Sarah Rickard

[LincolnToddFan]

Something that strikes me about Abraham Lincoln and his dealings with the opposite sex(before his marriage) was his pattern of intense attractions to women and girls who were not available. Let's look at this for a minute-
Anne Rutledge-engaged to his pal John McNamar. Even if she did return AL's feelings for her she was pledged to another man. That could have gotten messy.
Mary Owens-she wasn't that into him, and he wasn't that into her, but they discussed marriage. Weird.
Sarah Rickard-very young, and just like Mary Owens and Matilda Edwards, didn't take the guy at all seriously as a love interest.
Matilda Edwards-this ravishing young lady touted by so many anti-Mary Lincoln "Herndon School" biographers as Lincoln's great passion, the woman he ditched Mary for, didn't even give Lincoln the time of day. Never even had a real, complete conversation together!

Then we have Mary Ann Todd, desperate to marry him and even willing to wait for him after he dumped her. But he got cold feet and had doubts, apparently right up to the last minute.

This confirms my suspicion that Lincoln biographer Charles Strozier was dead on the money about AL's fears of real intimacy. He only ever felt comfortable chasing girls who were either unavailable or didn't want him.

Interesting postscript about Matilda. A few years into their marriage, the Lincolns were teasing one another about her. In a letter MTL wrote to him she casually noted that Matilda was in town, and AL playfully responded something to the effect of "will you deliver a letter to her from me..neener neener!" It was all very light-hearted and tongue in cheek. Knowing his volatile, insecure young wife as he did would AL have risked setting her off if Matilda had ever meant anything REALLY serious to him?

Nope. Don't think so!