“COUSIN” ABRAHAM LINCOLN
Every family likes to lay a claim to having a famous ancestor in one of the branches of its family tree, no matter how distantly related that ancestor may be. It is a human foible to wish to be related to someone who has been, or is, somewhat renowned in the annals of history and I, being not perfect, have succumbed to that very temptation.
The old adage “we are all related if you go back far enough” certainly holds true especially when one delves deeply into his or her genealogy researching not only the direct lineages but, also, the indirect or collateral lines. One doing this genealogical research can be humbled when discovering rascals, rogues and scoundrels perched upon various branches of the family tree.
However, finding an illustrious ancestor in one’s lineage can tempt a person into a false sense of being important simply because of that connection. As an example of “we are all related etc.” permit me to show how I am one of several thousand people who can call “cousin”, the sixteenth President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln.
Samuel and Martha Lyford Lincoln of 1600s’ Massachusetts were the colonial ancestors of Abraham Lincoln. Their son Mordecai Lincoln who was born in 1657 was an older brother to my ancestor Hannah Lincoln who was born in 1666. Hannah Lincoln married a Daniel Owen and they were the progenitors of my branch of the proverbial family tree.
Mordecai Lincoln, Jr. (1st
cousins) Daniel
Owen, Jr.
Born
1686 Born
1690
John Lincoln (2nd
cousins) Daniel
Owen III
Born 1716 Born
1715
Abraham Lincoln (3rd
cousins) Jane
Owen
Born
1744 Born
1741
Married
Edward Cogswell
Thomas Lincoln (4th
cousins) Reuel
Cogswell
Born 1778 Born
1770
Abraham Lincoln (5th
cousins) Rhoda
Cogswell
Born
1809 Born
1806
Died
1865 Died
1887
Married
Harley Hazen
Abraham Lincoln (5th
cousins) Samuel
Reuel Hazen
(Once
removed) Born
1844
Died
1917
Abraham Lincoln (5th
cousins) Alvin
Leman Hazen
(Twice
removed) Born
1892
Died
1964
Abraham Lincoln (5th
cousins) Claude
DuWayne Hazen
(Thrice
removed) Born
1921
Died
1999
Abraham Lincoln (5th
cousins) Nancy
Hazen Machuga
(4
times removed)
Genealogy can be very fascinating to one who has been bitten by the “bug” and it can be very enlightening. Learning about one’s ancestors can paint a new picture of the lives lived by these progenitors thus creating a better understanding of the earlier generations. It behooves a researcher never to judge these ancestors but, rather, to understand their lives from their perspectives.
Along the way on the road of research one will discover all types of ancestors, both famous and not so famous, and one should enjoy the pursuit of discovery about them both.
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