Abraham Lincoln

Lincoln on November 8, 1863, photo by Alexander Gardner

Date of Birth: February 12, 1809

Place of Birth: Sinking Spring Farm, Kentucky, U.S.

Date of Death: April 15, 1865

Place of Death: Petersen House, Washington, D.C., U.S.

Ethnicity: English, more distant Scots-Irish/Northern Irish, possibly small amounts of Irish and Dutch, possibly other

Abraham Lincoln was an American politician, statesman, and lawyer. As a member of the Republican Party, and then, for one year, the National Union, he served as the 16th President of the United States, from March 4, 1861 to April 15, 1865. He was elected to the position in 1860 and 1864. He was the first Republican Party President. As a member of the Whig Party, he was previously a Member of the Illinois House of Representatives, from 1834 to 1842, and a Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Illinois, from March 4, 1847 to March 3, 1849.

President Lincoln was the son of Nancy (Hanks) and Thomas Lincoln. He was married to Mary Todd Lincoln, with whom he had four children. He had English ancestry, along with a smaller amount of Scots-Irish/Northern Irish roots. He may have also had more distant Irish forebears, and Dutch ancestry.

President Lincoln’s paternal grandfather was Abraham Lincoln (the son of John Lincoln and Rebecca Flowers/Flower). President Lincoln’s grandfather Abraham was born in Berks County, Pennsylvania. John was the son of Mordecai Lincoln, Jr. and Hannah Salter. Rebecca was the daughter of Enoch Flowers and Rebecca Barnard/Bernard, whose father was born in Kingston, Wiltshire, England.

President Lincoln’s paternal grandmother was Bathsheba Herring (the daughter of Alexander Herring and Abigail Harrison). Bathsheba was born in Virginia. Alexander was the son of Alexander Herring, who may have been of Dutch descent, and of Margaret. Abigail was the daughter of Isaiah Harrison, who was from Chester, Cheshire, England, and of Abigail, possibly Smith.

The identity of President Lincoln’s biological maternal grandfather remains undetermined. He has not been clearly identified, neither during President Lincoln’s lifetime nor by historians or researchers since.

President Lincoln’s maternal grandmother was Lucy Hanks (the daughter of Joseph Hanks and Ann “Nanny”/”Nancy” Lee). Lucy was born in Virginia, likely in Richmond County. Joseph was the son of John Hanks and Catherine. Ann was the daughter of William Lee, who had Scots-Irish/Northern Irish ancestry.

President Lincoln’s mother was the half-sister of Mary Ann “Polly” Sparrow, who was the maternal great-great-great-great-grandmother of actor George Clooney (they were both the daughters of Lucy Hanks). This makes President Lincoln and George Clooney half-first cousins, five times removed. President Lincoln is also a third cousin, four times removed, of actor Tom Hanks. President Lincoln’s maternal great-great-grandparents, John Hanks and Catherine, were also the paternal six times great-grandparents of Tom Hanks.

Sources: Genealogies of President Lincoln – http://www.geni.com
http://famouskin.com
http://www.wikitree.com

DNA testing of President Lincoln’s matrilineal line – https://www.familytreedna.com

29 Responses

  1. madman says:

    Just to point out some contradictions and additional information.

    1. Geni says that Alexander Herring had Dutch ancestry, while wikitree says he was English.
    2. William Lee was born in either Derry, Northern Ireland, or in Richmond County, Virginia. His father was born in Northern Ireland, according to geni.com.
    3. Also according to geni.com, Lincoln also has, through William Lee’s mother, 1/256th Native American ancestry. The ancestor’s name was Unity Croshaw, and her description reads: “There is not a chance that this woman was English. If anything, she was a Pamunkey… This woman’s lineage is unknown, but since he lived with the tribes at Werowocomoco, she is definitely in their number.”
    4. Add about Lincoln’s maternal grandfather that he is sometimes cited as Michael Tanner, who was German.

  2. madman says:

    CORRECTION: Lincoln also has Dutch and Scots-Irish (Northern Irish) ancestry. His second great-grandfather, Alexander Herring, was born in Delaware and had Dutch ancestry. His second great-grandfather, William Lee III, was born in Derry, Northern Ireland. His fifth great-grandmother’s, Elizabeth McLaughlin’s, and his seventh great-grandmother’s, Flossie McKinley’s, surnames also indicate Irish ancestry.

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