Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1882-08-03
THE LOVES OF LINCOLN.

The death of Mrs. Lincoln at the home of
that sister where she first met and was cOurted
by her future husband closes the family life
of Abraham Lincoln. She was not his first
or deepest love. That distinction belongs to
Ann Rutledge, whose father was the founder
of the village of New Salem on the Sangamon,
a village which is now deserted. Rutledge
was one of the famous South Carolina families,
and his daughter, four years younger than
Lincoln. seemed to have impressed the whole
community as a lovely and refined girl, un-
affected a ''blon1e in complexion, with gold
ell hair, cherry-red lips and bonny blue eeye,'
saws Mcnamara. Mcnamara was the lover
who first won her heart. lie went home to
New York to take West his parents, but was
detained some years i'll New ork. In the
meantime Lincoln pressed his suit, and the
girls parents doubling whether Mcnamara
would ever come back she gave her love to
Lincoln, but insisted on waiting for Il for
NAL release from McNamra before marriage.
This waiting told upon her sensitive organism,
her health declined and she died OF what was
called brain fever, August 25, 1885. This was
the great grief of Lincoln's youth. His reas-
on was unsettled and his friend Bowln Green,
had to take him off to a lonely log cabin and
keen him until he recovered his sanity. Then
it was when he learned the poem beginning:
ooh why should the spirit of mortal be proad?'
An old friend who asked him after lis cleo
tion to the presidency if it was true that he
loved and courted Ann Rutledge, got this
reply: j., ,,,,,o
loved the name of Rutledge TO TINS Gay. e., IL
was nv first | loved the woman dearly. She
was a handsome girl; and would have made
good, loving wife was natural and quite
intellectual, though not highly educated L
did honestly and truly love the girl and think
often, often of her now"
McNamara returned soon after her death,
lived near the little burying-ground, and IN
1866 pointed out the grave of Ann Rutledge
to Mr.. Herndon. This affair had a marked
effect upon Lincoln's life and added to its
somber tone but it probably had also deep
er meaning in purifying and ennoDllng his
inner nature.
Mr.. Lincoln, who by this time was mem.
Der of the Legislature and about -, next
''paid attentions to Miss Owen, smart
young woman of some avoirdupois, who once
told him that she thought he was ''lacking III
the smaller attention, those little links which
make up the great chain of woman's happl-
ness" because he dangled along by her side
once when they were going up hill, and
allowed her friend, Mrs Bowlin Green, to
'scarry big, fat child, heavy and GROSSLY dis
posed,n up tie hill. 4 still more untoward
incident happened once at Mrs. Ables', Sis
ter of Miss Owens. Lincoln had sent word
to Ables that he was coming down to see
Miss Owens. She, girl-fashion, to test hel
lover, went off ''to Graham's, about mile
and half. When Lincoln came and was sc
informed, he asked if Miss Owens did not
know he was coming Mrs. Ables saidn but
one of her enfants tcrribles promptly replied
Eyes, ma, she did, for l heard Sam tell hel
So" "I.incoln sat awhile and then went
about his business,' says Lannon's account
Letters exist from Lincoln to Miss Owens il
1886 and 1887, in one of which he says:
''If You feel yourself in any degree bounC