The Shadows Rise

[maharba]

Yes, I see old papers quoting Ann's sister Sarah Rutledge Saunders with harsh words for John McNamar, that he bought their property and threw her mother out. That her mother then had to make the move out to Iowa because of McNamar. It seems hard for me to believe that, after all the research of William Herndon and others, that no one seems to have noticed the marriage(s) of Eliza Jane Short to first a John McNeil and then later to John McNamar --who appears to be one and the same man. Surely, Herndon must have heard and commented on that, somewhere in his writings? And doesn't the SHADOWS book say that John McNamar claimed that he wrote Lincoln's very first speech for him, or collaborated in writing it? Lincoln when writing to him apparently called him 'Mack' at times, in their business dealings. And when John McNamar went back to NY for a time, didn't he complain that Abraham Lincoln had broken into a locked trunk that McNamar had left, and Lincoln had stolen items from it? McNamer and Lincoln remained on friendly and good business terms. I would have thought that, if anything, Lincoln would be outraged if McNamar had thrown the Rutledge family out of their home.