The Berry Cabin

Thomas Lincoln proposed to Nancy Hanks in this house, which originally stood on Beech Creek about one mile away. At the time, Nancy was living with her cousin Francis Berry and his family. After the death of Nancy’s father, James Hanks, Lucy Shipley Hanks and her daughter Nancy emigrated from Virginia to Kentucky and moved into the home of Lucy’s sister, Rachel Shipley Berry, and her husband, Richard Berry, Sr. Lucy later remarried and moved to Boyle County, Kentucky, while Nancy remained with the Berry family until Rachel’s death and then moved to Francis Berry’s home. Thomas Lincoln was also related to the Berry family, and it was probably through them that he met Nancy Hanks. A respected carpenter and cabinetmaker, Thomas was not wealthy but owned land in Hardin County, Kentucky, and town lots in Elizabethtown. Tradition holds that he proposed to Nancy in the parlor before the hearth, and she accepted. They were married on June 12, 1806.

Kentucky · United States