Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER IV. CHILDREN OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN, OF SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP, CHESTER COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA. The records contain important traces also of the children of Abraham Lincoln, of Springfield, Chester County, Pennsylvania. As we have seen from the will of Abraham, he left the following children: Mordecai, Abraham, Isaac, John and Sarah. Mor- decai is mentioned in the will as absent from home, John and Sarah as minors. The testator seems particularly solicitous about his young son, John, as may be seen in the wording of the special provisions of the will in his case. One can read between the lines the father's anxiety as to the boy's reaching his maturity. In case he grows to manhood, the testator directs that a proper house be constructed for his son John. The specifications as to the size and quality of this house are very precise. It must be seventeen feet square, two stories high, and have a cedar roof. The first document so far found referring to Abraham Lincoln, the son of Abraham of Springfield, is a deed dated May 1, 1744, in which John Fordham and his wife Hannah, of the city of Philadelphia, convey a piece of ground on the north side of Jones' alley, in the city of Philadelphia, to "Abraham Lincon of the same city cordwainer." That this Abraham was not the Abraham of Springfield, butthe son of the latter, is clear from the fact that he is called "cordwainer" and mentioned as living in Philadelphia. This is further corroborated by a deed of "Abraham Lincon cordwainer" to "Isaac Lincon Carpenter" dated May I, 1745, after the death of Abraham of Springfield. The deed of 1744 runs thus: This Indenture Made the first Day of May in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hun- dren and forty four. Between John Fordham late of the City of Philadelphia but now of the Isla...