Abraham Lincoln, A North Carolinian

There is substantial evidence that Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States, was born not in Kentucky, but on Puzzle Creek near Bostic, North Carolina, in Rutherford County.

Abraham Lincoln's mother, Nancy Hanks was “bound out” into the care of the Abraham Enlow family, who lived in Rutherford County before moving to Oconaluftee near Cherokee, North Carolina.  She was a member of the Concord Baptist Church near Bostic prior to and after the birth of the baby, that she named Abraham.  She left the area with “Little Abe” and married Tom Lincoln in Kentucky where Jesse Head, the minister who performed the ceremony, wrote of the young boy’s presence. 

A Civil War letter in the book Dear Companion by Jean Tisdale and passages in John Wilkes Booth’s diary and biography (Booth) are further evidence.  Other documents and books, historians and story keepers substantiate this story. 

The mission of the Bostic Lincoln Center, a non-profit organization, is to collect, document, research and preserve the generational-lore of the area by providing  audio/visual histories, exhibits and programs telling this story and other stories of our region. 

The Center will conduct tours of cultural and historical sites and promote the distribution  of educational materials telling the story of our County.  

At left is the marker at the intersection of the Bostic–Sunshine Highway and Walker Mill Road, one mile from the  traditional birthplace.  Tours are available by contacting The Bostic Lincoln Center at Info@BosticLincolnCenter.com, or by mail at P. O. Box 153, Bostic, N. C. 28018.