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Retropolis

Abraham Lincoln’s love letters captivated America. They were a hoax.

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Updated February 23, 2023 at 3:42 p.m. EST|Published February 20, 2023 at 7:00 a.m. EST
Abraham Lincoln in a photo circa 1847. (Chicago Historical Society/AP)
7 min
correction

An earlier version of this article stated incorrectly that the Atlantic Monthly magazine flew Wilma Frances Minor to Boston. In fact, she arrived by train. This version has been corrected.

Her name was Ann Rutledge, and she was said to be Abraham Lincoln’s sweetheart. No one knew much more until nearly a century later, when a prominent national magazine in 1928 touted an amazing find: love letters between this 20-something American Romeo and Juliet, both destined for tragic ends.

“With you my beloved all things are possible,” wrote “Abe” after alerting Ann that he would squire her to the “Sand Ridge taffy-pull.” For her part, Ann’s passion outpaced her spelling: “All my hart is ever thine.”