Part 9 of my series “John Wilkes Booth in the Woods” is now complete and available for viewing.
In this part I try one of Booth’s favorite drinks and finally receive the newspapers I’ve been craving.
To watch the video, you can either click on the images above and scroll down, click HERE to watch the video on YouTube, or play the embedded video below.
Ford’s Theatre’s newest blog post discusses the first museum that was housed inside their historic edifice: the Army Medical Museum. They were also kind enough to link to one of my posts on the subject. Take a look and, if you so desire, you can also check out my pictures of John Wilkes Booth’s vertebrae by visiting here: http://boothiebarn.com/2014/06/27/john-wilkes-booths-vertebrae/
The Junius Brutus Booth Society is a wonderful organization that works to educate the public and scholars about the illustrious Booth family. Their main venue for doing so is the Booth family home in Harford County, Maryland: Tudor Hall.
In addition to the superb Spirits of Tudor Hall Facebook page and blog, the JBB Society also publishes a quarterly newsletter for members. For the low membership price of $12 a year you are not only supporting a hardworking organization that is effectively transforming Tudor Hall into a preeminent Booth family museum but you also receive impressive scholarship in the form of the newsletter, Booth History Spotlight. For example, the Fall 2014 newsletter contains part one of an in depth look at the life of Dr. Joseph Booth, Edwin’s dedication address for an Edgar Allen Poe Memorial, an account of Edwin’s final days, a recipe written by Edwina Booth, and information about future tours and talks at Tudor Hall and beyond. Each issue also contains a small part called “The Spotlight Quiz”. This quiz takes the form of a piece of trivia which tests and informs you about a member of the Booth family. Today’s post was inspired by this issue’s Spotlight quiz:
Now this question seems easy enough, already giving you the month of Edwin’s birth. Off the top of my head, I knew Edwin was born during a spectacular meteor shower but I’ve never been good at memorizing exact dates. My response was sometime in mid-November.
The newsletter gives the answer, “Edwin Thomas Booth was born at the Booth family farm on November 13, 1833.” But is this true?
Oddly enough when it comes to the exact birthdate of the world’s greatest Hamlet, the biggest theatrical star of his generation, Edwin’s exact date of birth is a little unclear. Back in 2011, Tom Fink, president of the Junius Brutus Booth Society, wrote a piece about how even Edwin Booth was unsure of his birthdate. I quote from Tom’s article which you can read in its entirety here:
“Edwin Booth wasn’t sure of the exact date of his birth at the property of Tudor Hall. His mother and older brother Junius, Jr. disagree on the day he was born. In a letter to his daughter, Edwina, dated November 14, 1869 describes his dilemma:
My Own Daughter,
Your dear letter with the pretty book-mark (“I love you”) came safely last night, just in time. It seems there is some doubt as to the exact date of my arrival here. Grandma says I was born on the night of the great “star shower” in 1883, and insists that it was November 15; but Uncle June says he remembers well—both my birth and the “Star Shower” occurred on November 13, 1833. So you see, I do not know which is the day—for, although I was there, I was too young to pay attention to such weighty matters, and can’t remember much about it. However, your little present, which I shall always cherish, my darling, came in good season for either day…”
It is interesting to note that Mary Ann Booth was always convinced that her son was born on November 15th. Not only does Edwin mention this in the above quoted 1869 letter to Edwina, but Mrs. Booth makes the same claim in her own letter to Edwina in November of 1875:
“You will soon have your Papa in Philadelphia. I think, next Monday is your Papas birthday. I always keep it on the 15th of Nov – that was the day of his birth – but someone has changed it to the 13th.”
As much as I would like to support Mrs. Booth and her claim of November 15th as her son’s birthdate, it doesn’t seem to be correct. As Tom goes on to say in his article, the great Leonid meteor shower of 1833 that both Mary Ann Booth and her eldest son June agreed Edwin was born under occurred during the night of November 12 – 13th. If Edwin was born on the 15th, then he would have missed the prophetic celestial event by two days. It is for this reason that November 13th (June’s pick) is widely accepted as Edwin’s true birthdate and is more than likely correct.
So yes, the answer to this Booth History Spotlight quiz, is true. However, like so many things about the Booth family and the Lincoln assassination, this fun exercise serves to remind us that we must take time to question and find the evidence for every assumption we make. Even something we take for granted, like a birthdate, can have a far more complicated story than we know.
References:
The Question of Edwin Booth’s Birthday by Tom Fink
Junius Brutus Booth Society
Spirits of Tudor Hall
The Taper Collection
It’s been one week since the contest ended for a free copy of Art Loux‘s masterful book, John Wilkes Booth: Day by Day. The contest was a terrific success with over 80 comments being posted by people expressing what facet of the assassination story interested them the most. I want to thank each and every person who commented and joined in on the conversations. It was all great fun.
To select a winner, all of the eligible comments were assigned a sequential number based on when they were posted. Then an online random number generator was used to select the winning comment. I’m pleased to announce the winner of the free copy of John Wilkes Booth: Day by Day is…
Herb posted the following comment(s) about what he finds interesting in the Lincoln assassination story:
Booth, “jumped the gun” and took it upon himself to extinguish the flame of what America needed at that time of History!
What makes me, “Sit up and take interest”, is how easy Booth was able to do what he thought he could get away with!
I feel that John Surratt enjoyed Sarah Slater’s companionship while in Canada also.
Thank you so much for commenting, Herb, and congratulations on winning. Your free book should be arriving in a couple of days.
To everyone else out there, please make sure you purchase your own copy of this wonderful book. As I stated in the original contest page, this book is the perfect book for everyone with an interest in the Lincoln assassination. It will easily prove to be one of the most consulted and respected texts on the subject of John Wilkes Booth and his deed. Please take the time to purchase your own copy from an online retailer of books like Amazon or support the gateway to the Lincoln assassination story, the Surratt House Museum, by ordering your copy from them. See the ordering information below for details.
Your purchase of John Wilkes Booth: Day by Day will not only provide you with unmatched scholarship into John Wilkes’ life and movements, but it will also support the legacy of the late Art Loux. It is one of the cruelest fates that Art is not here with us today to appreciate the acclaim he so justly deserves. JWB: DBD was Art’s life’s work and through it, his generosity and passion live on. If you have not already, please take a moment to read my short remembrances of this great man.
Again, I want to thank everyone who commented and took part in the contest. It was wildly successful and so I may do another one in the future. In the meantime, go out and purchase your own copy of John Wilkes Booth: Day by Day by Art Loux. I promise you won’t regret it.
From the Ford’s Theatre Blog. David McKenzie has written a nice piece regarding a familiar face to BoothieBarn, Edwin B. Pitts, Chief Clerk of the Judge Advocate General’s Office. You can see another picture of Mr. Pitts and learn more about his custodianship over Booth’s artifacts here: http://boothiebarn.com/2012/11/25/edwin-pitts-chief-clerk-of-the-judge-advocate-generals-office/
John Wilkes Booth: Day by Day by the late Art Loux is a truly remarkable gift to the historical community. As a history of the assassin of Abraham Lincoln, it is unmatched in its scope and detail. It represents Mr. Loux’s life’s work with his decades of in-depth research cataloging the movements of John Wilkes Booth. The book was released on August 20th, almost eight months since Mr. Loux’s passing.
There are always new books being written about the various aspects of Lincoln’s assassination. There are the big name authors like Kauffman, Steers, and Swanson who give wonderfully detailed accounts of the whole assassination story. There are biographers like Ownsbey, Larson, and Titone who explore the lives of specific conspirators and their families. And, as always, the true drama of the Lincoln assassination is the perfect muse for pieces of historical fiction like “Wild” Bill Richter’s new, well researched and footnoted, novel.
At the same time, however, there are many poorly researched and poorly written books out there that saturate the topic with misinformation and supposition costumed up as fact. Authors of these volumes usually delude themselves into truly believing their own views regardless of the mountains of evidence against them. Some even go as far as to spam every nook and cranny of the internet attempting to portray their views as fact.
This is why books like John Wilkes Booth: Day by Day are so important. In an age of historical sensationalism misconstrued as fact, Mr. Loux’s book provides a model for how to conduct and present one’s research. John Wilkes Booth: Day by Day is devoted solely to the education, not manipulation, of its readers. Each chapter provides an excellent narrative of the important events in that period of John Wilkes Booth’s life followed by a detailed record of his daily movements and activities. It is the perfect book for everyone with an interest in the Lincoln assassination. The casual reader will love to follow the 26 year journey of John Wilkes Booth to see what led him into Ford’s Theatre on April 14th, 1865. The researcher will love pouring over the daily record and the thousands of fascinating footnotes.
Every chapter, even every page, provides new insight into the man who would later kill the 16th President. For example, did you know that John Wilkes Booth once had to extinguish a fellow actress on stage when her dress caught on fire?
John Wilkes Booth: Day by Day is filled with fascinating stories like this that have never been published anywhere else. You can purchase your copy from online retailers like Amazon, or you might consider supporting the Surratt House Museum (the gateway to the assassination story) by purchasing your copy from them.
I sincerely believe that this book should be read by everyone interested in the Lincoln assassination. Due to this belief, I have purchased an extra copy of the book to give away here on the blog. If you would like to win one free copy of Art Loux’s masterpiece John Wilkes Booth: Day by Day, all you have to do is leave a comment on this post describing what aspect of the Lincoln assassination interests you the most. In one week’s time, on September 21st, I will pick one of the commenters at random to receive a free copy of this indispensable book. The contest is now over. You may continue to comment, but any new comments will not be entered into any drawing. Thank you all for participating.
Though Art is no longer with us, he has left behind an inspiring legacy of scholarship and generosity. So get commenting below for your chance to win a free copy of John Wilkes Booth: Day by Day courtesy of BoothieBarn.com.
The wonderful folks at Ford’s Theatre have brought attention to a long held case of mistaken identity and I was honored to help them.
Over the last week, I had the opportunity to visit and photograph many of the graves of the Lincoln assassination conspirators. Here are some black and white stills of their final resting places.
Location: Old Arsenal Penitentiary, Washington, D.C.
Period of interment: 1865 – 1867
Immediately following their execution, the four conspirators were buried in pine boxes next to the gallows. In 1867, their bodies, along with the body of John Wilkes Booth, were reburied in a warehouse on the grounds of the Arsenal. In 1869, President Johnson released the remains to their respective families. Today, the site of the conspirators’ execution and initial burial location are part of the tennis courts at Fort Lesley McNair in D.C.
Location: Green Mount Cemetery, Baltimore, MD.
Period of interment: 1869 – Present
After Booth’s body was returned to Washington and an autopsy was preformed, he was initially buried in a gun box beneath the floor of a storage room at the Arsenal. In 1867, he was moved and his remains were placed with those of the other conspirators in a warehouse on the Arsenal grounds. President Johnson released Booth’s body in 1869. Edwin Booth purchased a family lot at Green Mount Cemetery in Baltimore and had his grandfather, father, three infant siblings, and brother John Wilkes buried together in the plot. John Wilkes Booth is unmarked in the plot.
Location: Congressional Cemetery, Washington, D.C.
Period of interment: 1869 – Present
The Herold family had owned a burial plot at Congressional Cemetery since 1834. Davy was the seventh person to be buried there when his body was released in 1869. While Davy is unmarked, his sister Elizabeth Jane was later buried right on top of him. Her stone is the farthest right in the plot.
Location: Mount Olivet Cemetery, Washington, D.C.
Period of interment: 1869 – Present
This basic stone bearing only “Mrs. Surratt”, is a replacement for an earlier stone that bore the same text. It is all that marks the plot of Mary Surratt, her children Isaac and Anna, her son-in-law, and some of her grandchildren.
Location: Rock Creek Cemetery, Washington, D.C.
Period of interment: 1884 – Present
While Lewis Powell’s skull is buried with his mother in Florida, the rest of his body is likely at D.C.’s Rock Creek Cemetery in a mass unmarked grave in Section K, lot 23. A portion of that section is pictured above. Eerily, one of the headstones in that section is marked “Lewis”. For more about the travels of Lewis Powell’s remains, read the middle section of this post.
Last confirmed location: Glenwood Cemetery, Washington, D.C.
Period of interment: 1869 – ?
The location of George Atzerodt’s remains are still a bit of a mystery. It is known that they were placed in the public vault of Glenwood Cemetery (pictured above) after being disinterred from the Arsenal. It was erroneous believed that he was then buried in a family plot at St. Paul’s Cemetery in Baltimore. Research facilitated by this website has proven this to be false. It is possible that Atzerodt is buried somewhere at Glenwood but the interment book for that period of time was stolen in the late 1800’s. More research is needed.
Location: St. Mary’s Catholic Church Cemetery, Bryantown, MD
Period of interment: 1883 – Present
After Dr. Mudd died in 1883, a tall monument with a stone cross on the top was placed on his grave at St. Mary’s Church. Around 1940, some of Dr. Mudd’s descendants decided to replace the weathered stone. The new stone (pictured above) contained Mrs. Mudd’s birth and death dates as well as the doctor’s.
Location: New Cathedral Cemetery, Baltimore, MD
Period of interment: 1916 – Present
The longest lived of all the conspirators, John Surratt and his family are buried under this plain cross stone bearing only the family name in Baltimore’s New Cathedral Cemetery.
Location: Green Mount Cemetery, Baltimore, MD
Period of interment: 1906 – Present
Samuel Bland Arnold, one of John Wilkes Booth’s schoolboy friends, was involved in the abduction plot but was not in D.C. when the assassination occurred. Sam was the last member of his family to be buried in the plot upon his death in 1906.
Location: Green Mount Cemetery, Baltimore, MD
Period of interment: 1870 – Present
Another childhood friend of Booth’s who was involved in the initial abduction plot, Michael O’Laughlen was sentenced to life in prison at Fort Jefferson, Dry Tortugas. He died from yellow fever while in jail despite the attentive care he received from his fellow prisoner, Dr. Mudd. He was initially buried on an island adjacent to Fort Jefferson. After his fellow conspirators had been pardoned, O’Laughlen’s body was transported from Florida to Balitmore. He was interred in the family plot on December 14th, 1870.
Location: Old St. Peter’s Church Cemetery, Waldorf, MD
Period of interment: 1875 – Present
After his release from Fort Jefferson, Edman Spangler returned to working at John Ford’s different theatres. Eventually he made he way to Charles County Maryland and reunited with Dr. Mudd. Spangler lived on Dr. Mudd’s property doing carpentry work and farming until his death there in 1875. His grave was marked in the 1980’s by the Surratt and Mudd Societies.
References:
The Lincoln Assassination: Where Are They Now?: A Guide to the Burial Places of Individuals Connected to the Lincoln Assassination in Washington, DC by Jim Garrett and Rich Smyth
Betty Ownsbey
LincolnConspirators.com 
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