Lincoln's Virginia Ancestors
- williamhardy00
- Aug 6
- 2 min read
Just a few miles north of Harrisonburg, Virginia, nestled in the Shenandoah Valley community of Linville, one can find Abraham Lincoln's Virginia ancestors. Here was the home of John Lincoln, the president's great-grandfather. Known as "Virginia John" to distinguish him from a cousin of the same name, John moved with his family from their native state of New Jersey to Pennsylvania ca. 1720. He could have returned to New Jersey following his father’s (Mordecai Lincoln, Jr.) death because he stood to inherit 300 acres in the Garden State; however, he remained and in July 1743 he married Rebekah Flowers, with whom he had nine children, including Abraham (President Lincoln’s grandfather) in 1744. In 1768, John sold all of his remaining land holdings in Pennsylvania and moved his family to Virginia. He purchased 600 acres of land on the west side of Linville Creek in what became Rockingham County. John lived here for the remainder of his life.
President Lincoln believed his great-grandfather was a Quaker, a conviction that appears based on family oral tradition, traced to the fact that John's family enjoyed close connections and intermarried with those espousing Quakerism in Pennsylvania. It is quite possible, a sense of human equality that is inherent among practicing Quakers trickled down the family tree because President Lincoln’s parents – Thomas and Nancy – espoused anti-slavery convictions early in their marriage and, with a few other families, split from their church in Springfield, Kentucky and founded one that opposed the peculiar institution. Those sentiments no doubt had some influence on Lincoln as he embarked on his political career and especially in regard to his policies during the American Civil War.
The Lincoln federal-style homestead in Linville was built ca. 1800 by Lincoln's great uncle, John Lincoln. The home remained in the Lincoln family's hands until 1874 when they sold the property. In 2019, Benjamin and Sarah Bixler purchased the homestead and began renovations to make it their private home. Today, the Bixlers have created a Lincoln Homestead website that allows the viewer to visit the home digitally and they maintain the adjoining family cemetery which is open to the public. Moreover, Phillip Stone, a local lawyer who has served as president of Bridgewater College and Sweet Briar College, holds an annual event in February that coincides with Abraham Lincoln's birthday at the cemetery to honor both Lincoln and his forebears in Virginia.
The Lincoln's Center Executive Director, Dr. William E. Hardy recently visited and took the following photographs of the Lincoln Family Cemetery.
