Abraham Lincoln was born February 12, 1809 in Kentucky.  As with most births of this time period, especially in rural America, Abraham Lincoln was brought into this world by a Mid-Wife. And it was on that wintry day that Thomas Lincoln came in search of assistance for his wife, Nancy Hanks Lincoln, who was about to deliver. 

Abraham Lincoln's Mid-Wife was Mary Brooks Enlow (formerly LaRue), who's first husband was John LaRue, son of Isaac and Phebe (Carman) LaRue. Also present was Margaret (LaRue) Walters, Mary's daughter, and Rebecca Hodgen Keith, daughter of John LaRue's sister Sarah) - all were neighbors of the Lincoln's.

John LaRue was the son of  Isaac LaRue, Sr. and Phebe Carman. John LaRue was a man of considerable property in Kentucky - his land numbered in the tens of thousands of acres of the area around Shelby County, Kentucky. The name of Squire Boone, Daniel Boone's brother, is mentioned often in these records.

The County of LaRue, Kentucky was most likely named after John LaRue (and the many LaRue descendants of that area). The request for the naming of the County came from the Governor of Kentucky - George Helm (John and Mary Brooks LaRue's son in law and husband of Rebecca LaRue). [George was not the Governor of Kentucky - it was his son John LaRue Helm who was Governor - thanks to Nancy A. Schloss for catching that]

After John LaRue's death most of his land went to his children, but with so much land in question (estimates total about 40,000 acres of Kentucky when John died in 1792), legal litigations came up. One of those involved in the litigations was James Buchanan, father of the future President of the United States of the same name.

In the later history of the LaRue family no names are of more frequent occurrence than Squire for the boys and Phebe for the girls. The former comes from Boone [Squire Boone, brother of Daniel], the latter from Phebe Carman, the wife of Isaac LaRue, Sr. - "Six Generations of Larues and Allied Families", page 80

10/07/2006