Jul 3, 2009 9:18 am US/Eastern
Abe Lincoln Descendant Shares Eerie Connection
UPPER DARBY, Pa. (CBS 3) ―
Philadelphia is well known this time of year for being America's birthplace, and there are plenty of historic sites and events that will tell you about the Declaration of Independence or the American Revolution.
But did you know the man who saved the union during the Civil War has significant ties to Delaware County – and to one man in particular?
That's right, Abraham Lincoln, the nation's 16th president, has lengthy family ties in and around Darby Borough, Pa. One Lincoln there even goes by the name "Abe."
John "Abe" Lincoln is a third generation descendant of Famous Abe's cousin Elizabeth Lincoln Worrell – who local historians say Lincoln visited in Darby on at least two occasions, once while he was president.
John will tell you his nose and ears make him look something like Honest Abe, especially from the right side.
But what really links him to the late President: both men were shot in the head. John Wilkes Booth, of course, shot President Lincoln at Ford's Theatre in April 1865. John Lincoln was shot in Southwest Philadelphia in 1971 while working for SEPTA.
"When everybody heard about me getting shot in the head, that's what they started calling me, [Abe]," he said. "People call me John, and I don't respond to it. People call me Abe, I respond to it."
But now John "Abe" Lincoln is working to save some of his family's Pennsylvania history.
He and Lindy Wardell have spent years trying to restore the Darby Methodist Meeting Cemetery on Springfield Road in Darby. Wardell, president of the Darby Borough Historical Society, stumbled across the cemetery 10 years ago. It was overgrown and hidden in a plot of woods.
"I saw all these stones in the woods, and I wandered in to see what they were," Wardell said. "I found one from 1808 and 1809, and I got excited."
Wardell discovered that approximately 45 Lincolns – including the President's cousin – are buried in the cemetery.
"It was exciting because it was about that time we realized we did have a mission," she said. "We've identified 876 burials without records. We've had to do our own research."
Wardell, Lincoln and a small group of volunteers have spent 10 years now pulling out more than 200 trees, trimming weeds and repairing vandalized tombstones. Finally, in time for the celebration of President Lincoln's 200th birthday this past February, the cemetery is in walk-able condition.
"It's outstanding – I can't believe it. I've learned so much," said John Lincoln.
But there is still a lot of work to do.
Holes dot the ground, the dirt is uneven and a dozen or more tombstones are broken or need to be straightened.
Wardell thinks the volunteers could fix it all with about $30,000 in donations. She says they're leaving a legacy not just for the people buried in the cemetery – but for generations who might come to look at the history.
"I feel enriched by being able to know this – and I do get in to it," she said.
If you'd like to help out, donations can be made to the Friends of the Darby Methodist Meeting Cemetery. The group can be reached here:
E-mail:
darbypahistory@rcn.com
Phone:
610-583-4386
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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