text: He became county wrestling champion at the age of 21.He gained a reputation for strength and audacity after winning a wrestling match with the renowned leader of ruffians known as "the Clary's Grove Boys".In March 1830, fearing another milk sickness outbreak, several members of the extended Lincoln family, including Abraham, moved west to Illinois, a free state, and settled in Macon County.Abraham then became increasingly distant from Thomas, in part due to his father's lack of education.In 1831, as Thomas and other family members prepared to move to a new homestead in Coles County, Illinois, Abraham struck out on his own.He made his home in New Salem, Illinois, for six years.Lincoln and some friends took goods, including live hogs, by flatboat to New Orleans, Louisiana, where he first witnessed slavery.Marriage and children Speculation persists that Lincoln's first romantic interest was Ann Rutledge, whom he met when he moved to New Salem.Witness testimony, given decades afterward, showed a lack of any specific recollection of a romance between the two.Rutledge died on August 25, 1835, most likely of typhoid fever; saying that he could not bear the idea of rain falling on Ann's grave, Lincoln sunk into a serious episode of depression, and this gave rise to speculation that he had been in love with her.In the early 1830s, he met Mary Owens from Kentucky.Late in 1836, Lincoln agreed to a match with Owens if she returned to New Salem.Owens arrived that November and he courted her for a time; however, they both had second thoughts.On August 16, 1837, he wrote Owens a letter saying he would not blame her if she ended the relationship, and she never replied.In 1839, Lincoln met Mary Todd in Springfield, Illinois, and the following year they became engaged.She was the daughter of Robert Smith Todd, a wealthy lawyer and businessman in Lexington, Kentucky.