Rutledge, Ann (1813-1835), became famous as Abraham Lincoln’s first sweetheart. Romantic stories of their tragic love affair are based more on legend than on fact.
Ann Rutledge was born on Jan. 7, 1813, in Henderson County, Kentucky. She was the daughter of the innkeeper in New Salem, Illinois, where Lincoln lived for a time. She was engaged to John McNamar, a wealthy settler. He left for the East, and there was doubt that he would return to marry Ann. Meanwhile, she may have accepted a proposal of marriage from Lincoln. However, she soon became ill and died on Aug. 25, 1835.
