Today in Indiana History

December 2 , 2008

On or about this date in 1816 a Kentucky farmer and his family settled along Pigeon Creek in southern Indiana. The farmer was Thomas Lincoln, and he brought with him to Indiana his wife Nancy and children Sarah and Abraham. The Lincolns acquired about 160 acres of land. Young Abraham became one of the best-read young men in the area, even though he had less than a year of formal schooling. Lincoln grew to manhood during his fourteen years in Indiana and during that time gained his reputation as a rail-splitter. He later confessed that he wasn't enthusiastic about the work, though, and that he much preferred to read or tell tall tales.