At various times, he owned farms, livestock, and town lots, paid taxes, sat on juries, appraised estates, and served on county patrols
Thomas and Nancy were members of a Separate Baptists church, which forbade alcohol, dancing, and slavery
Overcoming financial challenges, Thomas in 1827 obtained clear title to  in Indiana, an area which became the Little Pigeon Creek Community
Ten years later, on January 20, 1828, Sarah died while giving birth to a stillborn son, devastating Lincoln
On December 2, 1819, Thomas married Sarah Bush Johnston, a widow from Elizabethtown, Kentucky, with three children of her own
Abraham became close to his stepmother and called her "Mother"
Lincoln disliked the hard labor associated with farm life
His family even said he was lazy, for all his "reading, scribbling, writing, ciphering, writing Poetry, etc."
His stepmother acknowledged he did not enjoy "physical labor", but loved to read
Education and move to Illinois
Lincoln was largely self-educated
His formal schooling was from itinerant teachers
He persisted as an avid reader and retained a lifelong interest in learning
Despite being self-educated, Lincoln was the recipient of honorary degrees later in life, including an honorary Doctor of Laws from Columbia University in June 1861
As a teen, Lincoln took responsibility for chores and customarily gave his father all earnings from work outside the home until he was 21
Lincoln was tall, strong, and athletic, and became adept at using an ax
He was an active wrestler during his youth and trained in the rough catch-as-catch-can style (also known as catch wrestling)
He became county wrestling champion at the age of 21
He gained a reputation for strength and audacity after winning a wrestling match with the renowned leader of ruffians known as "the Clary's Grove Boys"
In March 1830, fearing another milk sickness outbreak, several members of the extended Lincoln family, including Abraham, moved west to Illinois, a free state, and settled in Macon County
Abraham then became increasingly distant from Thomas, in part due to his father's lack of education
In 1831, as Thomas and other family members prepared to move to a new homestead in Coles County, Illinois, Abraham struck out on his own
He made his home in New Salem, Illinois, for six years
Lincoln and some friends took goods, including live hogs, by flatboat to New Orleans, Louisiana, where he first witnessed slavery
Marriage and children

Speculation persists that Lincoln's first romantic interest was Ann Rutledge, whom he met when he moved to New Salem
Witness testimony, given decades afterward, showed a lack of any specific recollection of a romance between the two
In the early 1830s, he met Mary Owens from Kentucky
Late in 1836, Lincoln agreed to a match with Owens if she returned to New Salem
Owens arrived that November and he courted her for a time; however, they both had second thoughts
On August 16, 1837, he wrote Owens a letter saying he would not blame her if she ended the relationship, and she never replied
In 1839, Lincoln met Mary Todd in Springfield, Illinois, and the following year they became engaged
She was the daughter of Robert Smith Todd, a wealthy lawyer and businessman in Lexington, Kentucky
A wedding set for January 1, 1841, was canceled at Lincoln's request, but they reconciled and married on November 4, 1842, in the Springfield mansion of Mary's sister
While anxiously preparing for the nuptials, he was asked where he was going and replied, "To hell, I suppose." In 1844, the couple bought a house in Springfield near his law office
Mary kept house with the help of a hired servant and a relative
Lincoln was an affectionate husband and father of four sons, though his work regularly kept him away from home
The oldest, Robert Todd Lincoln, was born in 1843 and was the only child to live to maturity
Edward Baker Lincoln (Eddie), born in 1846, died February 1, 1850, probably of tuberculosis
Lincoln's third son, "Willie" Lincoln was born on December 21, 1850, and died of a fever at the White House on February 20, 1862
The youngest, Thomas "Tad" Lincoln, was born on April 4, 1853, and survived his father but died of heart failure at age 18 on July 16, 1871
Lincoln "was remarkably fond of children" and the Lincolns were not considered to be strict with their own
In fact, Lincoln's law partner William H
Herndon would grow irritated when Lincoln brought his children to the law office
Their father, it seemed, was often too absorbed in his work to notice his children's behavior
Herndon recounted, "I have felt many and many a time that I wanted to wring their little necks, and yet out of respect for Lincoln I kept my mouth shut
Lincoln did not note what his children were doing or had done."

The deaths of their sons, Eddie and Willie, had profound effects on both parents
Lincoln suffered from "melancholy", a condition now thought to be clinical depression
Later in life, Mary struggled with the stresses of losing her husband and sons, and Robert committed her for a time to an asylum in 1875
Early career and militia service

During 1831 and 1832, Lincoln worked at a general store in New Salem, Illinois
In 1832, he declared his candidacy for the Illinois House of Representatives, but interrupted his campaign to serve as a captain in the Illinois Militia during the Black Hawk War
As licensed bartenders, Lincoln and Berry were able to sell spirits, including liquor, for 12 cents a pint