Blog Posts about Mary Lincoln

[kerry]

(03-04-2020 06:45 PM)Steve Wrote:  Kerry, bringing up Ann Rutledge reminded me of this thread from last year about Herndon and the reliability of his sources that you might want to check out:

https://rogerjnorton.com/LincolnDiscussi...l#pid76355

(Note: My viewpoint on Herndon's "defaulting bridegroom" account of the events of Jan. 1, 1841 have changed since my posts in that thread. I now think Mary's sister, Elizabeth, might have been remembering preparations for something like a New Year's party but confusing them for wedding preparations years later. But I still remain somewhat skeptical of the Ann Rutledge romance story, there's enough evidence for it to be "possible" but not yet enough for it to be "probable".)

I do think Herndon was trying to be fair in his evaluation of Mary in his role as an historian. I can see where his source may have led him astray in the "defaulting bridegroom" story. Even though he was only reporting what his source told him, it's easy to see why Mary would be upset about it and him -- if it weren't true. Herndon's emphasis on the Ann Rutledge story seems hard to base on the vague and contradictory stories his sources told him about Lincoln and Rutledge. I'm sure Herndon believed it to be true but I can't help but feel his own feelings toward Mary helped tint his glasses on the evidence. And the emphasis he placed on the Rutledge story does come off like an attack on Mary, even if he tried to be fair to her and bring up what he felt were Mary's good qualities.

Thank you - I will go read it now. I don't put much stock in the Ann Rutledge story, and I've looked hard at the alleged first wedding thing but have never developed a good idea of what happened. I've always thought what John W. Bunn, much younger brother of Jacob Bunn, told Wayne Whipple in 1911 was interesting. That he had asked Herndon about this, and that Herndon said he had the story from Mary Lincoln herself. Bunn said he thought that was unlikely, and that no one has ever understood how it got started. More than one person has claimed to have seen correspondence between Herndon and Mary that does not survive. Who knows? Also possible is that Herndon said he got it from Mary's sister, and Bunn misunderstood. And Jessie Weik also indicated that the Edwards spoke a bit to him about it. I plan to write something on this soon--I found a few interesting tidbits, but no smoking gun.

It is quite plausible to me that Herndon just magnified events through speculation. Eloping was common, and engagements were often kept quiet, and weddings were often small and sudden. It is entirely plausible to me that Lincoln didn't show up to some small gathering, possibly even a wedding, and that no one quite knew what went on and rumors arose. That wouldn't have been a big scandal like it would be today if you'd booked a hall and bought an expensive dress. The bride all dressed up waiting at the altar was probably not what that would have looked like. All the contemporary comments indicated that it was kind of a funny thing, and that Lincoln embarrassed himself, not that he did anything terrible. It sounds like there was just drama/hesitation that was mortifying at the time but probably pretty silly in hindsight.