Lincoln and Ann Rutledge

[RJNorton]

Gene and Angela, your posts made me think of a question. Here is a photo of Ann's tombstone at Oakland Cemetery:

Here are the words from Masters' poem:

Out of me unworthy and unknown
The vibrations of deathless music;
"With malice toward none with charity for all."
Out of me the forgiveness of millions toward millions,
And the beneficent face of a nation
Shining with justice and truth.
I am Anne Rutledge who sleep beneath these weeds,
Beloved in life of Abraham Lincoln,
Wedded to him, not through union
But through separation.
Bloom forever, O Republic,
From the dust of my bosom!

The 8th line of Masters' poem is "Beloved in life of Abraham Lincoln."

But the words "in life" were left off the gravestone. Anybody know why?

[Gene C]

(09-03-2014 02:09 PM)RJNorton Wrote:  The 8th line of Masters' poem is "Beloved in life of Abraham Lincoln."

But the words "in life" were left off the gravestone. Anybody know why?

I can only guess... She was beloved in life and death.

[Houmes]

(09-03-2014 02:09 PM)RJNorton Wrote:  Here are the words from Masters' poem:

Out of me unworthy and unknown
The vibrations of deathless music;
"With malice toward none with charity for all."
Out of me the forgiveness of millions toward millions,
And the beneficent face of a nation
Shining with justice and truth.
I am Anne Rutledge who sleep beneath these weeds,
Beloved in life of Abraham Lincoln,
Wedded to him, not through union
But through separation.
Bloom forever, O Republic,
From the dust of my bosom!

The 8th line of Masters' poem is "Beloved in life of Abraham Lincoln."

But the words "in life" were left off the gravestone. Anybody know why?

Ann Rutledge's grave stone with the poem was placed in the cemetery in 1921. Robert Todd Lincoln was still alive in 1921, and both he and his mother were enraged at the Ann Rutledge story ever since Herndon started talking about it in the 1800's. Robert Todd Lincoln didn't die until 1926.

Coincidence? Or careful editing?

[David Lockmiller]

(09-03-2014 02:09 PM)RJNorton Wrote:  Gene and Angela, your posts made me think of a question. Here is a photo of Ann's tombstone at Oakland Cemetery:

Here are the words from Masters' poem:

Out of me unworthy and unknown
The vibrations of deathless music;
"With malice toward none with charity for all."
Out of me the forgiveness of millions toward millions,
And the beneficent face of a nation
Shining with justice and truth.
I am Anne Rutledge who sleep beneath these weeds,
Beloved in life of Abraham Lincoln,
Wedded to him, not through union
But through separation.
Bloom forever, O Republic,
From the dust of my bosom!

The 8th line of Masters' poem is "Beloved in life of Abraham Lincoln."

But the words "in life" were left off the gravestone. Anybody know why?

Perhaps it is because "Beloved in life of Abraham Lincoln" does not make much sense. The additional words simply detract. The person responsible for carving the words onto the tombstone may have thought so as well.

I am Anne Rutledge who sleep beneath these weeds,
Beloved of Abraham Lincoln,
Wedded to him, not through union
But through separation.

Decades later, Isaac Cogdal asked Lincoln about Anne Rutledge. Lincoln's response was:

"I loved the woman dearly & sacredly: she was a handsome girl — would have made a good loving wife — was natural & quite intellectual, though not highly Educated — I did honestly — & truly love the girl & think often — often of her now."

[Eva Elisabeth]

(09-04-2014 09:40 AM)David Lockmiller Wrote:  The additional words simply detract. The person responsible for carving the words onto the tombstone may have thought so as well.

Luckily IMO Jules Guerin (think it was he?) didn't consider any words of the Gettysburg Address or 2nd Inaugural detracting when quoting them on the inside walls of the Lincoln Memorial! (If chacun à son goût went first - who knows what Masters would have done then?)
Dr. Houmes' hint seems likely to me.

[LincolnToddFan]

Eva., count me in with you and everyone else agreeing with Dr. Houmes' opinion of the inscription.

By the way, I wonder if the people who make the pilgrimage to Ann Rutledge's gravesite at Petersburg Cemetery are aware that there is in fact nothing beneath that massive stone...except two small bones, some pieces of rotted wood and a small amount of soil? When AR was disinterred from Old Concord Cemetery in 1890, this was basically all that was found in addition to a few stands of hair, a ribbon and a button? Her descendants kept everything except the two bones and the rotted wood, which were re-interred at Petersburg under the stone with the ELM poem.

(Source: "Lincoln Legends: Myths, Hoaxes, and Confabulations Associated With Our Greatest President" pgs #51-59, author Edward Steers Jr.)

Even if I was enamored of the Ann/Abe legend, the fact that the man who authored the poem on the headstone (Edgar Lee Masters)later turned so violently and viciously against Lincoln and disavowed every good thing he had ever said about him would give me pause. For me at least, it makes his gravestone "tribute" ring even more hollow.

[Gene C]

Next month on the Springfield Tour, we will be making the pilgrimage to the Petersburg/Oakland Cemetery where we will pay our respects to the two bones and the rotton wood. I am looking forword to the conversations the group will have on this, and other incidents in Lincoln's life in New Salem area.

When you walk the streets of New Salem, everything seems so simple and carefree. But in reality daily existence was hard work, many people's bodies just wore out and they died at an early age due to the hard physical work. Illness and disease that can be easily cured today, were frequently fatal, as in Ann's tragic death. Abraham was poor, worried about paying his debts - which were substancial, he's concerned about his future. He failled at being a store keeper and he frequently had to board with other people in the community so he became intimately involved in their lives and strugles too. He shared their concerns and burdens as well as his own. It's here that the character and principles that his parents helped instill, become reinforced through his contact with the people of New Salem. It's here that you find a young man of limited means with a lot of potential, a young man looking for purpose and direction in his life. You can learn about giving to others without expecting anything in return, finding pleasure in the simple things in life, about freindships that last a lifetime, and about the importance in helping a young person find there way in life. Here is where these stories are waiting to be told.

[David Lockmiller]

(09-04-2014 06:39 PM)Eva Elisabeth Wrote:  

(09-04-2014 09:40 AM)David Lockmiller Wrote:  The additional words simply detract. The person responsible for carving the words onto the tombstone may have thought so as well.

Luckily IMO Jules Guerin (think it was he?) didn't consider any words of the Gettysburg Address or 2nd Inaugural detracting when quoting them on the inside walls of the Lincoln Memorial! (If chacun à son goût went first - who knows what Masters would have done then?)
Dr. Houmes' hint seems likely to me.

I think Lincoln was a better writer. What is your opinion?

[Eva Elisabeth]

(Better than who? Masters?) I'm afraid I tried to illustrate my point in the post above in an ironical way, I'm sorry about that, and actually I'm not sure if you really got it.
I don't believe the words were left out because Masters himself followed his gôut instead of his instructions and changed the line on his own authority. If it was like that and such artistic liscense possible - this was intended to be an illustrative example - I'm glad that such didn't happen with the Memorial inscriptions as I wouldn't have liked anything changed or left out (and here's my opinion). Hope this answers your question!

[L Verge]

(09-04-2014 09:40 AM)David Lockmiller Wrote:  

(09-03-2014 02:09 PM)RJNorton Wrote:  Gene and Angela, your posts made me think of a question. Here is a photo of Ann's tombstone at Oakland Cemetery:

Here are the words from Masters' poem:

Out of me unworthy and unknown
The vibrations of deathless music;
"With malice toward none with charity for all."
Out of me the forgiveness of millions toward millions,
And the beneficent face of a nation
Shining with justice and truth.
I am Anne Rutledge who sleep beneath these weeds,
Beloved in life of Abraham Lincoln,
Wedded to him, not through union
But through separation.
Bloom forever, O Republic,
From the dust of my bosom!

The 8th line of Masters' poem is "Beloved in life of Abraham Lincoln."

But the words "in life" were left off the gravestone. Anybody know why?

Perhaps it is because "Beloved in life of Abraham Lincoln" does not make much sense. The additional words simply detract. The person responsible for carving the words onto the tombstone may have thought so as well.

I am Anne Rutledge who sleep beneath these weeds,
Beloved of Abraham Lincoln,
Wedded to him, not through union
But through separation.

Decades later, Isaac Cogdal asked Lincoln about Anne Rutledge. Lincoln's response was:

"I loved the woman dearly & sacredly: she was a handsome girl — would have made a good loving wife — was natural & quite intellectual, though not highly Educated — I did honestly — & truly love the girl & think often — often of her now."

Just my two cents again, but the words "in life" (to me) make it seem that Mr. Lincoln didn't love her after her death. The carver - or someone giving him instructions - deleted "in life" in order to make it seem that Anne was his beloved for eternity.

Further, in the Cogdal quote, I note that Lincoln used the past tense when talking about his former love -- "I DID honestly-- & truly love... Not "I continue to love", and "think often," not DREAM or WISH for her. Does that make sense?

[Eva Elisabeth]

EXCELLENT points, Laurie!!

[David Lockmiller]

(09-05-2014 06:07 PM)L Verge Wrote:  Decades later, Isaac Cogdal asked Lincoln about Anne Rutledge. Lincoln's response was:

"I loved the woman dearly & sacredly: she was a handsome girl — would have made a good loving wife — was natural & quite intellectual, though not highly Educated — I did honestly — & truly love the girl & think often — often of her now."

A lost love never dies! It never happened. When you die, both are dead.

[LincolnToddFan]

[Further, in the Cogdal quote, I note that Lincoln used the past tense when talking about his former love -- "I DID honestly-- & truly love... Not "I continue to love", and "think often," not DREAM or WISH for her. Does that make sense? ]// quote

Laurie, it makes perfect sense. He might have loved AR, but in Lincoln's own words during the White House years:

"My wife is as handsome as when she was a girl, and I, a poor nobody then, fell in love with her then. And what is more, I have never fallen out.

(quote attributed to Abraham Lincoln from C.E.L. of the Christian Monitor, Sept 7, 1872)

[L Verge]

(09-05-2014 10:02 PM)David Lockmiller Wrote:  

(09-05-2014 06:07 PM)L Verge Wrote:  Decades later, Isaac Cogdal asked Lincoln about Anne Rutledge. Lincoln's response was:

"I loved the woman dearly & sacredly: she was a handsome girl — would have made a good loving wife — was natural & quite intellectual, though not highly Educated — I did honestly — & truly love the girl & think often — often of her now."

A lost love never dies! It never happened. When you die, both are dead.

I think you lost me on that one, David... But, it sounds like you have had such an experience.

[RJNorton]

Many thanks to Richard Sloan for this photo of Sarah Saunders as she looked in c.1922. Sarah was Ann Rutledge's youngest sister. She was in a nursing home in California; she broke her hip in 1921.