Sarah Bush Lincoln

Sarah Bush Lincoln. She was the second wife of Thomas Lincoln and the influential stepmother of Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States. Her nurturing support and advocacy for his education were pivotal in his formative years. Her life spanned from the American frontier era through the American Civil War.

Early life and first marriage

Sarah Bush was born in Hardin County, Kentucky, to Christopher Bush and his wife. Little is documented about her childhood on the Kentucky frontier. In 1806, she married Daniel Johnston, a local farmer and militia man. The couple settled in Elizabethtown, Kentucky, where they had three children: John, Matilda, and Elizabeth. Following Johnston's death in 1816, Sarah was left a widow responsible for her young family and significant debts, managing a household in challenging economic circumstances on the early American frontier.

Marriage to Thomas Lincoln

In 1819, Thomas Lincoln, a widower from Knob Creek, proposed marriage. He was seeking a mother for his two children, Sarah Lincoln Grigsby and the young Abraham Lincoln. Sarah agreed, on condition that Thomas settle her outstanding debts in Elizabethtown, Kentucky. After their marriage, she relocated her own children to Thomas's home at Little Pigeon Creek in Indiana. She brought a sense of order and material comfort to the log cabin, including household items like a walnut chest and cooking utensils purchased from her previous life. Her arrival marked a significant improvement in the domestic life of the Lincoln family.

Relationship with Abraham Lincoln

She formed an immediate and enduring bond with her stepson, whom she described as a good boy. She actively encouraged his intellectual curiosity, which was a marked contrast to his father's more practical outlook. Famously, she is credited with bringing several books to the Indiana home, supporting his voracious reading habits that included works like Aesop's Fables and Robinson Crusoe. Her advocacy for his education was steadfast, and she later recalled that he was dutiful and affectionate. Abraham Lincoln acknowledged her profound influence, referring to her as his "angel mother" and providing financial support for her in later life. Her own children, particularly John D. Johnston, maintained a close but sometimes fraught relationship with the future president.

Later life and death

Following the death of Thomas Lincoln in 1851, she continued to live in Coles County, Illinois. Her stepson, by then a prominent Illinois lawyer and politician, ensured her well-being, purchasing a home for her and providing a pension. She lived through his election to the presidency and the ensuing American Civil War, but was reportedly too frail to travel to Washington, D.C. for his inauguration. The Assassination of Abraham Lincoln in 1865 was a profound personal loss. She died at the home of her grandson in Charleston, Illinois, in 1869 and was interred at nearby Shiloh Cemetery.

Legacy and historical significance

Historians regard her as a crucial stabilizing and encouraging force in the early life of Abraham Lincoln. Her emphasis on literacy and learning within a frontier environment is considered a foundational element in his development as a thinker and orator. This contribution is commemorated at the Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial in Indiana. Her life story is frequently cited in biographies of the president, such as those by Carl Sandburg and David Herbert Donald, and she is a featured figure in exhibits at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. She represents the often-unheralded role of frontier women in shaping American history.

Category:1788 births Category:1869 deaths Category:American pioneers Category:People from Coles County, Illinois Category:Stepfamilies of presidents of the United States