Letter from Mary Surratt?

[Rob Wick]

Found this in Tarbell's papers. It was actually sent to Reis Library where Tarbell's papers were stored (and I imagine they forwarded it to her). Does anyone know anything about the letters mentioned? While my knowledge of Mary Surratt is limited, I've never heard about any letter she wrote the day of her execution.

Also, the "ask no friends" notation in the bottom left corner is not in Tarbell's handwriting, which by this time was really bad, so I'm assuming she declined to get involved with it, but told a stenographer or secretary.

It seems that something existed, as the person making the offer was indeed a dealer. Of course, she doesn't tell how she "authenticated" it, and even though I found advertisements by her in various magazines, I cannot say whether she was legitimate or trying to pull one over on someone. Tarbell received a lot of letters from dealers and others trying to get her to buy collectibles, which she rarely did.

Any information would be appreciated.

Best
Rob

[Dave Taylor]

While Laurie would be the one to talk to, I'm pretty sure I've seen a copy of this Mary Surratt letter in the Surratt House's photo archives (ie Joan's binders). The writing is barely readable and I'm fairly certain it was denounced as a fake. I'll look and see if I have a picture of it, but I don't think so.

[L Verge]

I am very familiar with this letter, and for several years a copy of it hung in the Surratt exhibit area at Surratt House. It is a very brief note to a blotched name that might be "Emma" or "Eliza" or something similar. It basically asks that that person take care of Anna since for some reason she [Mary] must die "today." Then something like "God knows I am innocent..."

The handwriting is different from known samples of Mary's. She wrote with a forehand stroke, this is mainly backhand. Because of the pen and ink of the day - and probably Mary's nerves and weak hands at that time -- there are smears, ink spots, etc. throughout.

The provenance for the note, the original of which I can't remember, was that a Baltimore drunk supposedly had it in his possession and swapped it for a drink in a bar in the early-1900s. Its authenticity just seemed too vague to continue displaying the copy at the museum.

There are a series of letters in Mary's handwriting that still exist - spread out between the Maryland Historical Society, the New York Historical Society, and maybe some still in Pennsylvania. They were written to a priest who had served in the little Catholic church here in Prince George's County that young Mrs. Surratt and another woman had ridden horseback around the area raising funds to build the church.

Fr. Finoti was brought from Italy to serve the church, and from what we can determine, developed a very "strong" relationship with Mary -- to the point where he got transferred to a parish in Boston in the mid-1850s. Mary continued to write to him about the troubles she was having with her husband mainly -- drunkeness, refusing to take her to church, bad influence on the children, etc. At one point, she goes so far as to write, "Bless me father for this may be the last you hear from me. He has threatened to kill me if I do not become what he wishes me to become."

Of course, every modern reader has immediately suspected the prospect of prostitution, but I doubt that was it. Frankly, her letters are whiny and complaining, and I suspect that John Surratt was suggesting that she become a better wife. She was also a Catholic convert who really loved her church. From what we can determine from talking to descendants, John hated the church and never converted.

Anyhow, back in the 1980s, Professor Joseph George, now retired from Villanova University, compiled these Surratt letters into a small booklet for the Maryland Historical Society. He entitled it "A True Childe of Sorrow," because that is how she signed one of the letters. It's a very appropriate phrase - almost a prophecy of what would happen to her.

[Rob Wick]

Thanks, Laurie. What about the other letter mentioned by Roberts?

Best
Rob

[L Verge]

Anna's letter to President Johnson requesting her mother's remains so that she could have a Christian burial is authentic so far as I know. I have not seen the original and am not sure where it is now, but it has been duplicated or quoted in quite a few books.

As was stated in another thread, Anna Surratt was one of those damaged by collateral fall-out from the assassination also. She certainly had her time of being a child of sorrow.

[J. Beckert]

[Houmes]

(09-15-2012 11:27 AM)J. Beckert Wrote:  

The letter from Anna Surratt was sold in the Lattimer auction ($21,150) to a Las Vegas autograph dealer.

[Rob Wick]

So then it would seem to me that the lady who approached Reis Library might have thought since the Anna Surratt letter was genuine (if indeed she had the original and not a forged copy) could have then assumed that the supposed letter from Mary Surratt was also genuine. I would like to find out more about how she went about "authenticating" it. This isn't a major part of my story, but it does fit into a larger picture of how people would try to use Tarbell to either sell her things or get her imprimatur for something they wanted to sell to someone else.

Best
Rob

[L Verge]

Joe and Blaine,

Thanks for following up with a copy of the letter. And, either I never knew or had forgotten that Dr. Lattimer had that letter.

I have wondered if Anna wrote the letter (her signature seems the same as the style in the text) or had a lawyer write it - or even her husband-to-be, Dr. William Tonry. Perhaps it was dictated to her as she wrote? It just seems very legally and professionally phrased. Anna was an exceptional student while attending school in Bryantown, but I'm not sure that her education advanced much after she moved to Washington and the troubles began.

I also wish that the two Surratt women would have given their correct names when they signed things! Mrs. Surratt has fooled a many a writer by changing her middle name on certain documents. Her given name at birth and on her marriage certificate was "Mary Elizabeth Jenkins (Surratt)." Her marriage certificate is signed "M. Elizabeth," and I had her great-niece tell me many years ago that the family called her "Aunt Lizzie."

However, she signed other things as "Mary Eugenia," which James O. Hall determined from records with the Sisters of Charity was the saint's name that she took upon her conversion to the Catholic Church. Eugenia was an early saint whose day was celebrated around Christmas. She is no longer remembered by the church, according to one priest who gave us her history back in the 1970s. I have spent a lot of time convincing people that "Eugenia" was not Mary's legal name.

As for Anna (or Annie), her given name was "Elizabeth Susannah Surratt." You very seldom see her referred to as that, and even in the above letter to the President of the United States, she signs it "Anna E. Surratt."

Of course, I'm a fine one to talk. My given name is "Laura Elizabeth," but I only use "Laura E." as my official signature when I have to. Everyone else knows me as "Laurie." My nickname is a compromise between my father and my mother. My mother wanted me to be "Laurie Ann," but my father said I would be a junior whether girl or boy. My mother was Laura Elysebeth (Welsh spelling), so I was named after her - just wish they had used her spelling of Elysebeth.

Secretly, I wish they had compromised. My father's given name was Noel Owen. I could have been either Laura Noelle or Laurie Noelle. Now, you can all reminisce on what you wish your parents had named you!!!

[Christine]

Just a shot in the dark, since I've been on 'leave' from my Aiken studies, but it seems that the letter bears a bit of resemblance to Freddie's style of writing! I'd have to compare letters a bit more, but I wonder if he wrote it. . . clues: he often did a long crossing of the t; capitalized the e that way, his capital 's' sometimes looked like that - his letter to Jefferson Davis had the S in Stevens looking like an L(frustratingly, he had at least 3 different ways to write capital S), and almost every letter that I've found contained the word 'respectfully'

This is a bit more sloppy than many of his, except the ones written during the war when he was hurrying. Here is a letter from him written to Seward in 1861. http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/P?ma...mem_5DgB::

This letter from/in behalf of Anna would have been written about 1868, so his style was a bit different then. I'll have to look up a few others to see if I can determine if he wrote it.

Do you have any letters to compare Anna's writing to?

[Laurie Verge]

We do have an original Anna letter of September 1862, in which she is telling a school friend of the death of her father. The original is very frail, but we did make a copy of it years ago to display along with a transcription. I will have that copy scanned within the next few days and forwarded to Roger to post here.

To my eye, it does not appear to be the same handwriting as in the letter mentioned above. However, when I went to click on that letter, nothing appears anymore. Is it my computer or does Allegheny College only let you post for a certain amount of time?

[Rob Wick]

Laurie,

Do you mean in my original post? The only letter I posted was the one from Adeline Roberts, which is still there. I'm confused?

Best
Rob

[Laurie Verge]

When I click "this," the screen goes blank on your post. However, once my day quieted down at the office, I realized that Joe had also posted the Anna Surratt letter.

[Rob Wick]

One thing I've noticed in going through Tarbell's papers is that if a PDF doesn't open, if you refresh it, it always will then, so you might give that a try.

Best
Rob