Tuesday, November 11, 2014

The Other Lincoln...!

More and more each day it seems we find some bits of history about our famous forefathers. This is one such case.

I know many of us have heard the basic story of Abe Lincoln and his early struggles, but here is a tidbit from his family tree you may not have heard. Thanks to this article from KnowledgeNuts, we can all share this early history!

The Sad Tale Of The Other Abraham Lincoln
By Gregory Myers on Thursday, October 30, 2014



Everyone has heard of the famous President Abraham Lincoln, but many people don’t realize there was another Abraham Lincoln. The president was actually named for his grandfather, who was a Captain in the American forces during the Revolutionary War. Captain Abraham Lincoln was killed in a raid by Native Americans shortly after bringing his entire family to Kentucky.

Captain Abraham Lincoln was married to Bathsheba Herring and had five children—Mordecai, Josiah, Mary, Thomas, and Nancy. Thomas Lincoln would go on to father the next Abraham Lincoln, who, of course, went on to become president. Very little is known of what the captain did during the Revolutionary War, but it is believed that he played his part for the country and played it well. In many ways, he was not a very striking man. People claimed that he was plain of looks, but he still managed to marry a lovely young woman whose rich father did not approve of the union at all. Many people would call him poor, but he owned hundreds of acres of land throughout his life.

The truth is that Captain Abraham distinguished himself by his deeds. He was not known for speeches or being particularly charismatic, but he was an incredibly well-trusted militia member and spent time as a judge advocate in Virginia. Captain Abraham did not have the legal experience of his future grandson, but he was still given a position simply because of the respect in which he was held and the wisdom others knew he had.

After a time, Captain Abraham took the time to settle down and raise his family on a huge farm in the Shenandoah Valley. Unfortunately, the captain quickly started to get the itch for adventure again. The Lincolns had lived very near the Boone family and had even intermarried. Daniel Boone was famously exploring Kentucky, so Captain Abraham decided to follow his friend’s path and make his new life in the Bluegrass State. He bought a huge new farm and settled in, but things quickly went wrong. At this point in history, the Ohio River Valley and Kentucky itself were viciously contested by both the natives and the European settlers. Before long, the Shawnee had been forced their way across the Ohio River, and both groups were crossing the borders to do each other harm on a regular basis.

Sadly, this soon led to tragedy for the Lincoln family. While outside working on his land, a group of Shawnee raiders killed Captain Abraham. His son Josiah ran to the nearby fort to get help, and Mordecai ran back into the cabin, pushed a gun through the slats, and immediately avenged the death of his father. He also probably saved the life of his little brother, Thomas Lincoln, who was so distraught that he simply sat there weeping at his father’s body. The experience likely affected Thomas Lincoln greatly. Many people had trouble getting along with him in life, and he was never a great father for Abraham. That he named his son after his father shows the great impact of the sudden death. Captain Abraham has been overshadowed by his much more famous grandson, but the hugely popular president would never have existed if not for Captain Abraham.

It's amazing just how much we don't know about our very own famous past leaders. Most of us probably don't really have that much information of our own family's history. It likely contains a few surprises we may not know about!

Coffee out on the patio this morning.

8 comments:

Chickenmom said...

Interesting - and if his grandson wasn't a president, we would have not known anything about him! The patio sounds good, I'll bring an almond coffee ring!

linda m said...

That is so very interesting. Especially as I was just in Kentucky and drove past the Lincoln homestead. Thank you for this information. I love how I always learn something when I read you blog. Coffee outside sounds good. Very cold weather headed our way. Chickenmom, thanks for the coffee ring.

texasann said...

Bubba -
Many of us today would not exist if not for the sacrifice and dedication shown by our veterans of all military branches, in whatever times. So a big Thank You to you, for your service in the United States Air Force on this Veteran's Day!
BIG hugs -

JO said...

Thank You for your service to our Country, And of course to all our Military Men and Women from the past to the future.

Great story another lesson learned here at the Hermit's Place

HermitJim said...

Hey Phyllis...
Funny how these things pop up from time to time.

Thanks for the coffee ring and for the visit this morning!



Hey Linda M...
Always nice to find out more of the personal history of the past presidents.

I'm glad that I can share a bit of history previously unknown to most of us.

Thanks for coming over today!



Hey Sis..
I do appreciate the kind thoughts today.

Thanks for the visit this morning!



Hey Jo...
As always, it's a pleasure to have you drop by. I appreciate it.

Thanks, sweetie, for stopping in this morning.

Mamahen said...

HAPPY VETERANS DAY THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE...and thank you for another lesson on our history ....:))

Dizzy-Dick said...

You just never know what fruit has grown on your family tree. . . unless, of course, you do a lot of research.

Sixbears said...

There's a fair chance my family has been trying to hide its history . . . :)