Papers Of Abraham Lincoln

Lincoln Family Record, [17 May 1851 - 18 May 1851]1

Nancy Lincoln, was born Feb[February] 10^th 1807–

Abraham Lincoln, Son of Tho^s & Nancy Lincoln, was born Feb 12^th 1809–

Sarah Bush, first married to Daniel Johnston, and afterwards second wife of Tho^s Lincoln, was born Dec^r[December] 13^th 1788–

John D. Johnston, Son of Daniel & Sarah Johnston, was born May [10^th 1810 Married to Mary Barker]2 October 13^th 1834— who was born July 22^nd 1816–

Thomas L. D. Johnston, Son of John & Mary Johnston, was born March 17^th 1838– January 10^th 1837–

Abraham L. B. Johnston, Son of same parents, was born March 27^th 1838–

Marietta Sarah Jane Johnston, Daughter of same parents, was born January 31^st 1840–

Squire H. Johnston, son of same parents, was born, December 15^th 1841–

Richard M. Johnston, son of same parents, was born, October 26^th 1843–

Dennis F. Johnston, son of same parents, was born, November 18^th 1845–

Daniel W. Johnston, son of same parents, was born, December 13^th 1847–

Nancy Jane Williams, was born, March 8. 1836–

<Page 2>

<Page 3>

Nancy Lincoln wife of Tho^s Lincoln, died October 5^th 1818–

Sarah, daughter of Tho^s Lincoln, wife of Aaron Grigsby, died [Jan]uary 20^th 1828–3

Thomas Lincoln, died January 17 aged 73 years & 11 days–

Daniel W. Johnston, Son of John D. & Mary Johnston, died July 5^th 18[48 or 49]4

Mary Johnston died Sep^t[September] 21^st 1850 about ½ hour before Sun down–5

Marietta Sary Jane Johnston Daughter of John D & Mary Johnston Died Apr[April] the 8^th 1853–6

<Page 4>

Thomas Lincoln married to Sarah Johnston, Dec^r 2^nd 1819–

Sarah Lincoln, daughter of Tho^s Lincoln, was married to Aaron Grigsby, Aug–[August]1826–

Abraham Lincoln, son of Tho^s Lincoln, was married to Mary Todd, Nov^r[November] 4^th 1842–

John D. Johnston was married to his second wife, Nancy Jane Williams March 5. 1851–

John D Johnston son of John D and Nancy Jane Johnston was borne April the 11. 18547

1Abraham Lincoln wrote the entries in this document, with the exception of the script in pencil that is shown at the bottom of the third and fourth images, which are in his stepbrother John D. Johnston’s hand.
Roy P. Basler, editor of The Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln, estimated that Lincoln created this record sometime in 1851 after his father’s death, using two blank sheets of paper torn from the family bible that Thomas Lincoln had owned. However, since Basler states that the sheets had tattered edges and torn off portions, and he does not list all the entries included in this document, he most likely examined a different, less complete version of this document for his transcription and annotations. Based upon subsequent historical research, which indicates that Abraham Lincoln probably created this record when he visited his stepmother, Sarah Lincoln, in Charleston, Illinois sometime between May 17 and 18, 1851, the editors date this record as May 17 or 18, 1851. Sometime afterward, Johnston added the script in pencil shown in images three and four.

Another genealogical record related to the Lincoln family is thought to have been created the same year as this document.
Roy P. Basler, ed., The Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln (New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press, 1953), 2:94-95; The History of Coles County, Illinois (Chicago: Wm. Le Baron, Jr., 1879), 423; The Lincoln Log: A Daily Chronology of the Life of Abraham Lincoln, 17 May 1851, http://thelincolnlog.org/Results.aspx?type=CalendarDay&day=1851-05-17; Gordon Leidner, “How Many ‘Lincoln Bibles’?,” Journal of the Abraham Lincoln Association 41 (Winter 2020), 51-52; Charles H. Coleman, Abraham Lincoln and Coles County, Illinois (New Brunswick, NJ: Scarecrow Press, 1955), 59; Memorandum of Births in the Hall Family.

2The original document is damaged, rendering some of the script illegible. This text within the brackets was supplied by Basler. Although Basler examined a less complete version of this record than that presented in the four images here, he recovered this information by comparing the document he examined to a contemporary copy of it that had been made and owned by John D. Johnston. This information also appears in an 1879 history of Coles County, Illinois that contains basic biographical information about John D. Johnston.
Roy P. Basler, ed., The Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln, 2:94-95; The History of Coles County, Illinois, 423.

3The supplied text for the month, January, was supplied by Basler, using the contemporary copy that had been made and owned by John D. Johnston.
Roy P. Basler, ed., The Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln, 2:95.

4The supplied text for the year, 1848 or 1849, was also supplied by Basler, using the contemporary copy that had been made and owned by John D. Johnston. However, Basler was uncertain whether the year of Daniel W. Johnston’s death was 1848 or 1849.
Roy P. Basler, ed., The Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln, 2:95.

5John D. Johnston wrote this script.

6John D. Johnston also wrote this information.

7This script is also in John D. Johnston’s hand.