Mordecai Lincoln was the uncle of President Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...

. He was the son of Captain Abraham Lincoln, and brother of Thomas Lincoln

Thomas Lincoln

Thomas Lincoln was an American farmer and father of President Abraham Lincoln.-Ancestors:Thomas Lincoln was descended from Samuel Lincoln, a Puritan from East Anglia who landed in Massachusetts in 1637...

. He was married to Mary Mudd. He is buried at the Old Catholic or Lincoln Cemetery near Fountain Green, Illinois

Fountain Green, Illinois

Fountain Green, Illinois, is an unincorporated community located about eleven miles northeast of Carthage, Illinois in Fountain Green Township, Hancock County, Illinois, USA.-Geography:Fountain Green is located at at an elevation of 682 feet.-History:...

. Mordecai's home, which he built himself, is still standing on the original lot in Springfield, Kentucky

Springfield, Kentucky

Springfield is a city in and county seat of Washington County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 2,634 at the 2000 census. It was established in 1793 and probably named for springs in the area.-Geography:...

. It is the only home built by a member of the Lincoln family that still stands in its original location. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places

National Register of Historic Places

The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...

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Death of father

One day in May 1786, Abraham Lincoln was working in his field with his three sons when he was shot from the nearby forest and fell to the ground. The eldest boy, Mordecai, ran to the cabin for the loaded gun, while the middle son, Josiah, ran to Hughes' Station for help. Thomas, the youngest, stood in shock by his father. From the cabin, Mordecai saw an American Indian come out of the forest and stop by his father's body. The Indian reached for Thomas. Mordecai took aim and shot the Indian in the chest, killing him and saving Thomas. Mordecai, the oldest son, inherited his father's estate when he came of age.

Uncle of President Lincoln

On several occasions, President Lincoln referred to his uncle as his most important familial influence. The only Lincoln relative whom Abraham Lincoln knew, Mordecai was a man of considerable wit and great natural gifts. President Lincoln once remarked that "Uncle Mord had run off with all the talents of the family."

After Mordecai's father died, Mordecai as the eldest son inherited his father's land and property, according to the system of primogeniture

Primogeniture

Primogeniture is the right, by law or custom, of the firstborn to inherit the entire estate, to the exclusion of younger siblings . Historically, the term implied male primogeniture, to the exclusion of females...

. Left without a patrimony like many younger sons, Josiah and Thomas had to make their ways in the world.