizabeth his Wife and Mordecai Lincoln by Indentures of Lease and Release dated the Sixth and Seventh days of Octobed 1729 did Confirm ye said one thousand Acres of Land unto Thomas Millard in free AND the said Thomas Millard and Barbara his Wife by Indentures of Lease and Release dated

AN AMERICAN MIGRATION 85

the Ninth and tenth days of May A°. D°. 1730 did Confirm the same One thousand Acres of Land unto the Above Named Mordecai Lincoln ye Elder in fee and being so Seized thereof dyed WHO by his Last Will and Testament dated the 22 day of February A: D: 1735 and Registered in ye Registers Office in Philada. June 7. 1736 did give and Bequeath unto his Son Abraham Lincoln [Party to these Presents] the one third Part of the said one thousand Acres of Land to be taken from the West End thereof which hath been Ami cably Done Now THIS INDENTURE WITNESSETH that the said Abraham Lincoln for and in Consid eration of the Sum of Nine Pound Current Money of Pennsylvania to him in hand paid by the said William Tallman at and before ye Sealing and Delivery hereof the Receipt thereof is hereby ac knowledged Hath granted bargained and Sold Aliened Enfeofed and Confirmed and by these presents doth grant bargain and Sell Alien En- feofe & Confirm uneo the said William Tallman and to his heirs and Assigns forever A CERTAIN Messuage Tenement and Piece of Land [part of the one third part of the above Described one thousand Acres BEGINNING at an Ash tree Stand ing on the West bank of the Great Creek in a line of Thomas Lincolns Land thence by ye Same North Seventeen Degrees and a half East thirty one Perches to a Black Oak & a Corner thence by sd Abraham Lincoln's Other Land the three following Courses and distances Viz. North Sev enty two degrees and a half West Eight perches

86 ABRAHAM LINCOLN

to a hickory and South twenty Nine Degrees West Thirty one perches and a half to a post thence South Seventy two degrees and a half East twelve perches & Six tenths to the place of beginning Containing two Acres of Land To gether with all wood Underwoods Ways Waters Water Courses profits commodities Advantages Hereditaments and Appurtenances whatsoever unto the Above Described Piece of Land belong ing or in any wise appertaining and the Reversion And Reversions Remainder and Remainders Rents Issues and Profits thereof and all the Es tate Right title Jnterest Claim and Demand of him the said Abraham Lincoln in and to the prem ises herein Mentioned or Intended to be Men tioned and every Part and Parcell thereof AND the said Abraham Lincoln for himself his heirs and Assigns doth Covenant promise and grant unto the said William Tallman and to his heirs and Assigns that he the said William Tall man for himself his heirs and Assigns shall have the Sole priviledge and Power to draw and Con vey [According as he his heirs or Assigns shall think fit for the sufficient Watering the said Piece of Land out of the Above Mentioned Great Creek or any part of said Creek that is near the bounds of said Two Acres of Land To HAVE AND TO HOLD the said Messuage Tennament and Piece of Land and all and Singular the premises And Priviledges aforesaid and every part and Clause thereof with the Appurtenances unto the said William Tallman his heirs and Assigns to the only

ADMINISTRATORS' ACCOUNT OF THE ESTATE OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN, SON MORDECAI LINCOLN, OF EXETER. ( First Page. )

OF

»'

r

ADMINISTRATORS' ACCOUNT OF THE ESTATE OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN, SON OF MORDECAI LINCOLN, OF EXETER. (Second Page.)

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proper Use and behoof of him the said William Tallman his heirs and Assigns for Ever Under the proportional part of the Yearly Quitrents from hence forward accruing unto the Chief Lord or Lords of the ffee thereof AND the said Abraham Lincoln for himself And his heirs doth Covenant with the said William Tallman his heirs and Assigns that the said Abraham Lin coln and his heirs the above Mentioned Messuage Tennament and Piece of Land Hereditament Premises and Priviledges and every Part and Clause thereof with the Appurtenances unto the said William Tallman his heirs and Assigns Against all persons whatsoever Shall Warrant and forever Defend By these presents AND FUR THER that he the said Abraham Lincoln and his heirs and every Other Person and Persons and his and their heirs any thing having or Claiming in the said Messuage and Piece of Land And Priviledges above mentioned to be hereby Grant ed or any Part thereof shall and will at all times hereafter upon the Reasonable Request and at the Cost and Charges of the said William Tall man his heirs and Assigns Make do and Exe cute or Cause to be all and every such further & other Law full and Reasonable Act and Acts thing and things Device and Devises Conveyance & Conveyances in the Law whatsoever for the further and better assuring & Confirming of ye Above Mentioned Piece of Land & Priviledges with the Appurtenances unto the said William Tallman his heirs and Assigns forever as by his

88 ABRAHAM LINCOLN

or their Counsil Learned in the Law shall be Reasonably Devised Advised and Required IN WITNESS whereof the said Abraham Lincoln hath hereunto Set his hand and Seal dated the day and year first above writen. Abraham Lincoln (Seal) Sealed and Delivered in the presence of Us John Powell Benja. Parks Received the day of the date of the Above Writen Indenture of the Above Named William Tallman The Sum of Nine Pounds being in full the Consideration above Mentioned J say Received Abraham Lin coln John Powell Benja. Park (indorsed thus) On the Eighteenth Day of Aug*. Anno Domi 1759 before me Jonas Seely Esqr. one of the Justices &c for the County of Berks Came ye within Named Abram Lincoln and Acknowledged the within Indenture to be his Act and Deed and De- sird the same May be Recorded as such in Tes timony where of J have hereunto Set my Hand and Seal the Day & Date above written Jonas Seely (Seal) (and further indorsed thus)

To ALL PEOPLE TO WHOME THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME Know YE that we Mordecai Lincoln and Thomas Lincoln of Exeter in the County of Berks in the Province of Pennsylvania [Sons of Mordecai Lincoln Deceased and Within Men tioned] for divers good Causes and Considera tions us thereunto Moving have Remised Re leased and forever Quit Claimed and By these presents do Remise Release and for Ever Quit Claim unto William Tallman [within Mentioned] his heirs and Assigns for Ever all that Messuage

ADMINISTRATOR'S ACCOUNT OF THE ESTATE OF ANN LINCOLN, WIDOW OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN, OF EXETER.

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Tenement And Piece of Land of two Acres with the priviledges and Appurtenances and every part thereof [Which in the Within Indenture is Speci fied Mentioned or Intended to be Mentioned] To HAVE AND TO HOLD all and Singular the said Mes suage Tennament and Piece of Land and Privi- ledge with the Appurtenances unto the said Wil liam Tallman his heirs and Assigns forever And all the Estate Right Title Interest Claim and Demand whatsoever of us the said Mordecai and Thomas Lincoln and of each of us our heirs and each of our heirs and Assigns or any Other Person or Persons Claiming or to Claim by from or Under us or Any of Us of in and to the thereby Granted Premises & Privileges or any Part thereof IN WITNESS whereof we have here unto Jnterchangeably Set our hand & Seals This twenty Ninth Day of December in the Year of our Lord one thousand Seven hundred and fifty Seven Mordecai Lincoln (Seal) Thomas Lincoln (Seal) SEALED AND DELIVERED in the presence of Us John Powell Benja. Parks Berks County ss Be it remembered that on the twenty fifth Day of October Anno Domini 1774 Before me the Subscriber One of His Majesty's Justices of the Peace of the County of Berks Came Benjamin Parks of the Town of Reading in the said County Joiner and (being one of the People called Quak ers) on his solemn Affirmation according to Law did declare that he saw the Above Named Mor decai Lincoln & Thomas Lincoln Sign Seal and as their Act and Deed respectively deliver the above Instrument of Writing and that the Name

90 ABRAHAM LINCOLN

Benja. Parks thereto Subscribed is of this Affirm- ant's proper Hand Writing and was by him Sub scribed as a Witness to the Execution thereof (John Powell the other Witness Signing his Name as Witness at the Same time) And at the Same Time Came also to the above named Thomas Lincoln and Acknowledged the above Instrument of Writing to be his Act and Deed and desired the same might be recorded as such According to Law Witness my Hand and Seal the Day and Year aforesaid James Read (Seal) Recorded and this Record and the Original diligently compared and found to Agree exactly Word for Word and Fig ure for Figure the Twenty Sixth Day of October Anno Domini 1774.

The old Account Book of Abraham Lincoln shows that he ran a sawmill, which stood on the race run ning through the land of the brothers, Mordecai and Abraham Lincoln. The earliest reference in the account to the sawmill is found in the following entry made in the year 1758 :

Mordecai Lincoln to one half days sewing Jn

exchange of Work

£ s d

Thomas Lincoln to Sawing of 60 foot o I o

The mill account continues on into the seventies, showing that Abraham carried on a steady business at the mill.

In the land records the following references to the race and the sawmill are found :

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"that nothing herein before mentioned expressed or contained shall in any wise prevent or hinder the said Mordecai Lincoln and Abraham Lincoln their Heirs Executors Administrators or Assigns or any of them from having or enjoying all the Liberties and Privileges to which they are respec tively intitled to by Virtue of certain Articles of Agreement Dated the first Day of April Anno Domini one thousand seven hundred and fifty eight made between Abraham Lincoln George Henton, Mordecai Lincoln and Thomas Lincoln concerning a Water Saw Mill now erected and made on the Land of the said Mordecai Lincoln and Abraham Lincoln their Heirs and Assigns re spectively are or shall be entitled to relative to the Water of the said Creek & Water Course aforesaid by Virtue of the Said recited Award] Said Mordecai Lincoln (Seal) Abraham Lincoln (Seal)"

***** North five degrees East Eleven Perches to a Black Oak on the said Race thence on the same North four Degrees West Ten Perches to a White Oak Bush on Abraham Lincoln's Line thence by the same Abraham's Land South sev enteen Degrees and a half West one hundred and nineteen Perches to an Ash Tree, on the West Bank of the Great Creek (being a Corner of the said Abraham and Thomas Lincoln's and Wil liam Tallman's Land) thence Crossing the Said Creek by Thomas Lincoln's Land *

* This document is a Deed of Sale by William Tallman and Anne Tallman, his wife, to Jacob Bechtel Oct. 16, 1766.

92 ABRAHAM LINCOLN

The old Account Book of Abraham Lincoln, the posthumous son of Mordecai, the elder, of Exeter, is extant. It begins with 1756 and continues quite regularly until 1772 and after that with considerable gaps until 1779. The book affords an interesting glimpse into the daily occupations of the Lincolns, Boones, Hintons, Rogers and other families of Berks County before the Revolution. It is a rare document as an original source of Pennsylvania history. The MS. is 3 11/16 x 6 1/8 inches in size and contains 41 leaves. The book now belongs to Richard Lincoln, of Reading, Pennsylvania, who allowed the present writer to make use of it.

Abraham Lincoln was a man of importance in his community. The Commission Book for the years 1758-1783 shows that he was elected County Com missioner October, 1772, and served till 1779. He appears as Sub-Lieutenant in Berks County, March 21, 1777.

He was elected to the Assembly as follows :

October 28, 1782. October 27, (?) 1783. October 25, 1784. October 24, 1785.

He served as assemblyman on the very impor tant Committee of Grievances and was an important champion of the rights of the people in every meas ure that affected the delegation of the power of the people. This was particularly noticeable in constitu-

FIRST Two PAGES OF THE OLD "LINCOLN RECORD." (Original in the Possession of Harrison G. Lincoln, of Reading, Pa.)

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tional discussions of 1785-6. Abraham Lincoln was chosen to make the address to Washington in Philadelphia after the close of the Revolution. He also took part in the Constitutional Convention of 1789-1790.*

As the Account Book shows, he was Super visor of Roads and evidently entrusted with the re pairs of the school house in 1771, showing probably that he was Chief School Commissioner. Abraham Lincoln died January 31, 1806, and was buried at Exeter. Ann, his wife and widow, died April 4, 1807, and was buried also at Exeter. The estates of both Abraham and Ann were settled by their chil dren, as the accompanying photographic reproduc tions of the administrators' accounts with their sig natures will show.

LINCOLN RECORD.

Abraham Lincoln (son of Mordecai Lincoln and Mary his Wife) born on the Second Day of the Week, at 7.. O Clock in the Afternoon on the i8th of October, Old Style, Anno Domini 1736: or, A. D. 1736 October 29, New Style.

Anna Boone (Daughter of James Boone and Mary his Wife) born on the First Day of the Week, about 5.. O'Clock in the Afternoon, on

* These facts relating to Abraham Lincoln's activity as a member of the Assembly are taken from a most interesting unpublished paper by Dr. A. H. Shearer, of Dartmouth Col lege, who kindly allowed the present writer to make them public.

94 ABRAHAM LINCOLN

the 3rd of April, Old Style, Anno Domini 1737: or, A. D. 1737 April 14th New Style.

Abraham Lincoln and Anna Boone were Mar ried on the Fifth Day of the Week, on the ioth of July A. D. 1760 when his age was 23 Years 8 Mon. n Days and her Age was 23 " 2 " 26 " — he being 5 months 15 Days & 22 Hours older than she.

N. B. The Style was altered in the Year 1752. The 2nd of September was the last day in the Old Style; and next day instead of ac counting it the 3rd of September it was accounted the 14th of Sept. next day the 15th &c

Here follows the Times of the Births of the Children of Abraham Lincoln & Anne Lincoln his Wife, with the Differences of their Ages set down likewise.

Ist Mary Lincoln, (Daughter of Abraham Lin coln & Anne Lincoln) Born the 1 5th of September Anno Domini 1761, on the Third Day of the Week, about 10.. o'Clock at Night.

2nd Martha Lincoln, (Daughter of Abraham Lincoln & Anne Lincoln) Born the 25th of January Anno Domini 1763, on the Third Day of the Week, about 10.. o'Clock in the Morning.

Martha being iY.. 4M.. 90.. I2H. younger than Mary.

3d Mordecai Lincoln, junior, (son of Abraham & Anne Lincoln) Born the IIth of January Anno Domini 1765 on the Sixth Day of the Week about 15 Minutes after Seven in the Morning.

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Mordecai being iY.. nM.. i6D.. 2iH.. 15 Min. younger than Martha.

4th James Lincoln (son of Abraham & Anne Lincoln Born the 5th of May Anno Domini 1767, on the Third Day of the Week, at or about 10.. o'Clock in the Morning.

James being 2Y.. 3M.. 240.. 45m. younger than Mordecai.

5th Anna Lincoln, (Daughter of Abraham & Anne Lincoln Born the 19th of April Anno Domini 1769, on the 4th Day of the Week, at 7. o'Clock in the Morning.

Anna being iY.. nM.. 130.. 2iH. younger than James.

6th Rachel Lincoln (Daughter of Abraham Lin coln & Anne Lincoln) Born the 24th of March A. D. 1771, on the First Day of the Week at 19 Minutes past 6.. o'Clock in the Morning.

Rachel being iY.. nM.. 40.. 23!!.. younger than Anna.

7th Phebe Lincoln (Daughter of Abraham Lin coln and Anne Lincoln) Born in Anno Domini 1773 January 22d. on the Sixth Day of the Week at 5 Minutes past 8.. o'Clock at Night.

Phebe being i Y.. 9M.. 290. : I3H. : 46m. younger than Rachel.

8th Anne Lincoln (Daughter of Abraham & Anne Lincoln) was born in Anno Domini 1774 October 19th on the Fourth Day of the Week, at 25 minutes past u.. o'Clock in the Morning.

Anne being iY. : 8M. : 26D. : 15!!. : 2om. younger than Phebe.

96 ABRAHAM LINCOLN

Rachel Lincoln (the 6th child of Abraham & Anne Lincoln) departed this Life on the Fourth Day of the Week, at 50 Minutes past i o'Clock in the Afternoon, and on the 19th day of July, A. D. J775; aged 4Y- : 3M. : 250.: 7H. : 31111. and was interred at Exeter the next Day.

9th Thomas Lincoln (son of Abraham & Anne Lincoln) was born on the Fourth Day of the Week at 10 Minutes past two in the Morning, and on the 12th Day of March A. D. 1777.

Thomas being 2Y. : 4.M. : 2oD. : 14!!. : 45m. younger than Anne.

ioth John Lincoln (son of Abraham & Anne Lincoln) was born on the Fifth Day of the Week at ten Minutes past three in the Morning, and on the 2ist Day of October A. D. 1779.

John being 2Y. : 7M. : 90.: iH. younger than Thomas.

Abraham Lincoln (son of Mordecai & Mary Lincoln) departed this Life, at his House in Exeter, on the 6th Day of the Week at 15 minutes past 7 in the Morning and on the 3 Ist of January A. D. 1806 aged 69 Y.: 3M.: iD.: 7H. : isM. and was interred at Exeter on the 2nd of February on the First Day of the Week.

Ann Lincoln (Widow of Abraham Lincoln) de parted this Life in Exeter on the 7th day of the Week, at 10 minutes past 2 in the afternoon and on the 4th of April A. D. 1807 aged 69 Y. nM. 2iD. I4H. lorn, and was interred at Exeter on the 6th of April on the 2nd day of the Week.

Julian Mayberry born the 5th Day of February A D 1780.

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Mordecai Lincoln & Julian Mayberry were Mar ried the 5th of May A. D. 1812 on the 3rd day of the Week at 8 O'Clock in the afternoon.

1. Rachel Lincoln (daughter of Mordecai & Julian Lincoln) was Born the 6th of May A. D.

1813 on the 5th day of the Week, at 6 o'clock in the Afternoon.

2. Ann Lincoln (Daughter of Mordecai & Julian Lincoln) born the Ist of August A. D. 1814 on the 2nd Day of the Week at 50 Minutes past 2 o Clock in the Morning.

Ann being i Y. : 2M. : 240. : 14!!. : 5om. younger than Rachel.

3. Abraham M. Lincoln (son of Mordecai & Julian Lincoln) born the Ist of August A D 1814 on the 2nd Day of the Week, at 48 Minutes past 6 o Clock in the Morning.

Abraham being 3H. : 58m younger than Ann. Ann Lincoln (Daughter of Mordecai & Julian Lincoln) departed this Life on the 4th of August

1814 on the 5th Day of the Week at 8 o Clock in the Morning Aged 3D. : 7H. : I2m.

Abraham Lincoln (son of Mordecai & Julian Lincoln) departed this Life on the 8th of August

1815 on the 3rd Day of the Week at 10 o.Clock at Night Aged i Y. : oM. : 7D. : I5H. : I2m.

4. Margaret Lincoln (Daughter of Mordecai & Julian Lincoln) born July 21 AD 1817, 40 minutes past 5 O Clock in the Morning And departed this Life 1817 on the 13th Day of August at 24 minutes past 3 o Clock in the Morning. Aged 22D. : 2iH. : 44m.

98 ABRAHAM LINCOLN

5. Margaret Lincoln (Daughter of Mordecai & Julian Lincoln) born May 12th 1820 at o o Clock and 48 Minutes in the afternoon.

Mordecai Lincoln (Son of Abraham Lincoln & Anne his Wife) Departed this Life in Exeter Township the 12th day of September on the 5th day of the Week about 10 minutes before 6 o Clock in the afternoon A D 1822 Aged 5;Y. : 8M. : iD. When he had Lived with his Wife loY. : 3M. ;D.

Julian Lincoln Widow of Mordecai Lincoln Departed this life in Allentown Lehigh Co. the 6th Day of March on the 7th day of the Week about 12 o Clock noon A D 1858 Aged 78 Y. : iM. : iD.

Margaret Lincoln & Bartholomew Barto were Married Dec 7th 1841 Her Age being 21 Y.: 8M. : 7D.

Alice Dehaven daughter of Abraham Dehaven from Lancaster Co. and wife of Thomas Lincoln was born June 25th 1770. She departed this Life Dec 29th 1836 Aged 66 Y. 6M. 30.

Thomas Lincoln departed this life Dec 27th 1863 Aged 86Y. QM. 150.

Martha Lincoln daughter of Thomas & Allice Lincoln departed this Life Oct. 12th 1858 at 9 o clock in the morning Aged 46Y. : loM. : 2oD. (called also Martha Kaub) Grave is 6th in 5th row at Exeter Meeting.

John D Lincoln son of Thomas & Alice Lin coln was born Jan i 1815 on the Ist day of the Week.

[Book is here defaced, but it appears to be a record of a 2nd Marriage of Thomas Lincoln to

AN AMERICAN MIGRATION 99

Hannah E , who was born the 7th of March,

1827, near Douglassville — Harrison P. Lincoln.]

John Lincoln son of Abraham Lincoln, departed this life on the 4th Day of April 1864 Aged 84 Y. 5M. 2iD.

James Lincoln son of Abraham Lincoln died in Carnarven Twp. Berks Co. in Morgantown 3rd day of Week between 8 & 9 o'Clock in the morn ing A D 1860 Aged 93 Y. 7M. 6D.

Interred at Morgantown 13th.

David J. Lincoln died April ioth 1886 at Birds- borough Aged 70 years.

Children of John D. & Sarah Lincoln.

1 Ametia Born March 28 1838

2 Alfred " Apr 21 1839

3 Harrison H. Born July 28 1840

4 Elizabeth " Nov 20 1841

5 John " Mar 7 1843 Died July 19

1876

6 Richard Born Dec 5th 1844

7 Martha " " 12th 1846

8 Ann (or Anna) Born Feb i6th 1849

9 Sarah " May 24th 1851

10 Mary " Apr 24th 1852

11 Oscar " Feb 16 1855 Died Apr

25th 1857

[Book is here defaced but record appears to read that John D Lincoln married Sarah Solbert or Gilbert on Jan 2th 1837 and that he died Jan 27 1868— Harrison P. Lincoln]*

* The copy made by Harrison P. Lincoln, now found in the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, has been used in con nection with the original manuscript Lincoln Record.

IOO ABRAHAM LINCOLN

CHAPTER VI.

JOHN LINCOLN OR "VIRGINIA JOHN," SON OF MORDECAI OF EXETER.

It is with John Lincoln, the third son of Mordecai Lincoln, the elder, of Exeter, that the Lincoln line continues its migration from Pennsylvania into Vir ginia, the Great Valley and the Middle West. It has been possible to trace the track of this migration in the land records and other documents.

According to the will of his father, Mordecai Lin coln, the elder, of Exeter, John Lincoln received his share of the estate his father's land in New Jersey. So whatever land he .possessed in Pennsylvania had to be acquired by purchase in some form. The earli est mention of John Lincoln in the land records of Pennsylvania is found in proprietary grant dated June 28, 1746, and runs as follows:

THOMAS PENN & RICHARD PENN

Esquires true and absolute Proprietaries and Governors in Chief of the Province of Pennsyl vania and Counties of Newcastle Kent & Sus sex upon Delaware To all unto whom these Pres ents shall come Greeting:

WHEREAS in Pursuance of a Warrant dated the Twenty eighth Day of lune one thousand seven hundred and forty six there was surveyed unto lohn Lloyd A certain Tract of Land situate in

AN AMERICAN MIGRATION IOI

Union Street in the County of Berks Beginning at a marked black Oak Thence by vacant Land South West seventy nine Perches to a Post South East one hundred and eight Perches to a Chest nut Oak and North East seventy nine Perches to a Post Thence by John Lloyd's other Land North West one hundred and eight Perches to the Place of Beginning Containing Fifty Acres and forty nine Perches and Allowance of Six Acres Pr Cent for Roads & Highways As in and by the said Warrant and Survey remaining in the Surveyor Generals Office & from thence Certified into our Secretaries Office more fully appears and Whereas the said John Lloyd in and by his Deed or Articles of Agreement dated the ninth day of October one thousand seven hundred and forty six did grant bargain & sell all his Right to the said Warrant Land & Improvements with the Ap purtenances unto John Lincoln then of Caernar von Township Yeoman his Heirs & Assigns for ever As by the said Deed now produced appears Now at the Instance and Request of the said John Lincoln that we would be pleased to grant him a Confirmation of the same know Ye that in Consideration of the sum of Three Pounds fifteen Shillings and eleven Pence lawful Money of Penn sylvania to our Use paid by the said John Lin coln (The Receipt whereof we hereby acknowl edge and thereof do acquit and for ever Dis charge the said John Lincoln his Heirs and As signs by the Presents) and of the yearly Quitrent hereinafter mentioned and reserved We have given granted released and confirmed and by

IO2 ABRAHAM LINCOLN

these Presents do give grant release and confirm unto the said John Lincoln his Heirs and As signs the said Fifty Acres & forty-nine Perches of Land as the same are now set forth bounded and limited as aforesaid With all Mines Minerals Quarries Meadows Marshes Savannahs Swamps Cripples Woods Underwoods Timber and Trees Ways Waters Watercourses Liberties Profits Commodities Advantages Hereditaments & Ap purtenances whatsoever thereunto belonging or in any wise appurtaining and lying within the Bounds & Limits aforesaid [Three full & clear fifth Parts of all Royal Mines free from all De ductions and Reprizals for digging & refining the same and also one fifth Part of the Ore of all other Mines delivered at the Pitsmouth only excepted and hereby reserved] and also free . Leave Right and Liberty to and for the said John Lincoln his Heirs and Assigns to Hawk Hunt Fish & Fowl in & upon the hereby granted Land and Premises or upon any Part thereof To HAVE AND TO HOLD the said fifty Acres and forty nine Perches of Land & Premises hereby granted (except as before excepted) with their Appurtenances unto the said John Lincoln his Heirs and Assigns To the only Use & Behoof of the said John Lincoln his Heirs and Assigns for ever To BE HOLDEN of us our Heirs & Succes sors Proprietaries of Pennsylvania as of our Manor of Ruscombe in the County of Berks aforesaid in free & common Soccage by Fealty only in Lieu of all other Services yielding and Paying therefore yearly unto us our Heirs and

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Successors at the Town of Reading in the said County at or upon the first day of March in every year one half Penny Sterling for every Acre of the same Or Value thereof in Coin Current ac count according as the Exchange shall then be between our said Province and the City of London to such Person or Persons as shall from Time to Time be appointed to receive the same And in Case of Nonpayment thereof within ninety Days next after the same shall become due That then it shall and may be lawful for us our Heirs and Successors our and their Receiver or Receivers into and upon the hereby granted Land & Premises to Reenter & the same to hold and possess until the said Quitrent and all ar rears thereof Together with the Charges accruing by means of such Nonpayment & Reentry be fully paid and discharged WITNESS John Penn Esquire Lieutenant Governor of the said Province Who by Virtue of certain Powers & Authorities to him for this Purpose inter alia, granted by the said Propri etaries hath hereunto set his Hand and caused the Great Seal of the said Province to be here unto affixed at Philadelphia this seventh day of lune in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and sixty five The Fifth Year of the Reign of King George the Third over Great Brit ain &c and the Forty seventh year of the said Proprietaries Government lohn Penn (L. S.) Re corded the loth day of lune, 1765.

A very important deed, dated November 8, 1748,

IO4 ABRAHAM LINCOLN

in which John Lincoln conveys his land in New Jer sey to William Dye, gives us much valuable infor mation, showing that he was the son of Mordecai, the elder, of Exeter, and a weaver by trade, then living in Caenarvon, Lancaster County, Pennsyl vania :

THIS INDENTURE made the eighth day of No vember in the twentyeth second year of the Reigne of our Soveraigne Lord George the Sec ond of Great Brittain france and Ireland King Defender of the faith &c in the Year of Our Lord one thousand seven hundred and forty eight Between John Lincon of the Township Car- narvin in the County of Lancaster and Province of Penselvania weaver the son and Heir of Mor decai Lincon deceased of the one part and Wil liam Dye of the County of Middlesex yeoman of the other Part Witnesseth that the said John Lincon for and in Consideration of the Sum of Two hundred pounds current money of New Jer sey at eight shillings p ounce to me in hand paid by him the said William Dye the receipt whereof he the said John Lincon doth hereby acknowledge and himself to be therewith satisfied contented & paid and thereof and of and from every part and parsal thereof cloth fully clearly and absolutely acquit exonerate and discharge him the said Wil liam Dye his Heirs Executors Administrators and assigns for ever Hath Granted bargained Sold aliened Convaid and Confirmed unto him the said William Dye and to his Heirs and assigns forever All that Tract of Land scituate lying and being in

AN AMERICAN MIGRATION 1 05

the said County of Middlesex Beginning where the Land formerly Walter Benthals crosses Crarnberry brook from thence along said Ben thals line towards the Post Road to the Land for merly Robert Burnets And from thence along said Burnets line in breadth so far that a parallel line to the foresaid line of Benthels from the said Burnets line to said Cranberry brook do contain three hundred acres thence along the course of said Benthals line to Cranberry brook and from thence down the Brook to where it began Bound ed Westerly by the Land formerly said Benthals Northerly by Land formerly Robert Burnets Easterly by Land formerly belonging to Herricon and Southerly by Cranberry brook with all and all manner of Houses Building [s] Mines Minerals and Appurtenances and previliges whatsoever of him the said John Lincon as well in Law as in Equity of in or unto the said three hundred acres of Land with the Reversion and Reversions Re mainders of the Same To Have and to Hold the aforesaid Three hundred acres of Land with all the bargained Premises with the Appurtenances unto him the said William Dye his Heirs and assigns for ever to the only proper use benefit and behoof of him the said William Dye his Heirs and assigns And he the said John Lincon for himself his Heirs Executors and administra tors by these Presents in manner following viz That he the said John Lincon at the time of the Sealing & Delivering hereof hath in himself good Right full Power and lawful Authority to

IO6 ABRAHAM LINCOLN

Grant bargain Sell Convey the said Three hun dred acres of Land unto the said William Dye in manner as aforesaid and that the same is and shall continue free and clear from all incumbrances whatsoever and will Warrant secure and Defend the said William Dye his Heirs and assigns for ever In Witness Whereof I have hereunto Set my hand and Seal the day and year abovesaid. John Lincon (L: S) Signed Sealed and Deliv ered in Presence of us John Brainerd, Ebenezer Hayward Memorandum that on the 24th day of May 1750 John Lincon party to the within writ ten Instrument appeared before me Andrew John son one of His Majesty's Council for the Prov ince of New Jersey and acknowledged that he executed the same as his voluntary act and Deed of the therein mentioned Andw Johnson

The name of John Lincoln appears in the early tax lists of Berks County, Pennsylvania, as the fol lowing assessments will show :

£ i s. d. Township

1754 John Lincorn 38 96 Union

1758 John Lincoln 6 i 6 Amity 1758 John Lincoln

Nov 29 1758 4 6 Amity (Special Assessment)

1758 John Lincoln 10 15 Union

1759 Linckcoln John 10 15 Union 1759 Lincoln John i Amity

(Single Man) 1759 Lincoln John 6 9 Amity

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1760 Lincoln, John 12 Union

1760 Lincoln [John?] 8 12 Amity

1760 Lincoln [John?] 13 19 6 Union

1761 Lincoln Jn°. 12 3

[married men]

1762 Lincoln John 16 4 Amity

1762 Lincoln John 8 12 Amity

1763 Lincoln John 16 4 Amity

1763 Lincoln John 13 19 6 Amity

1764 Lincoln John 17 43 Amity

1765 Lincoln John 13 96 Amity

Although John Lincoln is mentioned in the land papers as weaver by trade, he had other forms of occupation. The following receipt, dated June 10, 1754, shows that he was engaged in the business of hauling, at least at times :

Reed from Aquila Jones Sepr. i9th 1753 one Ton Pigmetal wch J promice to Deliver to Mr. Sam11 Seely at his forge on acct of Jno Potts Esqr

Witness

Jn° Sullivan John Lincon

There are a number of records of land transac tions by John Lincoln in the land papers of Berks County, as the following will show :

Grantee John Lincoln, June 13, 1748, Grantor John Loyd and wife, Robeson, Lane. Co., book 8, page 400.

IO8 ABRAHAM LINCOLN

Grantor John Lincoln, May 17, 1763, Grantee Jacob Redcay, Robeson, book 8, page 402.

Grantee John Lincoln, June 14, 1763, Grantor John Camp bell, Amity, book 4, page 319.

Grantor John Lincoln, May 20, 1765, Grantee Henry Leer, Amity, book 4, page 323.

Grantee John Lincoln, May 27, 1765, Grantors William Boone, Jeremiah Boone, book 4, page 321.

Grantor John Lincoln, June 13, 1765, Grantee Jacob Redcay, Union, book 8, page 404.

According to these deeds, John Lincoln and Re becca, his wife, disposed of their important tracts of land between 1763 and 1765, as follows:

1. They sold to Jacob Redcay, May 17, 1763, 120 acres of the land granted to John Lincoln by the Pro prietary authority June 13, 1748, for the sum of 300 pounds.

2. They sold to Henry Lear, May 20, 1765, one tract of 125 acres and another of 36 acres for 4 pounds per acre.

3. They sold to the aforesaid Jacob Redcay, June 13, 1765, 50 acres and 49 perches for the sum of 1 20 pounds.

Thus they sold altogether 331 acres and 49 perches of land for the sum of 794 pounds in all, during these two years.

Meanwhile John Lincoln had bought of John Campbell, of Amity township, 36 acres of land for 100 pounds, and of William and Jeremiah Boone, sons and executors of George Boone, of Exeter, 125

AN AMERICAN MIGRATION IOQ

acres for the sum of 160 pounds. Thus he had in vested during those two years 260 pounds in land and realized 794 pounds from sales of land, leaving a net cash balance of 534 pounds.

It is significant that the name of John Lincoln disappears from the Berks County records about 1765. The question naturally arises: What became of him? The answer to this question is easily found in the land records of Virginia. An original deed found in the Recorder's Office of Staunton, Vir ginia, and dated June 21, 1768, furnishes the desired information :

THIS INDENTURE made the twenty first day of June in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and sixty eight BETWEEN Zachariah and Lydia Moses (Mases?) and Mary McKoy [Mc Kay?] their wifes [sic] Robert and James McKoy [McKay?] of the County of Fredrick and Colony of Virginia of the one part and John Lincon of the County of augusta and Colony aforesaid of the other part — witnesseth that the said Zacha riah and Lydia Moses and Mary McKay for and in consideration of the sum of five shillings cur rent money of Virginia unto them in hand paid by the said John Lincon at or before the sealing and Delivery of these Presents the Receipt where of is hereby acknowledged hath granted Bar gained and sold and by these Presents doth grant bargain and sell unto the said John Lincon a tract of Land containing six hundred acres more or Less lying and being in the County of Augusta

IIO ABRAHAM LINCOLN

on Linwils Creek being a Parcel of twelve hun dred acres granted by Patent to McCoy Duff Green and Hite by Patent Bearing date the twen ty six day of March 1739 and by them convey to Robert McKay by Deeds of Lease and Release dated the nineteenth and 2Oth days of June MDCC46 and recorded in the County Court of Augusta and by the said Robert McKay &c and devised to the aforesaid Zachariah McKay and Lydia Moses and Mary McKay their wifes [sic] by his Last will and Testament Bearing Date the day of MDCC duely Proved and

Recorded in the County Court of Augusta the said tract being bounded as followeth to wit BE GINNING at a Black oak the south side of a ridge corner to Tunis Vanpelt Land in original line N°. 54°. W. 662 Poles containuing that cost to the Origenial [sic] Line thence N°. 37° degs. Et. 108 poles to Bonians Line in the Original line thence S°. 26° W. 80 Poles to an off set in the Original Line Running thence with the said Line S°. 39° W. 108 Poles to the Place of BEGINNING and all houses Orchards ways Waters Water courses profits commodities hereditaments and appurtenances whatsoever to the said Premises hereby granted or any part thereof belonging or in anywise appertaining and the Reversion and Reversions Remainder and Remainders rents Is sues and Profits thereof TO have and to hold the said six hundred acres more or Less of Land and all and singular other the Premises is hereby granted with the appurtenances unto the said John

AN AMERICAN MIGRATION III

Lincon and his Executors and administrators and assigns from the day before the date hereof for and During the full term and time of one whole year from thence next ensuing fully to be com plete and ended YIELDING and Paying therefore the rent of one pepper on Lady day next

if the same shall be Lawfully Demanded to the Intent and purpose that by Virtue of these Pres ents and of the statute for transferring uses into Possession the said John Lincon may be in actual Possession of the Premises and to be thereby en abled to accept and take a grant and Release of the Reversion and Inheritance thereof to him and his heirs IN WITNESS whereof the said Zachariah and Lydia Moses and Mary McCoy their wifes Roberd and James McCoy hath hath hereunto set their hands and seals the day and year first above written.

Zachariah McKay. (L. S.) Moses McKay. (L. S.)

Robert McKay. (L. S.)

James McKay (L. S.)

Sealed and Delivered in the Presence of Michael Waren.

his John [8] Jackson.

mark John Poage.

At a Court held for Augusta County August the i6th, 1768.

This Lease from Zachariah McKay Robert Me-

112 ABRAHAM LINCOLN

Kay Moses McKay and James McKay to John Lincon was Proved by the oaths of the Witnesses thereto and Ordered to be Recorded.

Test John Madison

Copied from Deed Book No. 15 Page 50 Clerk's Office of the Circuit Court for Augusta County, Virginia.

Harry Burnett, Clerk.

[The record shows that the sum of £250 was paid. The forms of the name 'McKay' and 'Mc- Koy' (as written at the beginning of the deed) are, of course, identical.]

It is clear from the deed that John Lincoln had migrated to Virginia between the years 1765 and 1768. The fact that the signatures of John Lincoln and the mark of Rebecca Lincoln, his wife, are identical in the land documents of Berks County, Pennsylvania and in those of Augusta County, Vir ginia, leaves no possible doubt of the identity of the persons themselves. The signature of John Lincoln in the Virginia deed of 1773 is very poor, but never theless legible. By an omission easily explained, the usual mark or sign of Rebecca's "mark" was not affixed to the document here reproduced, but that her signature was certified to is indicated in the re corded deed. It was our good fortune to find a par ticularly good specimen of John Lincoln's signature in an old receipt found in the collections of Ex-Gov ernor Pennypacker, who generously allowed it to be reproduced in this work. In the light of these docu-

DEED OF JOHN AND REBECCA LINCOLN TO ISAAC LINCOLN, CONVEYING LAND ON LINVILLE'S CREEK IN 1773.

DEED OF JOHN AND REBECCA LINCOLN TO ISAAC LINCOLN, CONVEYING LAND ON LINVILLE'S CREEK IN 1773.

AN AMERICAN MIGRATION 113

ments, the current statement that John Lincoln went to Virginia to settle about 1750, at the time when Daniel Boone left Berks County, Pennsylvania, for the South, must be considered incorrect. Never theless, it was in the track of Daniel Boone that John Lincoln found his way to Virginia and the tradition that Daniel Boone stopped for a time on Linvill's Creek in Augusta (now Rockingham) County, Virginia, doubtless reflects important his tory in connection with the migration from Penn sylvania to Virginia. Moreover, the intimate rela tions of the Lincolns and the Boones in Berks County, Pennsylvania, give us the motive for such migration at this time.

The land records of Virginia show also how John Lincoln distributed his land in Augusta County to his sons. In the following deed, dated August 12, 1773, he conveys to his son, Isaac Lincoln, 215 acres of his 600 acre purchase of 1768, as the text of the document will show :

THIS INDENTURE made the Twelfth day of August in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and Seventy three Between John Lincoln and Rebeca his wife of Augusta County & Colony of Virginia of the one part and Isaac Lincoln of the County and Colony aforesaid of the other Part Witnesseth that for and in consid eration of the sum of Twenty Pounds Current mony of Virginia to the said John Lincoln in hand Paid by the said Isaac Lincoln at or before the

114 ABRAHAM LINCOLN

Sealing & delivering of these Presents the receipt he doth hereby Acknowledge & thereof doth re lease acquit and Discharge the said Isaac Lincoln his Executors & Administrators by these Presents that the said John Lincoln Hath Granted Bar gained sold Aliened released and Confirmed & by these Presents doth Grant Bargain Sell Alien release & Confirm unto the sd. Isaac Lincoln (in his Actuall Possession now being by virtue of a Bargain and Sale to him thereof made by the said John Lincoln & Rebecca his wife for one whole year by Indenture bearing date the day next before the day of the date of these Presents and by force of the Statute for Trans fering uses into Possession/ and his heirs one Certain Tract or Parcel of Land Containing 215 acres Lying and being in the County of Augusta on Lenvels Creek being Part of Twelve Hundred acres Granted to McKay Duff Green and Hite by Pat- tent Bearing date the 26th. day of March 1739 and was by them Conveyed to Robert McKay by deeds of Lease and Release Bearing date the iQth. and 2Oth. days of June 1746 & recorded in the County Court of Augusta & was by the said Rob ert McKay Devised to Zachariah McKay Mosses McKay Robert McKay and James McKay by his Last will and Testament dated the 7th. day of Octobed 1746 and recorded in the County Court of Augusta and Six hundred Acres Part of the Twelve hundred acres was Conveyed by the said Zachariah McKay and Lydia his wife Mosses McKay and Mary his wife Robert McKay and

AN AMERICAN MIGRATION 115

James McKay unto the [said] John Lincoln by deeds of Lease and release bearing date the 2ist. and 22nd., days of June, 1768 and recorded in the County Court of Augusta and Bounded as follow- eth, to wit : — Beginning at a Black and white oake Saplings on the old line Corner to his Brother Ab rahams Land & thence south 31 degrees west 16 poles to 2 white oake Saplins thence south 54 degrees east 240 Poles to the Creek a Marked walnutt a Corner to the said Abrahams Land north 86 degrees east 13 poles Crossing the Creek to 2 Locusts thence North 39 degrees 8 poles to a Black and white oak Saplins south 62 degrees East 360 Poles to a Black oak Saplin on the old Line north 60 degrees east 5 poles to 2 white oaks an old Corner thence north 22 degrees east & 80 poles to 2 white oaks thence north 65^ de grees west 360 poles to the Creek & the same Course 252 poles to the Beginning and all houses Buildings Orchards ways water water Courses Profits Commodities Hereditaments and Appur tenances whatsoever to the said Premises hereby Granted or and Part thereof Belonging or in any wise appertaining and the reversion and reversions Remainder and Remainders Rents Issues & Profits thereof and also all the es tate right title Interest use Trust Property Claim and demand and whatsoever of them the said John Lincoln and Rebeca his wife of in and to the said Premises and all deeds Evidences & writings touching or in any wise Concerning the same To have and To hold the Lands hereby Con-

Il6 ABRAHAM LINCOLN

veyed and all and Singular other the Premises hereby Granted & released and every Part and Parcel thereof with their and every of their Ap purtenances unto the said Isaac Lincoln his heirs and Assigns forever To the only proper use and Behoof of him the said Isaac Lincoln his heirs and Assigns forever and the said John Lincoln and Rebeca his wife for themselves there heirs Executors and Administrators doth Covenant Promise & Grant to and with the said Isaac Lin coln his heirs and Assigns by these Presents that the said John Lincoln and Rebeca his wife now at The time of Sealing and Delivering of these Presents is Seized of a good sure Perfect and Indefeasible estate of Inheritance in fee Simple of and in the Premises hereby Granted and re leased and that they have Good Power and Law ful and Absolute Authority to Grant and Convey the same to the said Isaac Lincoln in Manner and form aforesaid and that the said Premises now are and so forever hereafter shall remain and be free and Clear of and from all former and other Gifts Grants Bargains sales Dower rights and title of dower Judgments Executions Titles Troubles Charges and Encumbrances whatsoever made done Committed or suffered by the said John Lincoln & Rebeca his wife or any other Per son or Persons whaostever [sic] (the Quit Rents hereafter to Grow due and Payable to our Sover eign Lord the king his heirs and Successors for and in Respect of the Premises only excepted and Foreprized) AND LASTLY that the said John Lin-

AN AMERICAN MIGRATION II/

coin & Rebeca his Wife and there heirs all and Sin gular the Premises hereby Granted & Released with the Appurtenances unto the said Isaac Lincoln his heirs and Assigns against them the said John Lincoln and Rebeca his Wife and their heirs & all and every other Person & Persons whatsoever shall warrant and forever defend by these Pres ents In witness whereof the said John Lincoln and Rebeca his wife have hereunto set their hands and Seals the day and year first Written.

John Lincoln, (L. S.)

her

Rebeckah R. Lincoln, (L. S.) mark

Signed Sealed & Delivered — In the Presence of — Josiah Davison

his Cornelius [B] Briant

mark her

Ann (.) Briant. mark

At a Court held for Augusta County August the

iTth., 1773-

This Release for Land from John Lincoln and Rebecah his wife to Isaac Lincoln was Proved by the Oaths of the witnesses thereto and Ordered to be Recorded.

Teste John Madison

A copy Teste : Harry Burnett, Clerk.

Il8 ABRAHAM LINCOLN

CHAPTER VII.

ABRAHAM LINCOLN OF VIRGINIA AND KENTUCKY.

Turning now to John Lincoln's son, Abraham, the grandfather of President Lincoln, we find him also carrying on extensive land transactions in Augusta County, Virginia, and later in Kentucky. In addi tion to his land mentioned in the deed to Isaac Lin coln, his brother, given above, he buys additional land. In a deed dated September 6, 1779, he buys of Holten Munsey and Else, his wife, a tract of 52 acres of land for 500 pounds :

This Indenture Made the sixth day of Sep tember in the year of our Lord one thousand and Seven Hundred and Seventy Nine Between Holten Muncey and Eles [Else?] his Wife of the County of Rockingham and the State of Virginia of the one part and Abraham Lincoln of the County Afore Said and the State of Virginia of the Other Part WITNESSETH that for and in Consideration of the sum of five Hundred Pounds Current Money of Virginia in hand Paid to the said Hol ten Muncey and his Wife by the said Abraham Lincoln at Or before the Sealing and Delivery of these Presents the Receipt whereof they Doth hereby Acknowledge and thereof doth Release Acquit and discharge the Said Abraham Lincoln his heirs and assigns by these presents he the Said Holten Muncey hath granted Bargined Sold Aliened and Confirmed and by these Presents doth grant Bargain Sell Alien and Confirme rent

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AN AMERICAN MIGRATION

[unto?] the said Abraham Lincoln his heirs and Assigns for Ever one Sertain tract or Parsel of land Containing fifty two Acres lying and being on Linvils Creek in the County of Rockingham and Bounded as followeth Viz Begining at a white Oak on Said Lincolns Line thence Crossing the tract S. 42 W. 104 poles to A white Oak thence S. E. 34 Poles to A wite [sic] Oak tree and two Saplins thence N. 76 E. 76 Poales to a Locast Steak thence S. 52 E. 41 Poales to a Locast stake thence North 36 E 55 Poales to 2 Small hickeries thence with the old Line to the Beginning Corner Containing fifty two Accres Be the Same More or Less Being formerly Convaid to the Said Hoi- ten Muncey by Tunis Vanpelt and Thomas Bri- ant by Deeds of Leas and Releas dated -- the said tract of Land being Part of A larger Tract of Seven thousand and Nine Acres Granted to Jost Kite Robert McCoy Robert Green and William Duff By Patent Bearing Date the twenty Six day of March 1739 and all houses Buildings orchards Ways waters water Corses profits Com modities Hereditaments and Appurtenance What soever to the Said Premises hereby Granted or Any Part Thereof Belonging to or in Any Wise Apertaining and the Reversion and Reversions Remainder and Remainders Rents Issues and Profits there of and also all the Estate Right Title Use Trust Profit or Claim or demand Whatso ever of him the Said Holten Muncey of In and to the Said Premises and all Deeds Evidences and Writings Touching or in Any Wise Concerning the same to have and to hold the Lands hereby Conveyed and all and Singular other the prem-

120 ABRAHAM LINCOLN

ises hereby bargained and Sold and every part and parcel thereof with their and every part of their appurtenances unto the said Abraham Lin coln his heirs and assigns forever to the only proper use and Behoof of him the said Abraham Lincoln & of his heirs and assigns forever and the said Holton Muncey and Alee [=Elsi] his wife for themselves their heirs and assigns by these presents that Holton Muncey [and] Alee his wife now at the Time of Sealing and Delivering of these presents is Seized of a good Sure perfect and Indefeasable Estate of Inheritance in Fee simple of and in the said premises hereby granted and that they have good power Law full and absolute Right and Authority to grant and Convey the same to the said Abraham Lincoln in manner and form aforesaid and that the premises now are & so forever hereafter shall Remain and be free and Clear of and from all others and former gifts grants Bargains Sales Dower Right and Title of Dower — Judgments Executions Titles Troubles Charges and Incumbrances Whatsoever Made Done Committed or Suffered by the Said Holton Muncey or Alee his Wife or any other person or persons Whatsoever (The Assessment hereafter to grow Due and payable to the Collec tor for the time being for the use of the Common wealth of Virginia) for and in Respect of the premises only Excepted and and [sic] foreprized and the said Holton Muncey and Alee his wife and their heirs and all and Singular the premises here by granted with their appurtenances unto the said Abraham Lincoln his heirs and assigns against them the said Holton Muncey and Alee his Wife

AN AMERICAN MIGRATION 121

and their heirs and all and every other person or persons Whatsoever Shall and Will Warrant and forever defend by these presents and Lastly that the said Holton Muncey and Alee his Wife and their heirs and every other person or persons and their heirs anything Having and Claiming in the premises herein before Mentioned or Intended to be hereby Bargained and sold shall and Will from time to time and at all times hereafter at the Reasonable request and at the proper Costs and Charges in the Law of him the Said Abraham Lincoln his heirs or assigns make do and execute or procure to be made done and executed all and every such farther and other Reasonable Act and Acts thing or things conveyances assurances for their Better and more effectual conveying and assuring the premises afforesaid with their and every of their apurtenances unto the said Abra ham Lincoln his heirs and assigns as by the said Abraham Lincoln his heirs or assigns or their Council Learned in the Law shall be Reasonably advised Devised or Required. In Witness where of the said Holton Muncey and Alee his Wife have herewith set their hands and Seals the day and year first above Written.

holten Munsey (Seal)

her Elsi [X] Muncy (Seal)

mark

Sealed and Delivered In the presence of John Heaton Chas Mair Jacob Lincoln

122 ABRAHAM LINCOLN

At a court held for Rockingham County the 22 Day of November 1779 This Deed of Bargain & Sale for Holton Muncy to Abraham Lincoln was proved by the Oaths of the witneses thereto & ordered to be recorded

Test. Pet'. Hog C. R. c. Monsey

to

Lincoln No & Sale 91 Recordd & Examd ? Ervin C. R. C.

Recorded in Burnt Records Deed Book No. O page 53 C. H. Brunk D. C.

[The correct form of the name in this deed seems to be 'Holten' although toward the end of the deed it is written 'Holton.' It will be noted too that the last name is written 'Munsey' 'Mun- cey,' 'Muncy.' In like manner the wife's name is written 'Eles,' 'Alee,' and 'Elsi' (in the signa ture).]

The next year, 1780, we find a most important land transaction of this Abraham Lincoln, the son of "Virginia John," recorded in a deed dated Feb ruary 1 8, 1780. By this document Abraham Lin coln and his wife, "Batseb" (Bethsheba), sell to Michael Shanks and John Ruef, also of the same county (now Rockingham), 250 acres (part of the original purchase of John Lincoln), for the sum of 5000 pounds. This price seems very high, but it

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AN AMERICAN MIGRATION 123

must be remembered that Abraham Lincoln paid half that price (10 pounds per acre) for the 52 acres bought the year before. The text of the deed fol lows:

THIS INDENTURE made the Eighteenth day of Feberuary [sic] in the Year of our Lord one thousand Seven Hundred and Eighty Between Abraham Lincolen of the County of Rockingham and State of Virginia and Bersheba [Bethsheba? not Barbara as the deed book has it] his wife of the one part and Michel shanks and John Reuf [Ruef] of the county and State aforesaid of the other Part Witnesseth that for and in consid eration of the sume of five Thousand Poundes Current money of Virginia in hand paid unto the said Abm Lincolen By the Said Michel shanks at or Before the sealing and Delivery of these presents the Receipt whereof they doth hereby acknowledge and and thereof doth Release aquit and Discharge the Said Michal [sic] shanks his Heirs and assigns by these presents he the said Abm Lincolen hath Granted Bargained Sold Alien'd and Confirmed and by these presents doth grant Bargain sell alien and Confirm unto the said Michal shanks and their heirs and as signs for ever one Certain Tract of Land Con taining two hundred and fifty acres Being a part of twele [twelve] hundred acres Granted to Mc Kay Duff Green and Hite By patent bearing Date twenty six dayes [sic] March 1739 and by them Convey'd to Robert McKay by Deeds of Lease and Release bearing date the nineteenth and

124 ABRAHAM LINCOLN

twenty Dayes of June 1746 and by the Said Rob ert McKay Devised to the afor said Zacha- riah mcKay Moses McKay Robert McKay and the aforsaid McKayes convey to John Lin- colen six hundred acres of the forsaid Land by Deed of Lease and Realse [sic?] bearing Date the twenty Second day of June 1768 and John Lincolen Conveyed apart of this within mentioned two hundred and fifty acres to Abraham Lincolen and Tunis Vanpelt Thos Bryan and Holten Mun- cey Conveyed the Rest the said Land to abrm Lincolen Lying and being on the North side of Linvils Creek Beginning at a Locust Stake and walnut stump on the North side of Linvils Creek thence along the old Line South thirty seven De grees West Seventy Eight Poles to a black oak corner to Tunis Vanpelt North fifty five and a half Degrees West one hundred and twenty four poles to white oak one [sic] said line: south forty two Degrees West one hundred & four Poles to a whit oak South East thirty Poles to white oak and two Sapplins North Seventy six Degrees East seventy six Poles near to a white oak South twenty five Degrees East forty one Poles to a locust Stake North thirty six Degrees East fifty eight Poles to two smal Hicorys south fifty five YT. Degrees East one Hundred and Thirty six poles to the Creek near a sycemore [sic] and thorn thence down the Creek the several courses to a walnut to his Br Isaces [sic] line North fifty four Degrees West two hundred and forty Poles to two small white oak North thirty one Degrees East sixteen Poles to a black oak

AN AMERICAN MIGRATION 125

Saplin on the old lin * * * with all Houses Buildings orchards wayes water Courses Profits Commoditys Hereditaments and appurtenances whatsoever to the Said Premises hereby granted or any part thereof Belonging or in any wise ap pertaining and the Reversion and Reversions Remainder and Remainders Rents Issues & Profits thereof and also all the Estate Right Title use Trust Property or Claim or Demand whatso ever of him the Said Abraham Lincolen of In and to the Said Premises and all Deeds Evi dences and writings Touching or In any wise Concerning the same To HAVE AND TO HOLD the land hereby conveyed and all and Singular other the Premises hereby Bargained and sold and Ev ery Part and Parcle thereof with their and every of their appurtenances unto the said man Michal shanks His Heirs and assigns for Ever to the only proper use and Behoof of them Michal Shanks and of his heirs and assigns for ever and the Said Abraham Lincolen and Bashaba his wife for them selves theire Heirs and assigns by these Presents Abm Lincolen and his wife at the time of the Sealing and Delivery of these Presents is Seized of a good Sure Perfect and Indefeaz- able Estate of Inheritance In fee Simple of and In the said premises Hereby Granted and he Hath good Power and Lawfull and absolute right and authority to grant and Convey the same to the said Michal Shanks In manner and form aforsaid and that the premises now are and so for ever hereafter shall remain and be free and clear of and from all former and other Gifts

126 ABRAHAM LINCOLN

Grants Bargains Sales rights titles of Dowers Dower Judgments Executions Titles Troubles Charges and Incumberances whatsoever Made done Commited or Suffred By the said Abm Lincolen and Basheba his wife or any other per son or persons whatsoever the assement [assess ment] hereafter to grow dwe [due] and Pay able to the Collectors for the Time being for the use of the Commonwealth of Virginia for and In Prospect of the Said Premises only Excepted and forprized and the said Abm Lincolen and Bathsheba his wife and theire Heirs all and sin gular the Premises hereby granted with the ap purtenances unto the said Michal shanks His heirs and assigns against them the said Abm Lincolen and Bathshaba his weife [sic] and theire heirs and all and Every other Person [or] Persons whatso ever shall and will Warrent and for Ever Defend by these Presents and Lastly that the said Abm Lincolen and Bathshabe his weife and theire Heirs and Every other Person or Persons and theire Heirs any thing having and Claiming In the Premises herein before mentioned or Intended to be hereby Bargained and sold shall and will from time to time and at all Times hereafter at the Reasonable Request and at the proper cost and charges in the Laue of them the Said Michal shanks His heirs or assigns make do and Exe cute or Procure to be made done and Executed all and Ewery such further and other Reasonable Act and acts thing or things Conveyances and assurances for theire further Better and more Effectual, Conveying and Assuring the Premises

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AN AMERICAN MIGRATION 127

aforsaid with their and Every of their appurten ances unto the said Michal Shanks His Heirs and assigns as by the said Abraham Lincolen his heirs or assignes or their councils Learned in the Laue shall be Reasonable advised Devised or Required in Witness whereof the said Abraham Lincolen and Bathsheba his weufe [sic] Hath Hereunto set theire hand and seal the day & year first above written

Abm Lincoln Batseb Lincon Seal'd and Deliver'd In Presence of Charles Mair Solomon Mathews George Chrisman

At a court held for Rockingham County the 26 Day of June 1780 This Deed of Bargain & Sale from Abraham Lincoln & Bersheba his Wife to Michael Shanks was proved by the Oath of Charles Mair & George Chrisman & by the Sol emn affirmation of Solomon Mathews the wit nesses thereto and ordered to be recorded by the Court. Pet'. Hog C. R. C.

This sale was made about the time Abraham Lin coln purchased land in Kentucky. The next record we have of him is found in the Land Office of Larue County, Kentucky. The original grant is repro duced here and shows the form "Linkhorn" which has given rise to the theory of the German origin of Lincoln. Abraham Lincoln soon went with his

128 ABRAHAM LINCOLN

family, including his son Thomas, the father of the President, to settle in Kentucky (then a part of Virginia).

The following additional land transactions of the Lincolns are recorded in the deed books of Harrison- burg, Virginia, before 1802:

Grantee Jacob Lincoln, Aug. 28, 1778, Grantor Tunis

Vanpelt, book OO, p. 344. Grantor Isaac Lincoln, Apr. 24, 1779, Grantee John

Kring (?), book OOO, p. 345- Grantor Isaac Lincoln, Apr. 24, 1779, Grantee Philip

Rimel ( ?), book OOO, p. 345. Grantee John Lincoln, Apr. 28, 1787, Grantors John

Thomas et ux., book OO, p. 362. Grantee John Lincoln, Sept. 28, 1790, Grantor Robert

Harrison, book OO, p. 371. Grantors Thomas Lincoln et ux., July 25, 1791, Grantee

Jacob Lincoln, book OOO, 373. Grantee John Lincoln, Apr. 28, 1794, Grantor Henry

Whisler, book OO, p. 25. Grantee John Lincoln, June 28, 1796, Grantors Henry

Nave et ux., book OO, p. 160. Grantee John Lincoln, Oct. 28, 1796, Grantor Jacob

Casner, book OO, p. 181. Grantee Jacob Lincoln, Oct. 16, 1797, Grantors Thomas

Vance et ux., book OO, p. 252. Grantee Jacob Lincoln, July 16, 1798, Grantor Thomas

Leach, book OO, p. 298. Grantors John Lincoln et ux., June 21, 1801, Grantee John

Raider, book OOO, p. 433.

The following early epitaphs were found in the old Lincoln Burying Ground on Linville Creek :

To the | Memory | of | Jacob Lincoln Sr who was born on the i8th | day of November 1751

AN AMERICAN MIGRATION I2Q

and | departed this life on the | 2Oth day of Feb ruary 1822 | aged 71 years 9 Months | and 2 days.

Sacred | to the Memory of | John Lincoln | who departed this life | on the 13th [ ?] day of July 1818 | aged 35 years | and 5 months and 4 days.

Abraham Lincoln | Born March 15 | 1799 | Died June 18. 1851 | Aged 52 years 2 mo's | & 29 days.

It will thus appear that the interests of the Lin- coins in the Linville Creek Region were extensive. Later it was complicated by the arrival of other members of the Lincoln family from Pennsylvania. Mordecai Lincoln, son of Mordecai the elder of Exe ter, settled in Union Township, Fayette County, and died there in 1812. Most of his children seem to have gone to settle in the Valley of Virginia. Michael Lincoln, the son of Thomas, son of Mordecai, the elder, of Exeter, settled in Buffalo Valley. Hananiah Lincoln, son of Mordecai of Exeter, after serving in the 1 2th Pennsylvania Regiment in the Revolution, joined Daniel Boone's settlement in Kentucky, Sarah Lincoln, daughter of Mordecai of Exeter, married Joshua Davis, of the Juniata Valley.

I3O ABRAHAM LINCOLN

CHAPTER VIII.

THE FORMS OF THE NAME LINCOLN.

The argument in support of the theory that Abra ham Lincoln was sprung from a German family by the name of Linkhorn (written also Lincorn, Linck- orn, Linckhorn), was based primarily upon this sup- posable German form of the name, and, secondly, upon the fact that Abraham Lincoln, the President of the United States, was descended from a family of that name in Berks County, Pennsylvania. It will now be in place to discuss the validity of this argument in the light of the documents already pre sented in the foregoing pages.

The documents relating to the Lincoln family, ranging all the way from Massachusetts to Ken tucky, exhibit the following well authenticated forms of the name Lincoln. In Masachusetts we find "Lin coln," "Lincoen," a form in Abraham Lincoln's direct line. In the New Jersey documents we find "Lincoln,-' "Lincon," "Lincen," "Lincorn," Linc- korn." In Pennsylvania we find "Lincoln," "Link- coin," "Lincolin," "Lincorn," "Lingorn," "Lin- korn," "Linkoln," "Linkoon." In Maryland we find "Lincoln," "Lincolne," "Linckhorn." In Vir ginia we find "Lincoln," "Lincolen," "Lincon." In Kentucky we find "Lincoln," "Linkhorn." Thus summing up the important forms we have the fol-

MARRIAGE CERTIFICATE OF THOMAS LINCOLN AND NANCY HANKS. (By the Courtesy of Col. R. T. Durrett.)

AN AMERICAN MIGRATION 13!

lowing: Lincoln, Lincolne, Lincolen, Linkcoln, Lincon, Lincoen, Lincen, Linckon, Linkon, Link- hoon, Linkorn, Linkhorn. In addition to these forms of the name, that of "Linton" also has been considered as synonymous with "Lincoln," but as it seems, only sporadically, if at all.

As we have seen, the name and family of Lincoln have been traced back to New England and thence back to Old England, to the neighborhood of Hing- ham, whence a number of the New England settlers came to Massachusetts and here formed a settlement, which likewise was called Hingham. The name Lin coln itself is one of frequent occurrence in English records, and is applied both to persons and to places. It is usually derived from the two words Lind and Colonia, which as a compound, under the laws of euphonic change, would give Lincolonia and Lin colne or Lincoln.

The correct and, at the same time, the most per sistent form of the name is Lincoln. All the other forms are but natural variations in the speech of the people or in the orthography of the scribe. There seems to be no evidence that any of the forms of the name are of German origin. The form which gave rise to the theory of Lincoln's German ancestry was, of course, Linkhorn and its variations, which occur, as we have seen, over almost the entire territory through which the family migrated.

In order to make the argument clearer, let us ex amine the various forms of the name and their iden-

132 ABRAHAM LINCOLN

tity, from the philological point of view. The form Lincolne explains itself, as a variant spelling quite common in the colonial and earlier records. The form Linkoln is simply a more phonetic spelling with "k" instead of hard "c." The form Linkolen is the same form with the liquid made more vocalic by the addition of an "e" before the "n," which is a very common characteristic of the folkspeech. The form Lincoln or Lincoen is simply a vocalization of the liquid "1," which is also a common phonetic phe nomenon. The forms Lincon, Linckon, Linkon, all represent the same sound and exhibit a form of the name in which the liquid has become silent and thus dropped in the pronunciation as well as in the orthography — also a well-known phenomenon in the folkspeech. The pseudo-German forms, Linkhorn, Linkorn, Lincorn, which seem to offer the most diffi culty, are really very simple, well authenticated pho netic changes which are found in the literatures and are still going on in the speech of both Germanic and Romanic peoples, namely, the simple interchange of liquids, in this case the substitution of r for /. Thus we see that all of the forms of the name Lin coln are natural variants, entirely in keeping with the traditions of English speech and orthography.

Having disposed of the pseudo-German form of the name, let us consider the occurrence of it outside of the Lincoln family. If the presumable German forms, Linkorn, Lincorn, etc., were German, we should naturally expect to find them occurring as

MARRIAGE BOND AND CERTIFICATE OF THOMAS LINCOLN. (By Courtesy of Col. R. T. Durrett)

AN AMERICAN MIGRATION 133

independent German names in lists of German set tlers or in German communities, where they could not possibly be confused with the English name Lin coln. A diligent search, however, in the directories of the most German communities of Pennsylvania, has failed to produce a single occurrence of the name, not identical with that of Lincoln. Neither city directories, nor land papers, nor other local rec ords seem to contain any such German name.

That these supposed German forms of the name are all clearly understood to be variations of the name Lincoln, is amply attested and positively dem onstrated by the documents themselves, and particu larly by the signatures, which show that all these variations of the name are identical with the forms Lincoln and Lincon, which often occur in two or three forms in the same document. The final incon- testible proof of the identity of the forms Linkhorn, etc., with Lincoln, etc., however, is found in two doc uments in the land records. One of these documents is a deed dated May 26, 1726, conveying land from Richard Salter, of New Jersey, to Mordecai Lincon (or Lincen). The document contains this statement in regard to the form of the name Lincen or Lincon :

John Anderson Examined & agrees with the original the word (Lincen) in the IIth line under lined was by mistake in Recording. John Terrill Reg (see p. 26 above).

This shows clearly the identification of the form

134 ABRAHAM LINCOLN

Lincoln, which is the normal form recognized by the scribe in this document, and the form Lincen or Li neon.

The other document mentioned above furnishes the clinching argument for the identity of the sup posed German form of the name with the usual English form, Lincoln. The document in question is a deed recorded in City Hall, Philadelphia, bear ing date April 4, 1794, and conveying land from Philip Price and Hannah, his wife, of Kingsessing Township, Philadelphia County, to Abraham Linck- horn, of the same township. This document con tains the following notable passage :

"N. B. The surname of the second party to this Indenture has been mispelled through Mis information to the Scrivener, tho commonly pro nounced as it is speled above, it is written Lincoln."

Thus the name Lincoln, like the family, is not German but English. The tradition which has taken such a hold upon the German American mind as to give rise even to German poetry on Abraham Lin coln as a German, must be considered as without historic foundation.

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DEED SHOWING THE CORRECT NAME OF "LINCOLN," NOT "LINKHORN." (Original in City Hall, Philadelphia.)

AN AMERICAN MIGRATION 135

CHAPTER IX.

THE LINCOLN MIGRATION TYPICALLY AMERICAN.

One of the most important results of geneological research in this country is, or should be, the new light shed upon colonization and settlement in America and the motives prompting migration to new lands. It will appear from the foregoing re searches that the Lincoln family is one of the most typical and significant in American history.

The motive prompting the migration of the Lin- coins through the various provinces reflects in each instance an important fact in the history of our early settlements. In the first movement of the Lin- coins from Hingham and other parts of England, they were prompted by the widespread desire to seek a more favorable sphere of activity in the new world. They formed part of a larger company of emigrants who acquired land in the colony of Massachusetts. It was one of those concerted emi grations from a particular locality in the Old World with the purpose of making a compact settlement in the new land beyond the sea.

It can be clearly seen that the Lincoln family, like most large families, represented a variety of occu pations. One was a yeoman, another a miller, another a weaver, all alert to the opportunities of improving their several trades in the new environ-

136 ABRAHAM LINCOLN

ment. So we have Thomas Lincoln, the yeoman or husbandman, Thomas Lincoln, the miller, Samuel Lincoln, the weaver, or at least the hired-man, or, probably more exactly, the apprentice of a weaver. As subsequent events indicate, the blacksmith trade was doubtless understood and practiced by some of the family.

It is the trade and industry of working iron which seems to furnish a clue to the motive of the sons of Mordecai Lincoln of Hull in their migration from Massachusetts to New Jersey. Their father, Mor decai of Hull, had already become an important factor in the iron industry of Massachusetts, having, as we have seen, a considerable share in the erection of the iron works at Bound Brook, Massachusetts, and having brought the iron industry to the highest point of perfection in the colony at that time by building a Catalan forge for making wrought iron. It is significant that Mordecai Lincoln and Abraham, his brother, sons of Mordecai of Hull, migrated to that part of New Jersey in which iron had been found — the Red Bank region — evidently with the expectation that they might be able to develop the iron industry in New Jersey. In addition to their interests in iron, they naturally acquired land in the new settlement and became important land owners as well as ironmongers. We find Mordecai Lincoln mentioned later as ironmonger in Pennsyl vania, and Abraham we find designated as "blacksmith", in addition to their occupation as yeomen.

OLD LINCOLN

( By the Courtesy of Mr. Thomas B. Kirpatrik, of Hodgenville, Ky. )

AN AMERICAN MIGRATION 137

It is therefore, more than a simple accident, or coincidence, that we find Mordecai Lincoln taking up land later in the French Creek region, that part of Pennsylvania in which the iron industry was developing and in which he erects a forge and car ries on extensive iron operations, thus deserving the appellation of "ironmonger" in the old deed. In the case of Abraham, who settled in Springfield Town ship, Chester County, Pennsylvania, other motives may have operated to determine the place of his settlement. In the early land records of Philadel phia County, we find the name Saltar before 1700, showing that the Saltars had purchased land in Pennsylvania. As Mordecai Lincoln had married Hannah Saltar, it is quite likely that his attention, as well as that of his brother, Abraham, had been directed by the Saltar connections to the counties of Philadelphia and Chester, and that both might have settled nearer Philadelphia but for the fact that Mor decai wished to carry on the industry of mining and smelting iron, and so sought out the region of iron deposits along French Creek.

In the case of the sons of Mordecai Lincoln, the elder, of Exeter, Pennsylvania, son of Mordecai of Hull, Massachusetts, we find some of the old tradi tional trades re-appearing, as for example in John Lincoln, who is mentioned in the land record as "Weaver", showing that he had the trade of the great-great grandfather Samuel Lincoln, the weaver- apprentice and immigrant in Massachusetts.

138 ABRAHAM LINCOLN

The migration of the Lincolns from Pennsylvania to Virginia and other parts of the South and West, reflects one of the most important movements of American population — the movement along the Great Valley and across the mountains into the valleys of the Ohio and the Mississippi. It is along this route that the migration of the Lincolns moved from Berks County, Pennsylvania.

As early as 1710, the Swiss and Palatine Germans under the guidance of De Graffenried settled at New Bern, North Carolina, but were soon afterward attacked by the Indians and massacred or dispersed. The survivors took refuge in Virginia and formed a settlement at Germanna in 1714. The eyes of the Virginians had already been opened a hundred years before to the excellent qualities of the German set tlers as artisans and farmers. Governor Spottswood now encouraged the Palatines to settle on his lands. Even before 1720 the provincial council of Virginia had devoted special attention to a general plan of settling Palatines in the uplands of Virginia.

In this year, 1720, John van Meter, a trader from the Hudson River region in New York, made a pros pecting tour through the South Branch region of Virginia. 1727 Isaac van Meter, the son of John, visited the same region of Virginia. Meanwhile, isolated settlers seem to have taken up land in the Valley of Virginia. Adam Miller appears to have settled there near Massanutting in 1726 or 1727. In the year 1730, Isaac van Meter, and John his brother, sons of the elder John, received patents of

AN AMERICAN MIGRATION 139

land from Governor Gouch, of Virginia. John van Meter patented 10,000 acres at the forks of the Shenandoah (Sherando or Shenando) and Cedar Creek, Cedar Lick and Strong Lick, and 20,000 acres farther below. Isaac van Meter patented 10,000 acres in the lower valley.

In the year 1728 a serious event turned the atten tion of Pennsylvania settlers toward Virginia. In this year the Indians made a hostile attack upon the settlement of Falkner Swamp and Goschenhoppen. The settlers of Cold Brook Dale sent a petition to Governor Gordon, of Pennsylvania, asking him to protect them against the savages. Many of the settlers, feeling insecure in Pennsylvania, began to look for more favorable conditions in other prov inces, and naturally turned their eyes in the direction of Maryland and Virginia, toward which settlers were beginning to move along the eastern slopes of the Blue Ridge.

In the year 1732 Jost Kite (Justus Heid), a na tive of Strassburg in Elsass, purchased land of the Van Meters on the Opequon Creek and settled some sixteen families from Lancaster County, Pennsyl vania. Among the names of these settlers were, George Bowman, Jacob Chrisman, Paul Froman (all three sons-in-law of Kite), Robert McKay, William Duff and Peter Stephen. They took the route of the old Monocacy Road, by way of Har per's Ferry, and settled five miles to the north of the present Winchester. In 1733 Jacob Stauffer (or Stover) received a grant of 5000 acres of land in

I4O ABRAHAM LINCOLN

the Gerando (Shenando) region, farther up the valley, toward the present site of Harrisonburg. The old name of Strasburg, was Staufferstadt, and per petuated the name of this early settler. In 1736 Peter Bowman appears among the settlers, and in 1738 Peter Franciscus. In 1746 we find William Lenivell (or Linvill) taking up land along the Lin- ville Creek, which now bears his name.

A glance at the names of these early settlers in the Valley of Virginia, and the references in the land records show that many of them came from what was old Lancaster County, Pennsylvania (in cluding later Lancaster, York and Lebanon). The earlier names, like "Bowman", "Franciscus", "Funk", point directly to the early settlers in the Pequea region of Lancaster County (then Chester County) of 1710. Likewise the name "Lenivell" or "Linvill" is one of frequent occurrence in Lan caster County, covering entire pages of the old deed books in the Recorder's office.

The contact between John Lincoln and this early migration to Virginia is twofold. In the first place John Lincoln owned land in Caernarvon Township, Lancaster County, as well as in Amity and Union, Berks County, and naturally came into touch with the residents of that region who were migrating to Virginia. In the second place he had a special instance of such migration in his adventurous neighbor and friend, Daniel Boone, of Oley.

Daniel Boone, of Oley, had set out with his father and kinsman from Berks County, Pennsyl-

AN AMERICAN MIGRATION 14!

vania, in 1750, with a view to settling in the Great Valley. They took the usual route by Harper's Ferry and passed up the Shenandoah Valley. Tradi tion says — in this instance it doubtless reflects history — that the Boones tarried a while on Linville Creek, six miles north of Harrisonburg, Virginia. In the following year, 1751, the Boones pressed on through the Valley of Virginia to the Yadkin region, where Squire Boone, Daniel's father, chose a claim at Buffalo Lick, at the junction of Dutchman's Creek and the north point of the Yadkin.

The ties of friendship between the Lincolns and the Boones in Berks County were drawn closer by the marriage of Abraham Lincoln, the posthumous son of Mordecai, the elder, of Exeter, to Anna Boone, July the loth, 1760. It was thus natural that John Lincoln, or "Virginia John", as he was later called, and his kinsmen should be informed of the wanderings of the Boones in the Great Valley. Thus the motive of John Lincoln's migration to Virginia is easily found. He, unlike the other sons of Mordecai Lincoln, the elder, of Exeter, was not attached to the soil of Pennsylvania by inheritance but by the purchase of land, having received his part of his father's estate in New Jersey, and afterwards sold it for cash. Then, too, the opportunities of acquiring large tracts of land in the Valley of Vir ginia at a moderate price, and the fact that his kinsmen and neighbors, the Boones, had already migrated thither furnished further incentive.

I42 ABRAHAM LINCOLN

The exact date of John Lincoln's migration from Berks County, Pennsylvania, to Augusta County, Virginia, cannot be fixed, but it must have been between 1765, the year in which John Lincoln's name ceases to appear in the tax lists of Berks County, and 1768, the year in which he appears as a resident of Augusta County, Virginia. As we have seen he sold the major part of his land in Pennsyl vania between the years 1763 and 1765. It is quite likely that he went to Virginia in 1765 or 1766, and like the Boones tarried in the Linville Creek region until he could decide upon a place of residence. Instead of following the Boones on to the Yadkin, he purchased land on Linville Creek from the McKays (or McCoys) and others who had received an original grant. As the land records show, John Lincoln later in life conveyed his land to his sons.

It will be remembered that Daniel Boone set out from North Carolina for Transylvanian Virginia, that region which is now known as Kentucky. In 1773 the Boones, with their families, left the Yadkin to settle in the land then recently explored by Daniel Boone, and met with the disastrious massacre in the Cumberland Gap. Meanwhile this region, which had been entered twenty years before by Governor Spottswood, now attracted the attention of the Washingtons — George Washington and his brothers —of the Lees, and even of Benjamin Franklin. Hundreds of settlers began to pour in through the Ohio Valley, and founded the town of Louisville.

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WARRANT ISSUED TO ABRAHAM LINCOLN, IN KENTUCKY, SHOWING THE NAME "LINKHORN/

AN AMERICAN MIGRATION 143

Early in the year 1780, three hundred so-called family boats are said to have arrived at the Falls of the Ohio. The Legislature of Virginia passed laws for the protection and encouragement of the new settlers.

Naturally, the cismontane Virginians were eager to seize the opportunity of acquiring new fertile lands at the normal price of forty cents per acre. It was in the midst of this rush for land in the Ohio Valley, in the year 1780, that Abraham Lincoln, of Linville Creek, Virginia, purchased four hundred acres of land in Transylvanian Virginia, for the sum of $160, and soon afterwards, having disposed of his land on Linville Creek, as we have already seen from the old deed, set out for the Valley of the Ohio. The original warrant for this purchase of four hundred acres, is here reproduced in fac-simile and will speak for itself. The survey is dated May

7, 1785-

In addition to this purchase, Abraham Lincoln owned other lands in Kentucky. According to the researches made by Colonel Reuben T. Durrett, of Louisville, Kentucky, Abraham Lincoln owned the following tracts of land in that region :

1. A tract containing four hundred acres, on Long Run, a branch of Floyd's Fork, in Jefferson County, entered May 29th, 1 780.

2. A tract of eight hundred acres on Green River, near Green River Lick, entered June 7th, 1780.

144 ABRAHAM LINCOLN

3. A tract of five hundred acres in Campbell County, surveyed September 27, 1798, and patented June 3Oth, 1799, but taken up before his death in 1784.

The tract of 500 acres, entered by Daniel Boone in his Field Book, would seem to indicate still an other purchase of land in the present Kentucky by Abraham Lincoln. The warrant is No. 5994 and Boone's survey entry is dated December n, 1782. A fac-simile may be found in Nicolay and Hay's Abraham Lincoln.

The tradition that Abraham Lincoln went to North Carolina is doubtless a reminiscence of the route which he took to his newly acquired lands in the present State of Kentucky. He followed nat urally Boone's Wilderness Road, and probably joined a company of settlers going that way at the time.

Thus we have followed the Lincolns in their wanderings to the West, that region now known as Kentucky, then still a part of the old territory of Vir ginia. Abraham Lincoln was killed, as tradition has it, in 1784, by the Indians, while at work with his sons, Mordecai, Josiah and Thomas, in the clearings. The older boys ran for help, Mordecai to the house for the gun, and Josiah to the fort for men. Morde cai returned with the gun in time to shoot the Indian who was just about to scalp his six-year-old brother, Thomas. This Thomas was the father of Abraham Lincoln, the President of the United States.

It was the irony of American migration which

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SURVEY OF THE FIRST WARRANT OF LAND TO ABRAHAM LINCOLN IN KENTUCKY (THEN VIRGINIA^.

AN AMERICAN MIGRATION 145

reared the great emancipator of the slaves on the Blue Grass soil of Kentucky. Abraham Lincoln was in a peculiar sense the heir of all the great Amer ican traditions. Sprung from an English family, which had been inured to the hardships of New England, tarried among the early Dutch and English settlers of East Jersey, taken root and thrown among the Germans and Quakers of Pennsylvania, shared the adventures and perils of the frontier life of Vir ginia and Kentucky, Abraham Lincoln was the best example of that sturdy, fearless American citizen ship, great not because he made far-seeing plans of self-glorification, but because he possessed that in herent heroism and devotion to duty which pre pared him for all emergencies, even those of civil war, and won for him the enduring names of Eman cipator of American Slaves and Martyr President of the Republic of Freemen.

THE TRAIL

or THE

LINCCO MIGRATION

1783.

MAP OF THE MIGRATION OF THE LINCOLNS FROM HINGHAM, MASS., TO KENTUCKY.

The Marks X Indicates Hingham, Mass., Red Bank, N. J., Coventry, Pa., Linville's Creek, Va., and Hodgenville, Ky.

INDEX OF LINCOLNS REFERRED TO IN THIS WORK

Lincoln, Abraham, President i, 2, 6, 67, 145

Lincoln (Lincon), Abraham, of Exeter 67, 68, 70, 77

79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 85, 86, 87, 88, 90, 91, 92, 93, 141 Lincoln, Abraham, son of Abraham, of Springfield,

54, 57, 58, 61, 62, 67, 136

Lincoln (Lincon), Abraham, of Springfield 7, 9, 32, 33

34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45 47, 48, 51, 52, 53, 54, 57, 60, 63

Lincoln, Abraham, of Va 2, 118 et seq., 134, 143 et scq.

Lincoln, Abraham M 97

Lincoln, Anna (Boone) 81, 93

Lincoln, Ann, daughter of Mordecai and Julian 97

Lincoln, Ann, daughter of John D 99

Lincoln, Ametia 99

Lincoln, Alice Dehaven 98

Lincoln, Alfred 99

Lincoln, Anne 9

Lincoln, Anne, daughter of Abraham, of Exeter 95

Lincoln, Anne, daughter of Mordecai, of Exeter 28

Lincoln, Anna, daughter of Abraham, of Exeter 95

Lincoln, Bathseba

Lincoln, Catarina 65

Lincoln, Daniel, of Mass 5

Lincoln, Daniel, of Pa 65

Lincoln, David J 99

Lincoln, Deborah 21

Lincoln, Elizabeth, daughter of John D 99

Lincoln, Elizabeth, wife of Thomas, of Berks 77, 78

Lincoln, Elizabeth, of Scituate 7

Lincoln, George, of Hingham 6

Lincoln, Hannah, daughter of Mordecai, of Exeter 28

Lincoln, Hannah (Saltar) TO, 11, 13, 21

Lincoln, Harrison H 99

Lincoln, Harrison P 81, 99

Lincoln, Isaac, of Hull 7

(147)

148 INDEX

Lincoln, Isaac, son of Abraham, of Springfield,

55, 56, 57, 58, 63, 64, 65

Lincoln, Isaac, son of "Virginia John" 116, 128

Lincoln, Jacob 65

Lincoln, Jacob, of Scituate 7

Lincoln, Jacob, son of Abraham, of Springfield,

54, 60, 61, 62, 65

Lincoln, Jacob, son of "Virginia John" 121, 128

Lincoln, James, son of Abraham, of Exeter 95, 99

Lincoln, John, son of Abraham, of Exeter 96, 99

Lincoln, John, son of Abraham, of Springfield. .54, 56, 57, 65

Lincoln, John, son of Jacob • 65

Lincoln, John, son of John D 99

Lincoln, John ("Virginia John"), son of Mordecai, of Exeter, 28, 67, 80, 100, loi, 102, 104, 105, 106, 107, 108

109, 112, 113, 114, 115, 116, 117, 122, 140, 141, 142

Lincoln, John D 81, 98, 99

Lincoln, John, of Witherne 3

Lincoln, Jon 9

Lincoln (Linckhorn), Jonathan 8

Lincoln (Linckhorne), Jn° 8

Lincoln, Julian (Mayberry) 97, 98

Lincoln, Margaret, daughter of Mordecai and Julian.... 97 Lincoln, Margaret (2), daughter of Mordecai and Julian. . 198

Lincoln, Martha, daughter of Abraham, of Exeter 94

Lincoln, Martha, daughter of John D 99

Lincoln, Martha, daughter of Thomas and Alice 98

Lincoln, Mary, daughter of Abraham, of Exeter 94

Lincoln, Mary, daughter of John D 99

Lincoln, Mary, daughter of Mordecai, of Exeter 28

Lincoln, Mary (Medley) 65

Lincoln, Mary (Rogers) 28, 29, 30, 31, 67, 70, 71

Lincoln, Mary, wife of Isaac 62, 64

Lincoln, Mordecai, of Exeter (and Monmouth) 7, 9, 10

n, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25

26, 27, 29, 30, 67, 68, 70, 71, 72, 78, 80, 84, 89, 92

93, 100, 104, 129, 136, 137

Lincoln, Mordecai, of Hull 6, 7, 9, 67, 136

Lincoln, Mordecai, son of Abraham, of Exeter 94, 98

INDEX 149

Lincoln, Mordecai, son of Abraham, of Springfield,

55, 57, 63, 64 Lincoln, Mordecai, son of Mordecai, of Exeter,

28, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 81, 82, 85, 91, 129

Lincoln, Moses 65

Lincoln (Lincen or Lincon), Nathan 19, 20

Lincoln, Oscar 99

Lincoln, Phebe, daughter of Abraham, of Exeter 95

Lincoln, Rachel, daughter of Abraham, of Exeter 95

Lincoln, Rachel (2), daughter of Abraham, of Exeter.... 96

Lincoln, Rachel, daughter of Mordecai and Julian 97

Lincoln, Rebecca, daughter of Abraham, of Springfield.. 55 Lincoln, Rebecca, wife of ''Virginia John, "..112, 115, 116, 117

Lincoln, Richard, of the Bail 3

Lincoln, Richard, son of John D 99

Lincoln, Robert 4

Lincoln (Lincoen), Samuel, the immigrant 4, 5

Lincoln, Sara, daughter of Abraham, of Springfield 56

Lincoln, Sarah, daughter of John D 99

Lincoln, Sarah, daughter of Mordecai, of Exeter 129

Lincoln, Sarah, of Hull 7

Lincoln, Hon. Solomon I

Lincoln, Stephen 5

Lincoln, Thomas I

Lincoln, Thomas, of Exeter,

28, 67, 70, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 79, 80, 82, 85, 89, 90, 91

Lincoln, Thomas, the cooper 4

Lincoln, Thomas, the husbandman 4, 136

Lincoln, Thomas, the miller 4, 136

Lincoln, Thomas, son of Abraham, of Exeter 96, 98

Lincoln, Thomas, the weaver 4, 6

Lincoln (Lincolne), Wm 8

Lincoln's Inn 7

Lincoln, the name 130 et seq.

.