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Li^cain,

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Li/L^ntai^

Number 39

FORT WAYNE, INDIANA

September, 1941

The President's Uncle Josiah

Abraham Lincoln's father, Thomas,
had two brothers — Mordecai and
Josiah — both his seniors. The last is-
sue of The Kinsman discussed the
family of Mordecai Lincoln and em-
phasized the importance of his given
name as a possible key for discover-
ing the surname of the wife of Abra-
ham Lincoln's first American pro-
genitor, Samuel Lincoln.

The name Josiah also has a very
important place in Lincoln genealogy,
as it may be the key name which will
eventually allow us to establish with
certainty just who was the paternal
grandmother of Abraham Lincoln.
While it is known that Bersheba was
the given name of grandfather Abra-
ham Lincoln's widow, whether or not
she was his first wife is not definitely
known, neither is her surname posi-
tively identified.

It is apparent that the name Josiah
evidently did not originate in the
Lincoln family as it appears for the
first time in the sixth generation.
There were no Josiahs in the Herring

family which is supposed to have in-
termarried with the Lincolns and
from which family Bersheba is said to
have come. There is, however, a Jo-
siah Boone and also a Josiah David-
son, both contemporary with the pio-
neer John Lincoln in Rockingham
County, Virginia, and both were liv-
ing adjacent to him at the time John's
son Abraham, married in 1770. Evi-
dently the name Josiah came from
one of these two families.

Surveyor's Chain Carrier
Josiah Lincoln was born in the
Shenandoah Valley in either 1773 or
1774. At the time his parents moved
to Kentucky he must have been about
9 years of age. The family settled
at Hughes Station near Louisville and
it is here that we are first introduced
to Josiah Lincoln in the public rec-
ords. In the surveyor's office at Louis-
ville, Kentucky, there is an old record
which we print here verbatim which
mentions Josiah Lincoln along with
his father's cousin, Hananiah Lincoln,
serving as chain carriers in a survey

The Lincoln Kinsman

which was made on May 7, 1785. Jo-
siah at this time would be about 12
years old and could very well serve
in the capacity for which he was
chosen, A copy of the survey follows :

"Surveyed for Abraham Linkhorn
400 acres of Land in Jefferson County
by Virtue of a Treasury Warrant no.
3334 on the Fork of Floyds Fork now
called the Long Run beginning about
two miles up the said Fork from the
mouth of a Fork of the same formerly
called Tice Fork at a Sugar Tree
standing on the side of the same
marked SDB and extending thence
East 300 poles to a Poplar and Sugar
Tree North 213 1/3 poles to a Beech
and Dogwood West 300 poles to a
White Oak and Hickory South 213 1/3
poles to the Beginning May 7th 1785
William Shanon D. S. J. C.

"William May S. J. C.
"Hananiah Lincoln and
"Josiah Lincoln C. C.
"Abraham Linkhorn Marhew"

This survey was made just one year
before Josiah's father was massacred
by the Indians on this very same farm
which was located at a point where
the counties of Jefferson, Oldham and
Shelby Counties meet. President Lin-
coln was quite familiar with the story
of his grandfather's death at the hands
of the Indians and claimed that when
the red men attempted to take the life
of his own father, Thomas, then a
small boy, Mordecai shot the Indian
and Josiah ran to the fort some dis-
tance away and aroused the men in
the settlement. Evidently Josiah was
working with his father in the field at
the time of the massacre.

The Widow Lincoln and her five
orphan children moved from the site
of the massacre at Hughes Station in

Jefferson County to Washington
County where we often find the name
of Josiah Lincoln mentioned in the
public records. In 1792 when Ken-
tucky became a state in the Union,
the name of Bersheba Lincoln ap-
peared in the tax commissioners book
under the date of October 17. She en-
tered on the list as a member of her
family, one boy between 16 and 21
years of age who was presumably Jo-
siah. In 1797 under Josiah's own name
is the citation one horse for taxation.
In 1799 Josiah listed two horses for
taxation.

As early as 1796 he was taking an
active part in the affairs of the com-
munity and his name is signed to a
petition to close a road which was no
longer used by the public. "It being
seldom traveled by wagons", how-
ever the petition suggested that it be
"sufficiently cleared for a bridal
way .

The Barloxv Family

At the time the Widow Lincoln
moved her family from Jefferson
County to Washington County in
1786, there was living close by, the
family of Christopher Barlow. The
widow brought with her such personal
property as her deceased husband had
left at the time of his death. The Nel-
son County Court, then having juris-
diction over that section of the ter-
ritory, including the widow's home,
later became Washington County, ap-
pointed Christopher Barlow as one
of the three men to appraise the es-
tate of the late Abraham Lincoln, the
pioneer. Barlow was appointed an ad-
ministrator on October 14, 1788 and
brought in his report in conjunction
with the other commissions on March
10, 1789.

The Lincoln Kinsman

There were many Barlows in Wash-
ington County contemporary with
Christopher, but it is not known just
how they were related to him. The
Nelson County records also make
known the fact that Samuel Barlow
married Elizabeth Blackburn on
April 17, 1788 and the following
July 18, 1788 he made his will men-
tioning his wife Elizabeth and a
brother Henry Barlow. Henry mar-
ried Jane, daughter of James Mar-
shall.

There was an Ambrose Barlow liv-
ing near the Widow Lincoln as early
as June 15, 1791, when we find a road
order in the Nelson County Court
mentioning their names.

"Ordered that the road from the
Beech Fork at Richard Parker's to the
Widow Grundy's be divided as fol-
lows: that Coleman Brown be ap-
pointed overseer of the road from the
Beech Fork at Parker's to the foot of
the hill where the road leaves Park-
er's Run, and that all the laboring
tithables on the waters of Hardin's
Creek that all the workers under
Graves Worphor the late overseer,
also all the tithables on the waters of
Cartright's Creek and the Beech Fork
below the big narrows and McCullens
Lick do assist in keeping the said road
in repair, and that Matthew Penn be
appointed overseer of the road from
where Coleman Brown ends to the
Widow Grundy's and that all tithables
on the west side of Cartright's Creek
that worked under the said Graves
Worphor also the hands that are al-
loted to Benj. Hardin beginning at
John Wallers thence to Widow
Grundy's line passing Thomas Turn-
ham, William Hays, Ambrose Bar-
low's John Mays to the Widow Lin-

coln's and down the branch where
the Widow Lincoln lives on the Beech
Fork, then down the Beech Fork to
McCullens Lick thence to the big nar-
rows and that all tithables assigned
said Penn assist in keeping said road
in repair."

A more definite location of the Bar-
low home is shown by the following
excerpt from a road report made in
July 1797 and designating a road
leading from "Joshua Ferguson's
Mill on Beech Fork to the Court
House."

"Begin at Mill, Zach Hubbs on
left, Christopher Barlow on left,
Lewis Barlow on left, thence to the
meeting house, thence onto the road
at Widow Litsey's leading to Wash-
ington County Court House.

"James Wilson, James Weathers,
Christopher Barlow"

Still another early road order men-
tions a John Barlow, not only do we
have Christopher, Samuel, Henry,
Ambrose, Lewis and John Barlow
mentioned in these early records, but
the Nelson County marriage regis-
ter also mentions a Michael Barlow
who married Rebecca Pyburn on De-
cember 23, 1789 and an Elizabeth
Barlow (possibly Samuel Barlow's
widow), who married Adam Grant
on April 2, 1792. Another early mar-
riage in the adjacent county of Mer-
cer was solemnized on November 7,
1792, between Betsy Barlow and Wil-
liam Hall.

To return to Christopher Barlow,
the head of the family, in which we
have the most interest, it is evident
that the children of Christopher and
the Widow Lincoln grew up together.
Christopher and his wife, Barbara
Barlow had at least five children who

The Lincoln Kinsman

The Lincoln Kinsman

Tublhhed Monthly by
LiNcoLNiANA Publishers

Box 1110 — Fort Wayne, Ind.

m

EDITOR

Dr. Louis A. Warren,

Director, Lincoln National Life Foundation

BUSINESS MANAGER
Maurice A. Cook

Annual Subscription _ $2.00

Single Copies - .25

SUBJECTS DISCUSSED IN FORMER ISSUES
OF THE LINCOLN KINSMAN
1. The Colonial Lincolns, 2. The Unknown
Hanks Ancestry, 3. The Herrings of Virginia,
4. Five Shipley Sisters, 5. The Todd Family,
6. Bush Family Docimients, 7. Early 19th Cen-
tury Lincolns, 8. Kentucky Archives, 9. Abra-
ham Lincoln's Father, 10. Hon. Robert Todd
Lincoln, 11. James Wright Sparrow, 12. Uncle
Mordecai Lincoln, 13. Thomas (Tad) Lincoln,
14. The Tennessee Lincolns, 15. The Lincolns
of Hingham, 16. The Richard Berry Family, 17.
Southern Branch of the Hankses, 18. The
Lincolns of England, 19. Synopsis Life of Lin-
coln, 20. Lincoln's Letters to His Wife, 21,
Correspondence With Kinsmen, 22. A Hanks
Family Tree, 23. New Jersey Lincolns, 24.
The Pennsylvania Lincolns, 25. Nottoway River
Hanks Colony. 26. Relatives of Lincoln's Wife.
27. The Lincolns' Kentucky Neighbors, 28. The
Lincolns of Virginia. 29. Roanoke River Hanks
Colony. 30. Lincoln's Mythical Childhood Homes.
31. The Paternity Myth. 32. The Shiftless
Father Myth. 33. The Maternal Lineage Myth.
34. The Poverty Myth. 35. The Ann Rutledge
Myth. 36. The Matrimony Myth. 37. The New
England Hankses. 38. The Family of the Presi-
dent's Uncle Mordecai.

are named in Christopher's will dated
June 5, 1837 and probated June 20,
1837. Along with his wife Barbara,
he mentioned one son Jacob M. Bar-
low and four daughters. Rosannah
Barlow married a man named Keel-
ing. Elizabeth's husband's name was
Spencer. Jerusha was united in mar-
riage to Peter Adams on November
26, 1789 and the other daughter
Catherine Barlow on February 26,
1801 married the Widow Lincoln's
son, Josiah. A copy of the minister's
official marriage returns for Washing-
ton County during the year 1801, con-
tains the following certificate:

"1 hereby certify that a marriage
was solemnized by me, between Jo-
siah Lincoln and Catherine Barlow on
the 26th inst. according to the rites
and ceremonies of the Christian
Church given under my hand. Feb. 27
"Thomas Kyle"

There were other Barlow mar-
riages which occurred in Washington
County which might be mentioned.
As early as February 1, 1796 one of
Christopher's daughters, Eliza Bar-
low, married Robert Brumfield, and
she must have passed away before
Christopher made his will on Febru-
ary 21, 1801. Three weeks before Jo-
siah married "Caty" Barlow, Josiah's
sister, Ann, married William Brum-
field. The Brumfields already having
intermarried with the Barlows. Cor-
nelius Barlow in 1796 married Katy
Sibert and later on, on September 7,
1807, John Sibert married Sarah
Barlow.

Kentucky Home

Not long after Josiah's wedding we
find his name on a marriage paper in
which he joins with his brother,
Thomas, as a witness to a certificate
approving the nuptials of Peter Si-
bert and Mary Bridges. A copy of this
certificate is worth copying, as this is
one instance where the signatures of
Abraham Lincoln's father and Josiah
Lincoln are plainly written on the
same document.

"This is to Sartify that the matter
now Depending Between my Daugh-
ter and Peter Sibert is well approved
of by me as Witness my hand and
seall this 16th of August 1801

"Keathren Bridges, Seall
"Test.

"Josiah Lincoln
"Thomas Lincoln"

The Lincoln Kinsman

There is some evidence that Josiah,
like his brother Thomas, learned the
carpenter's trade. On May 7, 1804 he
attended the Ignatius Elder sale and
some of the purchases of Josiah and
his neighbors with the prices noted in
pounds, shillings and pence are here
presented.

"Ignatius Elder Sale— May 7, 1804
"Josiah Lincoln — plains 1-6-0
"Mordecai Lincoln — 1 joiner, 1 au-
ger, 1 chisel 0-7-6

"Jesse Head — 1 saw & Whetstone
0-15-0

"Josiah Lincoln — 1 fore plain
0-1-6

"Jesse Head — 4 plain bits 0-4-0
"Jesse H!ead — box old iron 0-8-0
"Jesse Head — 1 hatchet 0-3-6
"Richard Berry— 1 kettle 1-16-0
"Josiah Lincoln — 1 pott 0-13-0
"Francis Berry — dictionary 16-"

It will be observed that Josiah's
brother, Mordecai made some pur-
chases. Jesse Head, the minister who
married Abraham Lincoln's parents,
acquired a few items. Richard Berry,
guardian of Nancy Hanks, bought a
kettle which may have been used to
prepare part of the Lincoln-Hanks
wedding dinner, and Richard's broth-
er, Francis bought a dictionary.
Nancy is said to have been living in
the Francis Berry home at this time.
Josiah acquired a farm in the Beech
Fork community and adjacent to land
owned by his brother Mordecai. This
tract of land Josiah bought from
Mathew Walton. The deed is dated on
October 23, 1809 and recorded in
Washington County deed book, C.
page 441. The property is noted as
lying between the lands of Mordecai
Lincoln and Robert Brumfield. Other
adjacent property holders mentioned

were Cornelius Barlow and John
Kelly. The tract contained sixty
acres. The surveyors lines which are
indicated in the deed follow:

"Beginning at a stone in Mordecai
Lincoln's field. North 70° West 134
poles to Cornelius Barlow's with his
line South 30° East 47 poles corner
to Robert Brumfield's line, with Brum-
field's line 176 poles to corner of
Brumfield and John Kelly, North 60°
East — passing Kelly's corner at 4
poles in all 30 poles. North Ql^"^
East 1071/2 poles."

The extent of Josiah's land hold-
ings in Kentucky is summarized in
the commissioners tax books for
Washington County, when he enters
for record in 1811, 60 acres of land
in Washington County and 960 acres
of land on the Kentucky. This last
tract he had apparently inherited
from his father who is known upon
coming to Kentucky to have entered
the land on the Kentucky River.

It was not long, however, after the
tax commission for Washington
County had entered Josiah's taxable
property on the records before Josiah
decided to migrate to the West and
on October 5, 1811 he sold to John
Kelly one of his neighbors and the
same man who bought his brother
Mordecai's place, the sixty acre tract
and his wife signs with him in re-
leasing the property. The exact date
of the migration of the family to In-
diana is not known, but it probably
occurred sometime before the plant-
ing season in 1812, about four years
before Abraham Lincoln's father
moved to the Hoosier state.

Very little is known about Josiah
during the Kentucky days, but one
man, Judge Henry Pirtle, who was

The Lincoln Kinsman

born in Washington County, wrote:
"I knew Mordecai and Josiah Lincoln
intimately. They were excellent men,
plain, moderately educated, candid in
their manners and intercourse and
looked upon as honorable as any
men I have ever heard of."

Hoosier Home

Josiah and Catherine Barlow Lin-
coln sold their Kentucky land and
apparently set out immediately for
Indiana. Why they had selected this
identical spot where they entered their
land is not known, but it is very likely
that other Washington County fami-
lies had already settled there. There
was already in Harrison County by
1820 several families of Boones, Win-
ters, Berrys, Harrisons, Crawfords,
Mitchells, etc., names all familiar to
Josiah Lincoln and his wife.

In the records of the General Land
Office at Washington it is recorded
that Jesse Hollowell entered one-quar-
ter of section 12, township 2 South,
Range 2 East, District of Jefferson-
ville. State of Indiana, which com-
prised 160 acres. The date of en-
trance was December 15, 1810. This
tract of land was patented to Josiah
Lincoln, assignee. May 8, 1815. It is
situated in the extreme northern part
of Harrison County about 20 miles
from Corydon and a short distance
from where Milltown is located. The
property was five miles west of the
famous Marengo Cave. Certainly Jo-
siah Lincoln selected property that
he felt would be quite valuable inas-
much as it was so close to the pros-
perous seat of government in the ter-
ritory which was to come into the
Union as a state. Very little informa-
tion is available about Josiah Lincoln
during his Indiana residence.

Abraham Lincoln himself knew
very little about his Uncle Josiah, as
the correspondence which he carried
on with relatives reveals. On April 2,
1848 he wrote to David Lincoln as
follows:

"Uncle Josiah, farther back than
my recollection, went from Kentucky
to Blue River in Indiana, I have not
heard from him in a great many years,
and whether he is still living I cannot
say. My recollection of what I have
heard is that he has several daughters
and only one son, Thomas — their
post-office is 'Coryden, Harrison
County, Indiana.' "

Still later on, April 1, 1854, he
wrote to Jesse Lincoln, from which
letter these excerpts are made:

"I often saw Uncle Mordecai, and
Uncle Josiah but once in my life; but
I never resided near either of them.
Uncle Mordecai died in 1831 or 2, in
Hancock County, Illinois, where his
children had also removed, and still
reside, as I understand. Whether
Uncle Josiah is dead or living, I can-
not tell, not having heard from him
for more than twenty years. When I
last heard of him he was living on
Big Blue River, in Indiana (Harrison
Co., I think), and where he had re-
sided ever since before the beginning
of my recollection."

J. L. Summers, a few years ago,
gave this testimony:

"I am 83 years old and was born
and reared in Milltown and im-
mediate vicinity right in the midst of
the Lincoln Settlement. Josiah Lin-
coln in 1813 came from Washington
county, Kentucky, came up by way
of Corydon and settled in what is now
Blue River township, Harrison coun-
ty, a second son, Jacob, was born.

The Lincoln Kinsman

Later four daughters were born, one
of whom married Isom Denton, an-
other married John Briscoe, another
married John Crutchfield, and the
fourth married a man named SuUen-
ger, who went West and became es-
tranged to the family. The youngest
son, Jacob, married Martha Gibbs of
Crawford county, a sister of the well-
known William Gibbs, deceased. Ja-
cob lived in Blue River township un-
til the rebellion, then with his family
went to Missouri. With this Jacob
Lincoln I was personally acquainted
and many times talked with him and
learned much about the family, he be-
ing a blood cousin to the President.
On one occasion he told me the story
of his father exchanging horses with
his uncle Thomas, the horse his father
got in the exchange became very val-
uable and that he worked the horse
many days on his father's farm. He
said he heard his father tell many
times where he got the horse, this
alone would seem to be sufficient evi-
dence."

The administrators of the estate of
Josiah Lincoln were appointed some-
time before September 19, 1835, but
the exact date of Josiah's death is not
known. John Crutchfield and John
Briscoe, the administrators, appointed
Peter Byerly and George Huss to ap-
praise the estate.

Josiah's Fa-ntily
It has been noted that Josiah and
his wife, Catherine Barlow had six
children, two boys and four girls. J.
L. Summers in his reminiscences was
somewhat confused about the birth
places of the children and their ages,
but they are here listed chronologi-
cally as indicated by Josiah's de-
scendants. They are in order: Bar-

bara, Thomas, Elizabeth, Nancy, Ja-
cob and Catherine. The first four
children were born in Kentucky and
the last two were born in Indiana.
Barbara Lincoln
The oldest child, Barbara was born
about 1802 and was married by Isom
Given to John Crutchfield on Novem-
ber 4, 1819 in Harrison County.

Thomas Lincoln

This son evidently named for Presi-
dent Lincoln's father was born in
1806 in Kentucky, the same year that
his Uncle Thomas married Nancy
Hanks. In 1825 he married Sarah,
daughter of Benjamin and Mary
(Bullington) Weathers. Thomas and
Sarah had nine children, Rachel, Ben-
jamin, Mordecai, Jacob, Washington,
Warden, Joseph, William and James.

Thomas Lincoln purchased his
brother's and sister's rights in the
home farm and resided there. He died
in Harrison County, January 18, 1892.
The families of their children are
named in the following paragraphs:

Rachel, 1827-1908, Married Sam-
uel Ott. There were ten children born
to them: Amanda, Sarah, Henry,
John, Mary, Joseph, Harriet, Hester,
George and Florence.

Benjamin, 1830-1920, Married An-
geline, daughter of Shird Burton.
Their children were: Sarah, 1855-
1886; Rachel, 1858-1885; Thomas,
1860-1900; Mary, 1862-1899; George-
Washington, 1865-?; Hester, 1869-?;
Margaret, 1873-?; Eva, 1875-?.

Mordecai, 1832-1911, Married
Mary-Elizabeth, daughter of James
Spencer. Their children were: James-
Thomas, 1855-?; Major-Wetherford,
1858-?; Rachel-Elizabeth, 1860-1902;
Sarah- Jane, 1862-1863; Martha- Ann,
1863-?; William-Sherman, 1865-?;

8

The Lincoln Kinsman

Joseph-David, 1867- ? Melissa-Etta,
1870-?; Mary-Ellen, 1872-?; Harriet-
Eveline, 1874-?; Amanda-Emeline,
1878-?; Altha-May, 1880-?.

Jacob, 1834-?, Married Elizabeth
Hupp. There were children but only
one reported. George-Thomas, ?-?.

Washington, 1835-1915, Married
Deborah, daughter of William and
Matilda Denton. Their children were:
William-Thomas, 1863-?; Mary- Ann,
1864-1905; Joseph, 1865-1866; Mar-
garet, 1867-?; Zeroda, 1869-1896;
Alice, 1871-?; Ethel, 1885-1912;
John-Clarence, 1890-?; Charlotte-
Mabel, 1892-?.

Warden, 1841-?, Married Rachel-
Ann, daughter of John and Catherine
Hurbaugh. Their children were:
Catharine, 1867-1887; Henry-Philip,
1869-?; Charles, 1871-?; William,
1876-?; Willard-Emmanuel, 1879-?;
Lelia, 1883-?; Frank- Abraham,
1886-?; Florence-Mary, 1889-?; Ed-
ward, 1891-?.

Joseph, 1842-?, Married Melissa,
daughter of James and Mary-Flora
Daugherty. Their children were: Car-
rie, 1873-?; James F., 1878-?.

William, ?-?, Married and had one
son, but no information about him or
his wife is available.

James, 1848-?, Married Harriet-
Ann, daughter of William-Linley and
Sarah Lovisa Elliott. Their children
were: Minerva, 1872-?; Mahulda,
1874-?; Lawrence, 1876-?; Ralph-
Prosser, 1880-?; Sophia-Opal,
1883-?; Nathan-Harrison, 1885-?;
Amanda-Stella, 1887-?; Daisy-
Maude, 1889-?; Edgar-Thomas,
1891-?.

Elizabeth Lincoln

The second daughter of Josiah and
Catherine was born about 1809. A

marriage register of Harrison County
gives the date of Elizabeth's marriage
to Isom Denton as of July 17, 1827.

Nancy Lincoln

Josiah and Catherine may have
named this daughter for Abraham
Lincoln's mother, as the first son had
been named for Abraham's father.
Nancy Lincoln was born March 2,
1810 and was married March 13,
1827 to John Briscoe. They had six
children, three of them dying in child-
hood. Then the oldest daughter Let-
tie Ann married Jonathan Cole. Their
only son, Anthony Wayne married
Margaret Jane Soppenfield and an-
other son, Francis Marion married
Sallie Totton.

Jacob Lincoln

Jacob Lincoln was Josiah's second
son and he was born in Harrison
County on July 16, 1815. He married
Martha Gibbs on November 20, 1839
and late in life moved to Wayne Coun-
ty, Missouri where he died on August
10, 1889. His wife, who was born
January 9, 1820 died in Harrison
County, Indiana sometime after 1865.

There were eleven children born to
Jacob and Martha; Mary, 1840-1885;
Thomas, 1842-?; William, 1844-?;
James Washington, 1846-1896; Eliza-
beth, 1848-?; Jonathan- Jones, 1850-
?; Joseph, 1852-?; Matilda, 1857-
1884; Katherine, I860-?; Charles,
1862-?; Rosanna, 1865-1886.

Katherine Lincoln
The youngest child of Josiah and
Catherine Lincoln was named for her
mother, and was born about 1817 in
Harrison County. On December 28,
1836 a license was issued for her mar-
riage to John Sullengier. Little is
known of their descendents.

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