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Obituary
National Banner & Nashville Whig, April 1, 1836
On the evening of the 30th of March, about twelve o’clock, a soul of bliss winged its way to mansions on high. Too pure longer to remain here below, it returned to its maker, after a sojourn among us of twenty-one winters. By redeeming grace was made as pure as ‘twas first given.

Mrs. Ann Sanders, consort of Charles H. Sanders, was a woman whose piety made her celestial among mortals. She was a happy representative of the Church. Her lovely expression was a magnet to the lukewarm and to the skeptic.

In her the Church has lost its brightest ornament, the poor their kindest friend, society its strongest prop.

Ann Rawlins Sanders

For many years, fantastic legends swirled around the name Ann Rawlins Sanders. Tales of suicide and unrequited love blackened her memory and obscured her true life. In reality, Ann was a loved and respected young woman whose early death caused great sorrow.

Ann was married to Charles Sanders on August 29,1832. She was a member of the Nashville Presbyterian Church. The ceremony was performed by the minister, Reverend William Hume.

Ann died of natural causes March 30th, 1836. An obituary, in the Nashville Banner and Nashville Whig April 01, 1836, describes her as a “woman whose piety made her celestial, a happy representative of her church, whose lovely expression was a magnet to the lukewarm and the skeptic. In her, the Church have [sic] lost its brightest ornament…”

After so long, the true memory of Ann Rawlins Sanders is known and honored.

– Carol Kaplan, June 25, 2015