Lincoln family

Last updated
Lincoln
Current region Hingham, Massachusetts (1st generation)
Springfield, Illinois (7th generation)
Fayette County, Pennsylvania and Arkansas (modern era)
Etymology Lincoln derives from the Welsh element lynn, meaning "lake or pool" and the Latin element colonia, meaning "colony".
Place of origin Hingham, Norfolk, England
Founded
  • Arrival in the U.S.: 1637
  • 387 years ago
Founder Samuel Lincoln (1622–1690)
Estate(s) Levi Lincoln house
Mordecai Lincoln House
Lincoln Home
Mary Todd Lincoln House
Harlan–Lincoln House

The Lincoln family is an American family of English origins. It includes the fourth United States Attorney General, Levi Lincoln Sr., governors Levi Lincoln Jr. (of Massachusetts) and Enoch Lincoln (of Maine), and Abraham Lincoln, the sixteenth President of the United States. There were ten known descendants of Abraham Lincoln. The president's branch of the family is believed to have been extinct since its last undisputed, legal and known descendant, Robert Todd Lincoln Beckwith, died on December 24, 1985, without any acknowledged children. [nb 1]

Contents

Roots in England

Samuel Lincoln's father Edward Lincoln was born about 1575 and remained in Hingham, Norfolk, England. He died on February 11, 1640. [2] [3]

Memorial dedicated to Lincoln's ancestors in St Andrew's Church, Hingham Abraham Lincoln Memorial in Hingham church - geograph.org.uk - 4519060.jpg
Memorial dedicated to Lincoln's ancestors in St Andrew's Church, Hingham

Edward was the only son of Richard Lincoln (buried 1620 in the graveyard of St Andrew's Church) and Elizabeth Remching. After the death of his wife, Richard married three more times. There is some debate and at the time, some contesting discussions relating to the contents of Richard's will. Richard was left an inheritance from his father who in turn had it left from his father before him. By convention, his son Edward would inherit the lands and holdings in Hingham, Norfolk, but Richard's 4th wife had instead convinced him to leave the entire proceeds of the will to her and his three youngest children. With no reason to stay, Edward's children, including Thomas 'the weaver' Lincoln and Samuel Lincoln of Hingham, Norfolk, England, made the perilous journey to the New World. [3]

History in America

First generation

Samuel Lincoln House, built in Hingham, Massachusetts, by his grandson on land Samuel purchased in 1649 SamuelLincolnHouseSign.jpg
Samuel Lincoln House, built in Hingham, Massachusetts, by his grandson on land Samuel purchased in 1649

The Lincoln family arrived in Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1637, when Samuel Lincoln (1622–1690), the son of Edward Lincoln, sailed on the ship John & Dorothy from Great Yarmouth. [4] He is considered the patriarch of the Lincoln family in the United States. [5]

Other Lincolns

Benjamin Lincoln (1733–1810) was a Continental Army general during the American Revolutionary War, though he is not known to have direct familial links to president Lincoln. His English ancestors were some who first settled in Hingham, beginning with Thomas Lincoln 'the cooper', who was among several Lincolns that settled in Hingham when it was part of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. [6] He subsequently served as the first United States Secretary of War and the second Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts. [7] [8]

Seventh generation

Lincoln and family Abraham Lincoln & family LCCN2003679773.jpg
Lincoln and family

Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865) was a lawyer, politician and the 16th president of the United States from 1861 to 1865. He was born in a one-room log cabin on Sinking Spring Farm near Hodgenville, Kentucky, to Thomas Lincoln and Nancy Hanks. He married Mary Ann Todd and had four children: Robert, Edward, Willie, and Tad. [9]

Eighth generation

Of Lincoln's four sons, only Robert Todd survived past the age of 18. He married Mary Eunice Harlan (1846–1937), daughter of Senator James Harlan and Ann Eliza Peck of Mount Pleasant, Iowa. [10] [11] They had three children, two daughters and one son: [12]

Ninth generation

Mary "Mamie" Lincoln married Charles Bradford Isham and had one son, Lincoln Isham (1892–1971).

Jessie Harlan Lincoln married three times. She had a daughter and a son, both with her first husband, Warren Wallace Beckwith:

Tenth generation

Lincoln Isham married Leahalma Correa. They did not have any children.

Robert Todd Lincoln Beckwith (1904–1985) was a gentleman farmer and great-grandson of Abraham Lincoln. He became the last undisputed descendant of Abraham Lincoln when his sister, Mary, died in 1975, having no children. [14]

Notable distant relations

Former U.S. Senator Blanche Lincoln ( née Lambert) of Arkansas is married to Steve Lincoln, a distant relative of Abraham Lincoln. [15]

Actor George Clooney is "the half-first cousin five times removed from Lincoln", with Lincoln's mother the half-sister of Clooney's 4th great-grandmother. [16]

Actor Tom Hanks and the former president are third cousins four times removed. [17]

Family tree and lineage

This table sets out the ancestors and descendants of President Abraham Lincoln for ten generations.

Lincoln family tree [18] (open at right)
Samuel
Lincoln

(1622–1690)
Martha
Lyford
(1623–1693) [19]
Mordecai
Lincoln
(1657–1727)
Sarah
Jones
(1660–1702) [19]
Mordecai
Lincoln
(1686–1736)
Hannah
Salter
(1692–1727) [19]
John
Lincoln
(1716–1788)
Rebecca
Flowers
(1720–1806) [19]
Abraham
Lincoln

(1744–1786)
Bathsheba
Herring
(1750–1836) [19]
Mordecai
Lincoln

(1771–1830)
Thomas
Lincoln

(1778–1851)
Nancy
Hanks

(1784–1818)
Mary
Lincoln Crume

(1775–c.1832)
Abraham Lincoln
(1809–1865)
Mary Todd
Lincoln

(1818–1882)
Sarah Lincoln
Grigsby

(1807–1828)
Aaron
Grigsby
(1801–1831)
Thomas
Lincoln Jr.
(1812–1812) [20]
Robert Todd
Lincoln

(1843–1926)
Mary Eunice
Harlan

(1846–1937)
Edward Baker
Lincoln

(1846–1850)
William Wallace
Lincoln

(1850–1862)
Thomas "Tad"
Lincoln III

(1853–1871)
Mary "Mamie"
Lincoln

(1869–1938)
Charles Bradford
Isham

(1853–1919)
Abraham
Lincoln II
(1873–1890)
Jessie Harlan
Lincoln

(1875–1948)
Warren Wallace
Beckwith

(1874–1955)
Lincoln
Isham
(1892–1971) [21]
Leahalma "Lea"
Correa
(1892–1960) [21]
Mary Lincoln
Beckwith

(1898–1975)
Robert Todd Lincoln
Beckwith

(1904–1985)
Anna Marie
Hoffman

Notes

  1. Robert's second wife did have a son, named Timothy Lincoln Beckwith, and listed Robert as the father, which would make Timothy Abraham Lincoln's great-great-grandson and only living descendant. Robert, who had undergone a vasectomy years earlier, denied paternity of the child, and a divorce court ruled that Robert was not the father. [1]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Todd Lincoln</span> American lawyer and politician (1843–1926)

Robert Todd Lincoln was an American lawyer and businessman. The eldest son of President Abraham Lincoln and Mary Todd Lincoln, he was the only one of their four children to survive past the teenage years and also the only to outlive both parents. Robert Lincoln became a business lawyer and company president, and served as both United States Secretary of War (1881–1885) and the U.S. Ambassador to Great Britain (1889–1893).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mary Todd Lincoln</span> First Lady of the United States from 1861 to 1865

Mary Ann Todd Lincoln served as the First Lady of the United States from 1861 until the assassination of her husband, President Abraham Lincoln, in 1865.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Harlan (Iowa politician)</span> American politician and lawyer

James Harlan was an attorney and politician, a member of the United States Senate, a U.S. Cabinet Secretary at the United States Department of Interior under President Andrew Johnson, and a Federal Judge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hingham, Massachusetts</span> Town in Massachusetts, United States

Hingham is a town in northern Plymouth County in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. Part of the Greater Boston region, it is located on the South Shore of Massachusetts. At the 2020 census, the population was 24,284. Hingham is known for its colonial history and location on Boston Harbor. The town was named after Hingham, Norfolk, England, and was first settled by English colonists in 1633.

Mary Lincoln may refer to:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jessie Harlan Lincoln</span> Granddaughter of Abraham Lincoln

Jessie Harlan Lincoln was the second daughter of Robert Todd Lincoln, the granddaughter of Abraham Lincoln, and the mother of Mary Lincoln Beckwith and Robert Todd Lincoln Beckwith.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Old Ship Church</span> Historic church in Massachusetts, United States

The Old Ship Church is a Puritan church built in 1681 in Hingham, Massachusetts. It is the only surviving 17th-century Puritan meetinghouse in the United States. Its congregation, gathered in 1635 and officially known as First Parish in Hingham, occupies the oldest church building in continuous ecclesiastical use in the country. On October 9, 1960, it was designated a National Historic Landmark, and on November 15, 1966, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hingham, Norfolk</span> Market town in Norfolk, England

Hingham is a market town and civil parish in mid-Norfolk, England. The civil parish covers an area of 14.98 km2 (5.78 sq mi) and had a population of 2,078 in 944 households at the time of the 2001 census, increasing to 2,367 at the 2011 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Samuel Lincoln</span> Ancestor of Abraham Lincoln (1622–1690)

Samuel Lincoln was an Englishman and progenitor of many notable United States political figures, including his 4th-great-grandson, President Abraham Lincoln, Maine governor Enoch Lincoln, and Levi Lincoln Sr. and Levi Lincoln Jr., both of whom served as Massachusetts Representatives, Governor and Lieutenant Governor. Because of Samuel Lincoln's descendants, his fortuitous arrival in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, and the fact that his ancestry is known for several generations, he is considered the father of the most prominent branch of Lincolns in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Todd Lincoln Beckwith</span> Descendant of Abraham Lincoln (1904–1985)

Robert Todd Lincoln Beckwith was an American gentleman farmer and the great-grandson of Abraham Lincoln. In 1975, he became the last known undisputed legal descendant of Lincoln when his sister, Mary Lincoln Beckwith, died without children.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hildene</span> Historic building in Vermont, US

Hildene, the Lincoln Family Home is the former summer home of Robert Todd Lincoln and his wife Mary Harlan Lincoln, located at 1005 Hildene Road in Manchester Center, Vermont.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mary Lincoln Beckwith</span> Descendant of Abraham Lincoln (1898–1975)

Mary Lincoln Beckwith was a prominent descendant of Abraham Lincoln. Beckwith was the great-granddaughter and one of the last two confirmed descendants of Abraham Lincoln, along with her younger brother Robert.

Mary Todd "Mamie" Lincoln Isham was a granddaughter of Abraham Lincoln, the first daughter of Robert Todd Lincoln and the mother of Lincoln Isham.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Leavitt</span>

Deacon John Leavitt (1608–1691) was a tailor, public officeholder, and founding deacon of Old Ship Church in Hingham, Plymouth County, Massachusetts, the only remaining 17th-century Puritan meeting house in America and the oldest church in continuous ecclesiastical use in the United States. Hingham's Leavitt Street is named for the early settler, whose descendants have lived in Hingham for centuries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mary Harlan Lincoln</span> Wife of Robert T. Lincoln

Mary Harlan Lincoln was the daughter of United States Senator James Harlan and the wife of Robert Todd Lincoln.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edward Swift Isham</span> American politician (1836–1902)

Edward Swift Isham was an American lawyer and politician from Vermont. The son of a justice of the Vermont Supreme Court, Isham attended Williams College and the Harvard School of Law before he was admitted to the bar in 1858. He headed west, establishing a practice in Chicago, Illinois, in 1859. The practice eventually became Isham Lincoln & Beale. Isham also served one term in the Illinois House of Representatives.

Warren Wallace Beckwith Sr. was an American sportsman who served as a minor league baseball player during the late 1800s. His first wife was Jessie Harlan Lincoln, a member of the Lincoln family and granddaughter of President Abraham Lincoln. The couple's children were the last undisputed Lincoln descendants, Mary Lincoln Beckwith and Robert Todd Lincoln Beckwith.

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Abraham Lincoln:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles Bradford Isham</span> American historian

Charles Bradford Isham was an American historian.

William Bradley Isham was an American merchant and banker.

References

  1. You, Brenda (April 20, 1994). "The Real End of the Line for Abe". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved January 3, 2021.
  2. "St Andrew, Hingham". norfolkchurches.co.uk. Retrieved 12 August 2020.
  3. 1 2 God Blew, and They Were Scattered: Peter's People (New Frontiers), Book 3. 15 May 2008. ISBN   9781469120607 . Retrieved 17 August 2020.
  4. "Daughters of the American Revolution Magazine, volume 62". 1928. Retrieved 12 August 2020.
  5. Waldo Lincoln, History of the Lincoln Family: An Account of the Descendants of Samuel Lincoln of Hingham, Massachusetts, 1637–1920 (1923) ISBN   0-7884-1489-5; John George Nicolay, John Hay, Abraham Lincoln: A History (1890) p. 2.
  6. "History of the Town of Hingham, Massachusetts". Hingham, Mass. 1893. Retrieved July 15, 2024.
  7. "The Articles of Confederation". Archived from the original on November 29, 2012. Retrieved December 27, 2007.
  8. "Benjamin Lincoln". Archived from the original on July 15, 2015. Retrieved October 23, 2016.
  9. Donald, Lincoln, p. 84.
  10. King, C. J. (2005). Four Marys and a Jessie: The Story of the Lincoln Women. Friends of Hildene, Incorporated. pp. 70, 78. ISBN   978-0-9754917-2-0.
  11. Goff, John S. (1968). Robert Todd Lincoln: a Man in His Own Right. University of Oklahoma Press. p. 88. ISBN   9780598207395.
  12. Burkhimer, Michael (2003). 100 Essential Lincoln Books. Cumberland House Publishing. p. 214. ISBN   978-1-58182-369-1.
  13. Schwartz, Thomas F. (Autumn 2007). "A Death in the Family : Abraham Lincoln II "Jack" (1873–1890)" (PDF). For the People. Vol. 9, no. 3. Abraham Lincoln Association. pp. 1, 4. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 17, 2013. Retrieved February 11, 2019.
  14. "Great-Grandson's Death Ends Lincoln Family Line". Chicago Tribune . December 26, 1985. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
  15. Michels, Spencer (April 30, 2010). "Senate Primary Heats Up in Arkansas". PBS News. Retrieved July 16, 2024.
  16. "George Clooney is distant cousin of Abraham Lincoln". Reuters. November 1, 2012. Retrieved July 16, 2024.
  17. Montalti, Victoria (May 10, 2022). "11 celebrities who are related to US presidents". Business Insider. Retrieved July 16, 2024.
  18. "The Lincoln Family Tree". Lincoln Presenters. Archived from the original on February 2, 2006. Retrieved May 16, 2017.
  19. 1 2 3 4 5 Grzyb, Frank L. (2013). Hidden History of Rhode Island and the Civil War. The History Press. p. 17. ISBN   978-1-62619-231-7.
  20. Thomas Lincoln Jr., Abraham Lincoln's younger brother, was born in 1812 at Knob Creek Farm in Kentucky and died 3 days later, having contracted an unknown sickness. Treated by Doctor Daniel B. Potter of Elizabethtown, the baby did not survive despite his efforts to save the child.
  21. 1 2 Duniho, Terence L. "Descendants of Abraham Lincoln, Generation No. 3" . Retrieved June 6, 2016., from New-York Tribune article "Mrs. Charles Isham Dies; Lincoln's Granddaughter", dated October 23, 1938.