Was Thomas Lincoln actually poor?

[Liz Rosenthal]

My impression is that most Lincoln scholars of today accept the notion that Thomas Lincoln and his family were poor. Michael Burlingame, in particular, has been quite emphatic in that regard, declaring them practically destitute, even in comparison to their neighbors, and that Thomas Lincoln was more shiftless than not. On the other hand, Eric Foner prefers to downplay the Lincoln family's poverty almost completely, making it seem like they were almost middle class or something.

I get a little cross-eyed at any delineation of Thomas Lincoln's property transactions, because I hate numbers, and I hate numbers because I'm bad at math. Even so, it seems to me that land was easy to come by in Kentucky and Indiana (title issues notwithstanding) and the fact that Thomas Lincoln was able to acquire a good amount of land at different times may be more of a testament to the settler-friendly nature of land acquisition in those days than that Thomas was a prosperous businessman, or even a fair-to-middling businessman.

Also, let's not forget Abe Lincoln's own recollections of his childhood and youth, and those of neighbors in Indiana. While I think the verdict about the Lincoln family's status was mixed amongst the neighbors - which may have to do with their own varied economic circumstances, with some being better off and some less well off - Abe himself seemed to suggest on more than one occasion that his family was dirt-poor.

Remember when Thomas left his children Abe and Sarah in the care of Dennis Hanks, then in his late teens, for some weeks, if not months, while Thomas returned to Kentucky in search of a wife to replace the deceased Nancy? When Thomas brought back his new wife, the widow Sarah Bush Johnston, with her own brood and all of their furniture and housewares, Sarah was shocked at the condition of her new step-children, finding them in filthy, tattered clothing and living in a structure that passed for a cabin with a disgusting dirt floor. Up until her arrival, I don't think they had much in the way of "civilized" household items, despite Thomas being a carpenter by profession.

Abe Lincoln said at least once about his youth that where he lived in Indiana there was "nothing to excite interest in education," which was a big reason he never wanted to live in an atmosphere like that again. And I'm sure that everyone knows that Lincoln, who was generally so charitable even with his worst enemies, seemed to have a very negative opinion of his father, who he said could just about "bunglingly" sign his name. I think that Lincoln viewed his father as someone completely uninterested in improving his lot in life.