Lerna is a village in

Coles County Coles County is a county in Illinois. As of the 2020 census, the population was 46,863. Its county seat is Charleston, which is also the home of Eastern Illinois University. Coles County is part of the Charleston- Mattoon, IL Micropolitan S ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. The population was 226 at the 2020 census. It is part of the

Charleston Charleston most commonly refers to: * Charleston, South Carolina * Charleston, West Virginia, the state capital * Charleston (dance) Charleston may also refer to: Places Australia * Charleston, South Australia Canada * Charleston, Newfoundlan ...

– Mattoon Micropolitan Statistical Area.

Thomas Lincoln Thomas Lincoln (January 6, 1778 – January 17, 1851) was an American farmer, carpenter, and father of the 16th president of the United States, Abraham Lincoln. Unlike some of his ancestors, Thomas could not write. He struggled to make a succes ...

, father of President

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...

, spent the later part of his life on a

homestead Homestead may refer to: *Homestead (buildings), a farmhouse and its adjacent outbuildings; by extension, it can mean any small cluster of houses *Homestead (unit), a unit of measurement equal to 160 acres *Homestead principle, a legal concept th ...

a few miles away, preserved today as the

Lincoln Log Cabin State Historic Site The Lincoln Log Cabin State Historic Site is an 86-acre (0.3 km²) history park located eight miles (13 km) south of Charleston, Illinois, U.S., near the town of Lerna. The centerpiece is a replica of the log cabin built and occupied by ...

. Thomas Lincoln and his second wife

Sarah Bush Lincoln Sarah Bush Lincoln (December 13, 1788 – April 12, 1869) was the second wife of Thomas Lincoln and stepmother of Abraham Lincoln. She was born in Kentucky to Christopher and Hannah Bush. She married her first husband, Daniel Johnston, in 1806, a ...

are buried in Shiloh Cemetery south of town.

Geography

According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Lerna has a total area of , all land.

Demographics

As of the 2020 census there were 226 people, 110 households, and 69 families residing in the village. The population density was . There were 118 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 94.25%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

, 1.33%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 0.44% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 3.98% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 1.77% of the population. There were 110 households, out of which 30.91% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.09% were married couples living together, 0.91% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.27% were non-families. 30.00% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.73% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.62 and the average family size was 2.28. The village's age distribution consisted of 16.7% under the age of 18, 11.6% from 18 to 24, 25.5% from 25 to 44, 22.8% from 45 to 64, and 23.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38.6 years. For every 100 females, there were 107.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 102.9 males. The median income for a household in the village was $44,286, and the median income for a family was $54,583. Males had a median income of $30,625 versus $32,250 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the village was $19,442. About 8.7% of families and 20.2% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 29.4% of those under age 18 and 5.1% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

* Charles W. Clabaugh, Illinois state representative, educator, and businessman

References

{{authority control Villages in Coles County, Illinois Villages in Illinois Charleston–Mattoon, IL Micropolitan Statistical Area