The Lincolns Move to Indiana

Lesson Plan by Mark Matthews
Carmel Middle School, Carmel

Designed for 8^th Graders

Lesson on Thomas Lincoln’s decision to move from Kentucky to Indiana

Academic Standards

This lesson addresses each of the following 8th grade Indiana social studies standards in whole or in part.

*8.1.13 - Explain the causes and consequences of the War of 1812, including the Rush-Bagot Agreement (1818).  Really an aside.

*8.1.30 - Form historical research questions and seek responses by analyzing primary resources — such as autobiographies, diaries, maps, photographs, letters, and government documents — and secondary resources, such as biographies and other nonfiction books and articles on the history of the United States.

*8.1.31 - Examine the causes of problems in the past and evaluate solutions chosen as well as possible alternative courses of actions. Consider the information available at the time, the interests of those affected by the decision, and the consequences of each course of action.

*8.2.1 - Identify and explain essential ideas of constitutional government, which are expressed in the founding documents of the United States, including the Virginia Declaration of Rights, the Declaration of Independence, the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, the Massachusetts Constitution of 1780, the Northwest Ordinance, the 1787 U.S. Constitution, the Bill of Rights, the Federalist and Anti-Federalist Papers, Washington’s Farewell Address (1796), and Jefferson’s First Inaugural Address (1801).
Example: The essential ideas include limited government, rule of law, due process of law, separated and shared powers, checks and balances, federalism, popular sovereignty, republicanism, representative government, and individual rights to life, liberty, property, freedom of conscience, and due process of law.

*8.2.9 - Examine functions of the national government in the lives of people, including purchasing and distributing public goods and services, financing government through taxation, conducting foreign policy, and providing a common defense.

*8.3.7 - Analyze geographic factors that have influenced migration and settlement patterns and relate them to the economic development of the United States.
Example: The presence of a major waterway influences economic development and the workers who are attracted to that development.

 

Background Information

            In 1816 Thomas Lincoln, the father of Abraham Lincoln, moved his family from Hardin County, Kentucky (now Larue County) to Spencer County, Indiana.  One of the reasons for the Lincolns' move was the complicated system of documenting land ownership in southern states. This arrangement was based on an old British system called “metes and bounds,” (See link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metes_and_bounds)  Thomas grew weary of losing land in complicated court cases. Lincoln owned three farms in Kentucky.  The first one contained fewer acres than he thought, and Thomas sold it at a loss. Later, the farm on which Abraham Lincoln was born became a subject of litigation. The third farm was also in dispute. As one can imagine, these kinds of difficulties influenced many people to leave the state to settle elsewhere. (See link for more discussion of the Kentucky land problems: http://www.nps.gov/libo/kentucky3.htm)

            Two U.S. documents made it possible for the Lincolns and others to make this move. These documents were both created by the Articles of Confederation Congress. The first was the Land Ordinance of 1785, and the second was the Northwest Ordinance of 1787. The Land Ordinance set up a system that  “shall proceed to divide the said territory into townships of six miles square, by lines running due north and south, and others crossing these at right angles.”  This system made it clear to all who owned land and the specific legal descriptions of the land. (For a link to the ordinance, click here: Land Ordinance of 1785.)

            The Northwest Ordinance of 1787 had a huge impact on the way states entered the Union and also on where slavery could be made legal. Read the ordinance at the following link: Northwest Ordinance

            Furthermore, the United States defeated the British in the War of 1812 and thus secured more safety for its citizens on the frontier, specifically in Indiana. Tecumseh and the Prophet were no longer a threat to American settlers, and great tracts of land could be safely settled. This link explains what the Lincolns found in 1816 when they moved to Indiana: Indiana Frontier.

 Lesson Plan

1) As students study the Articles of Confederation, explain that Congress passed two laws during this era that influenced Abraham Lincoln’s early life. They are the Land Ordinance of 1785 and the Northwest Ordinance of 1787.  Explain that the land ordinance provided a system to sell government lands in what was to become the Northwest Territory. It also set up a way to survey the land accurately so that settlers could have a clear claim to purchased property. Land was to be systematically surveyed into square townships, six miles on a side. Each of these townships was sub-divided into thirty-six sections of one square mile or 640 acres. These sections could then be further subdivided for sale to settlers and land speculators. The text of this ordinance is available through the Indiana Historical Bureau. http://www.statelib.lib.in.us/www/ihb/resources/docldord.html

 Use this, or a similar map, to explain the concept of land surveying to students. This map is in the public domain and can be used for educational purposes.

 

 

Tell students that these surveys were meticulously made by a group of surveyors who mapped out the land for the United States. If you wish, you may explain how acres were measured.  (43,560 square feet; 40 poles by 4 poles: each pole being the equivalent of 16.5 feet.)

 

2) This new system of surveying land was very important to the Lincoln family because of the various land disputes in Kentucky with which Thomas Lincoln dealt. Following is an excerpt that explains the legal description of the Mill Creek farm on which Abraham Lincoln was born in 1809.

 A synopsis from Report on the Title of Thomas Lincoln to, and the History of, The Lincoln Boyhood Home Along Knob Creek in LaRue County, Kentucky by Kent Masterson Brown. (The synopsis was written by William Bartelt, a noted Lincoln historian from Evansville, Indiana.)

Lincoln was associated with three farms in Kentucky—all seem to have some controversy about the titles.

The first is called the Mill Creek farm and it was purchased in 1803 for 118 pounds. It contained 238 acres. The description was: Beginning at a hickory corner to Robert Huston survey, part of the said 1600 acre survey, thence South thirty degrees west one hundred and eighty-three poles to a stake corner to Huston, thence North forty five degrees West one hundred and fifty five poles to a black oak corner to the original survey North twenty four degrees West one hundred and forty poles to a white oak in Shepherds line corner to the original, thence North thirty one degrees West fifty pole to a dogwood white oak and gum corner to Thomas Williams in the original line, thence with Williams line South sixty seven East two hundred and fifty poles to a white oak and hickory South 31 degrees West twenty poles to the beginning. . .

There seems to be controversy over the land, although no legal challenges have been found. He did not live on this property during or after 1809. He sold the property in 1814—but only 200 acres for 100 pounds. The description then was: Beginning at a hickory corner to Robert Huston survey, part of a sixteen hundred acre survey, thence south 30 degrees west 183 poles to a stake corner to Huston, thence north 45 degrees west 155 poles to a black oak, corner to the original survey, north 24 degrees west 140 poles to a white oak in Shepherd’s line corner to the original, thence 31 degrees west 60 poles to a dogwood white oak and gum corner to Thomas Williams in the original line, thence with Williams line South 67 east 250 poles to a white oak and hickory south 31 degrees west 22 poles to the beginning, which courses contains 238 acres, and the said Melton is a liberty to take 200 acres out of the said 238 acres where he thinks proper and the said Lincoln and Nancy his wife does forever warrant and defend the said 200 acres of land from themselves and their heirs executors, administrators and assigns forever, to the said Melton, but not from the claim or claims of any other person. But if the said land should be lost by any better or prior claim then the said Lincoln is to pay the said Melton the sum of 100 pounds.

The last sentence is unusual and indicates that there might have been a challenge to the property.

The second farm is known as the Sinking Spring Farm or the Lincoln birthplace. On May1, 1805 David Vance purchased the 300-acre Sinking Spring farm from Richard Mather. A deed was to be made when Vance made full payment. On November 2, 1805 Vance assigned the land to Isaac Bush. On December 12, 1808 Bush assigned the land to Thomas Lincoln. Vance never made full payment as required. On September 1, 1813, a bill, or complaint, was filed in the Hardin Circuit Court by Richard Mather against David Vance, Isaac Bush, and Thomas Lincoln. Vance was no longer living in Kentucky and the case was not settled until September 1816. The farm was sold at public auction but Lincoln was to recover the money he paid Bush. It is not known if this ever happened.

In 1811 the Lincoln family moved to what is known as the Knob Creek Farm. Contrary to what historians said earlier, it is clear that Lincoln only leased 30 acres of this farm from George Lindsay. In 1815 Lincoln, Lindsay, and nine others were given a notice of “ejectment.” The heirs of an estate in Philadelphia claimed all of this land was part of a 10,000-acre tract that belonged to them. The court in 1818 dismissed the heirs' claim.

[Thomas] Lincoln always had to deal with questions about his land. He acted in good faith. In fact, the courts found somewhat in his favor. But he had legal costs to deal with and lost the improvements made to the land. It is clear why Indiana with a possibility of a clear title to the land was attractive. Here the land belonged to the Federal Government so there were no prior claims. If you met your obligations the land was yours.

 Click here for the link to the online student module (http://www.indianahumanities.org/wethepeople/301-module.html), which shows the difficulties inherent in the Metes and Bounds system of land surveying.

 

3) Two years after the Land Ordinance of 1785, the Articles of Confederation Congress passed the Northwest Ordinance.  (Available here from the National Archives: http://www.ourdocuments.gov/doc.php?doc=8)  Thomas Lincoln decided to move his family to Indiana in 1816. The threat of Indian attack was over, and the national government had made lands available for sale.  He settled upon a quarter-section of land in what was then Hurricane Township, Perry County, and is now Spencer County. It was  the southwest quarter of Section 32, Township 4 S, Range 5 W, and was located along the east-west line separating Congressional townships 4 and 5. After the organization of Spencer County in 1818, the Lincoln farm was part of Section 32 in Carter Township, and was bounded on the south by Sections 5 and 6 of Clay Township. As was the custom of the era, Thomas Lincoln piled brush on the four corners of the property to mark it until a formal claim could be filed.

 Click here for the link to the online student module (http://www.indianahumanities.org/wethepeople/301-module.html), which also shows the new system of surveying in Indiana and how it was far easier to locate and claim land.

 

4) Despite the obvious advantage of being able to have a clear title to his own land, Thomas Lincoln would have had other considerations. Have students read the primary source excerpt from Morris Birkbeck’s Notes on a Journey in America.

Discuss with students the reasons why Birkbeck may have chosen to settle in Indiana or continue on to Illinois in the West.

 

5) As a follow up to the class discussion and interaction with the Flash module, have the students complete the accompanying handout to demonstrate understanding.