Abraham's father Thomas Lincoln had lost two previous homes in Kentucky, one at the Sinking Springs farm where Lincoln was born, in part through problems with land titles. Because Kentucky had not had proper land surveys in its early years, many residents were forced off their farms after surveys were completed and land titles were challenged. The Lincolns were one such family: after Thomas had built some economic and social success in Kentucky, he lost everything. In 1815 he went to Indiana to locate a new homestead for his family. He wanted to live in a free state rather than compete with farmers who used slave labor.
The family took two weeks in 1816 to move to Spencer County in southern Indiana, settling at what was known as Little Pigeon Creek.
