Kentucky During Lincoln's Early Years

Pioneer Kentucky

	"Scenes from the Life of Boone"

The Lincolns were no strangers to the frontier. Abraham Lincoln's ancestor, Samuel (1622-1690) immigrated to America in the mid-17th century, settling in Massachusetts. Samuel's grandson, Mordecai Lincoln (1686-1736) moved from Massachusetts to New Jersey and then to Pennsylvania. His grandson Abraham (1744-1786), grandfather of the President, moved from Pennsylvania to Virginia, settling first in Lunenburg County before moving farther west to Augusta and Rockbridge Counties. It was in Rockbridge County that Thomas Lincoln, father of the president, was born in 1780. Soon after Thomas' birth, the Lincoln family came to Kentucky. Abraham and his family settled in present eastern Jefferson County, while other Lincolns settled in the vicinity of Springfield, in present Washington County. Like so many of Kentucky’s early settlers, the Lincolns were of English descent. Settlers of English, Scottish, Scotch-Irish, Irish, Welsh, and German descent were the primary ethnic groups migrating to Kentucky. There were also French settlers in lesser numbers. Even before coming to Kentucky about 1782, it is clear that the Lincoln family embodied that pioneering and migratory spirit, never afraid to seek out new lands and homes in search of a better life.

Whether it was Massachusetts in 1650, Pennsylvania in 1740, or Virginia in 1770, the Lincoln family had often been part of that leading edge of settlement ever pushing westward. Yet, the Kentucky of the 1780s to which the Lincolns moved was still in the midst of a war between pioneer and Native American. In May of 1786, while tending his fields, Abraham Lincoln was killed by Indians. His son Thomas was only six years old.

	The Cumberland Gap

The loss of a family member to Indian attack, accident, or illness was not unusual in pioneer Kentucky. Thousands of settlers died from these causes. The threat of Indian raids into Kentucky continued until the American victory at Fallen Timbers in 1794. Outbreaks of illness could decimate entire families and settlements. Still though, the birth and the migration rate into Kentucky far out-paced the mortality rate, and Kentucky's population continued to grow. The dawning of the 19th century saw a population of almost 224,000 in Kentucky. The state’s population had more than tripled since 1790. Ten years later, the 1810 census recorded Kentucky’s official population at 406,511.

By the early 19th century, settlers were moving into and also out of Kentucky at ever increasing rates. As Indian lands opened up to settlement to the north in Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois; to the south in Tennessee, Louisiana, Alabama, and Mississippi; and to the west in Missouri and Arkansas, people living in Kentucky often moved on in search of a better life. They might have been born and raised in Kentucky or have lived there for years. Others were simply passing through. The Ohio River and the Cumberland Gap served as the major transportation routes into Kentucky, but a variety of roads and rivers facilitated travel through the state. Maps available through The First American West show some of these transportation routes.