Abraham Lincoln was born in Hardin County, Kentucky, on February 12, 1809. He moved with his family to Indiana in 1816 and to Illinois in 1830. His first home in Illinois was eight miles southwest of Springfield, and there he operated a general store and served as Postmaster and Deputy County Surveyor in 1833. He served as a Representative in the Illinois State Legislature from 1834-1842. In 1836 Lincoln was admitted to the bar, and in 1837 he moved to Springfield and began his law practice. He married Mary Todd in 1842 and purchased his home at Eighth and Jackson Streets in Springfield two years later.