Lincoln and Ann Rutledge

[Lewis Gannett]

Something about Lincoln I find very interesting: he was drawn to people more educated and more worldly than he. Some of these friends were women; Joshua Speed was the only male example I know. I mention this because it bears on why Lincoln married Mary Todd: compared to most people Lincoln had known, Mary was a walking, talking encyclopedia. Lincoln learned from her. Speed, by the way, came from a rich, educated, slave-owning Kentucky family: shades of Mary. Lincoln learned from him, too. Imagine: this guy who would turn into one of the greatest geniuses of all time came from the remotest sticks, and to get to his future high places he had to learn A LOT. Lincoln hungered for knowledge like a starving person. In fact, it almost ruined his health. This oddly enough circles back to the Ann Rutledge story. Its driven-mad-with-grief theme isn't the only way to make sense of what happened.