David Moffett

The Moffetts of Leggygowan & the Land of Lincoln David Moffett

This book, which was twelve years in the making, tells the story of a Scotch Irish family, the Moffetts, who migrated from the Lowlands of Scotland in the late 1600s to County Down, Ireland. They settled in the townland of Leggygowan where they raised a family of nine children on a small farm. In the period 1777-1784, three young brothers sailed for America to seek freedom from British tyranny and the hope for a better life. This family traces its history from its early settlement in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania to the frontier of Kentucky and finally to Macon County, Illinois. There the Moffetts settled across the river from another Kentucky family, the Lincolns. Their son, Abraham, became a family friend and lawyer for the Moffetts. He would later become the 14th President of the United States. The Moffetts were among the first to promote the young back woodsman as a presidential candidate.