1637 Samuel Lincoln, the first known ancestor of Abraham Lincoln comes to America from England. He settles in Massachusetts.
mid-1700's The Lincolns' move to the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia by way of Pennsylvania.
1782 The Lincoln family moves to Kentucky and acquires 5000 acres of land.
1786 Indians attack the Lincoln home and Abraham Lincoln (grandfather of President Lincoln) is killed by an attacking Indian. His oldest son, Mordecai, who is 15 years old at the time, shots the Indian and kills him. The other two sons of Abraham Lincoln are Josiah and Thomas Lincoln, 8 yrs old at that time and future father of President Lincoln.
1806 Thomas Lincoln marries Nancy Hanks ( Father and Mother of President Lincoln) and they settle in Elizabethtown.
1807 The Lincolns' first child, Sarah is born.

1808

Lincolns' move to a farm along Nolin Creek.

Feb 12, 1809

Abraham Lincoln (our future 16th President of the United States) is born in a one room log cabin on the farm along Nolin Creek (near Hogdenvile, Kentucky). 
1811 When Abe is two years old, the family moves to a farm on Knob Creek, Kentucky.
1816 When Abe is seven years old, the family moves from Kentucky to Indiana, and settles at Pigeon Creek, near the Ohio River. 
1817

The arrival of Nancy's aunt and uncle, Thomas and Elizabeth Sparrow. Their son  Dennis Hanks, who is 18 at the time,  becomes close friends with Abe.
1818 Abe's mother, Nancy Hanks Lincoln comes down with "Milk Sick" and dies. Also Thomas and Elizabeth Sparrow die of the same disease.  This disease, bracellosis, was caused by cows feeding on a poisonous wild plant (white snakeroot) and passing the poison to humans through their milk. Sarah is 9 years old  and Abe is 7. Dennis Hanks moves in with the Lincolns.

1819

Abe's father, Tom Lincoln, travels back to Kentucky and brings back Sarah Bush (Johnson), a widow as his new bride. She has three children that she brings with her. 

1819-24 

 Lincoln attends local school sporadically, mainly in the winters. He received probably less than a year of formal schooling. Schools were called "Blab Schools" since students recited the lessons out loud all at once.
1827 By the time Abe was 18 years old, he was 6' 4" tall.
1828 Abe's sister Sarah, who was recently married,  dies during childbirth.
1830 Family moves to Illinois near the banks of the Sangamon River. Abe is 21 years old.
1831 Abraham Lincoln strikes out on his own and settles in New Salem, Illinois. He lives there until 1837.
1832 Abe decides to run for the Illinois State Legislature at 23 years of age. The beginning of the Black Hawk War change his plans and he enlists in the Illinois State Militia. He is elected Captain of his company but they see no combat and return home at the end of the short war (serves for only 3 months).
1832 Abe loses bid for State Legislature. He came in 8 out of 13 candidates, but he received 277 out of 300 votes from his home town of New Salem.
1832-33 Abe undertakes many occupations from a owner of a general store, a Postmaster of New Salem, manual labor on local farms, odd tasks, and even Land Surveyor. 
1834 He runs again for State Legislature and wins as a member of the Whig party.
1834 Lincoln moves to State Capital at Vandalia, IL to begin his term as legislature.
1835 State Legislature ends after 6 week session and Lincoln returns to New Salem. 
1835 Falls in love with Anne Rutledge. She dies of Typhoid Fever.
1836 Wins re-election to the State Legislature, passes Bar exam, and receives license to practice law.
1836-7 Lincoln courts Mary Owens in New Salem but the relationship does not last long.
1837 Lincoln moves to Springfield, the new state capital and boards with Joshua Speed. Besides serving as a legislative reprehensive, he practices law.
1838 Re-elected for a third term to the State Legislature and Lincoln gives his first speech on the issue of slavery.
1839 Lincoln begins "riding the circuit."  Since not every small town had courthouses, Judges and lawyers would travel from town to town to try cases.
1840 Re-elected for a fourth term to the State Legislature.  Becomes engaged to Mary Todd.
1842 Marries Mary Todd.
1843 The Lincoln's give birth to first child, Robert Todd Lincoln.
1844 Move into first house in Springfield and Lincoln becomes law partner with William Herndon.
1846 Second child is born, Edward Baker (Eddie) Lincoln
1846 Elected to the U.S. House of Representatives.
1847 Leaves Springfield with family for Washington, D.C. to serve his term in congress.
1849 Lincoln's term in Congress ends and he does not seek re-election. He returns to Springfield and resumes practicing law.
1850 His son Eddie dies from pulmonary tuberculosis.
1850 William "Willie" Wallace Lincoln is born
1853 Thomas "Tad" Lincoln is born.
1854 Lincoln reenters politics by giving a speech rebutting  a speech by Stephen Douglas.
1854 Lincoln elected again to  the Illinois State Legislature.  He resigns in order to run for the US Senate but loses.
1858 Selected as the Republican candidate for U.S. Senate. His opponent was Stephen Douglas and from Aug to Oct, the famous Lincoln-Douglas debates took place throughout IL.
1859 Douglas defeats Lincoln for Senate seat.
1860 Lincoln's famous speech at Cooper Union in New York City
1860 Nominated and Elected President of the United States.
1860-65 The Civil War

Dec 20, 1860

South Carolina Secedes from the Union.

March 4, 1860

Inauguration of Abraham Lincoln

April 12, 1860

Bombardment of Fort Sumter, SC.

July 21,  1861

Battle of  Bull Run - First major engagement of the Civil War.

Feb 20, 1862

Lincoln's son Willie dies at age 12 from Typhoid Fever.

April 6-7 1862

Battle of Shiloh

Aug 30, 1862

Second Battle of Bull Run

Sept 17, 1862

Battle of Antietam

Sept 22, 1862

Lincoln issue the Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation scheduled to go into law Jan 1, 1863.

Dec 13, 1862

Battle of Fredericksburg

Jan 1, 1863

Emancipation Proclamation is signed and goes into law.

May 2-4, 1863 

Battle of Chancellorsville

July 1-3, 1863

Battle of Gettysburg

July 4, 1863

Grant captures Vicksburg

July13-16 1863

New York draft riots

Sept 19-20 1863

Battle of Chickamauga

Nov 19, 1863

Lincoln delivers the Gettysburg Address
Nov 23-25 1863

Battle of Chattanooga

Mar 9, 1864

Ulysses S. Grant takes command of all union forces

Sept 2, 1864

General Sherman captures Atlanta

Nov 8, 1864

Lincoln reelected President

Nov-Dec 1864

General Sherman's "March to the Sea"

Dec 22, 1864

Sherman captures Savannah

Jan 31, 1865

Congress passes the 13th Amendment which outlaws slavery in every state.

March 4, 1865

Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address

April 3, 1865

Richmond falls

April 4, 1865

Lincoln visits Richmond and sits behind Jefferson Davis' desk

April 9, 1865

Lee surrenders to Grant at Appomattox Court House, Virginia

April 11, 1865

Lincoln's last public address in which he advocates the right to vote to African-Americans. John Wilkes Booth is listening to the speech and says "That will be the last speech he will ever make."

April 14, 1865

Lincoln shot at Ford's theater by John Wilkes Booth

April 15, 1865

Lincoln dies at the Peterson House across from Ford's Theater at 7:22am. 

May 4, 1865

Lincoln is buried in Springfield, IL