Thomas Lincoln, born in 1778, conquered the wilderness, built cabins and furniture, and supported his family as a farmer and carpenter. But his most important job was helping to raise Abraham Lincoln, who would become the sixteenth president of the United States of America.

His story reveals what the American experience was like for those who settled the West leading up to the nation’s pre-Civil War period. He set an example of honesty, morality, hard work, diligence, and good humor-all traits that were also associated with his son, Abraham, known as “Honest Abe.”

Charles H. Coleman, Ph.D., the former Chair of the Department of History at Eastern Illinois University, Charleston, Illinois, and his daughter, Mary Coleman, explore Thomas Lincoln’s life in detail-starting with his ancestors in England to his death in 1851.

Despite the mythology that grew up around Abraham Lincoln, at the time of his father’s death, the family owned as much if not more than many of their neighbors. Success did not come easy, but Thomas Lincoln established the foundation that allowed his son to become a man who will always be remembered.