John Surratt, Jr.

[L Verge]

In my never-ending quest to get my desk to look like the paperless society that we are supposed to be living in, I ran across a copy of a letter that John Surratt, Jr.'s granddaughter had written to James O. Hall in 1973. Mr. Hall had contacted her inquiring about whether or not her grandmother had kept any family papers. Here is the reply:

I truly wish that I could help you. John's wife, my grandmother, lived with us from the time of her husband's death until her death. I am quite sure she had no papers.
Anna's children - all dead now -- may have had them. Anna married a "Yankee" officer & lived quietly away from the family. Her daughter Clara & my aunt were close so I do have the rosary beads that went to the gallows & a couple of pieces of jewelry. But -- no facts.
You see we were made to feel that this was a skeleton in the closet - due probably to the emotional strain under which my grandfather labored all his life -- and the attitude of the public.
I've often wished I could somehow portray John, the eager young man, who was fighting for a cause - just as young people of any generation do. He made the mistake of letting Booth (reckless, drank too much, jealous - but not all bad) get him into bad company. The consequences were not considered. The consequences shadowed the rest of his life. His amends were in the form of the loving father & husband. Many people tried to help him and his brood with contributions of money, food, etc.
I shall look forward to the publication of your book. If there be errors, I know of no one who could dispute them. You have apparently given much thought and dedication to the subject. May it be a success for you.
EUGENIA ROUSH

Mrs. Roush was the daughter of John Surratt's fifth child (out of seven), Susannah Scott Surratt Hardy. Her brother was one of three Surratt grandsons who cut the ribbon to open Surratt House as a public museum on May 1, 1976.

Her comments about "no one could dispute them" is so similar to the responses that I have gotten from other Surratt descendants. I have been told that we know more history than they do because the subject was taboo in the family.

It also surprised me the first time I read this that she definitely hints of a separation between Anna's family and John's. I got the same feeling when I organized a Surratt family reunion back in 1979. It wasn't blatant, but there was definitely some hesitation when speaking about the two families.

We know that Anna and Dr. Tonry traveled for a few years after their marriage, trying to determine where to establish his practice and their family. They ultimately returned to Baltimore as did John and brother Isaac, so I assumed they all maintained a normal family unit. Something else that we will likely never know the details on.