John Surratt's real parents?

[L Verge]

(03-03-2015 08:08 AM)Gene C Wrote:  It would be interesting to know Mary's motives. Surely she was aware her son was a courier for the south, and that some of her overnight guest were couriers/spies too. How involved was she before the family moved to Washington? Did she become more involved in order to help keep an eye on her son's activities? Would she have ever become involved if it weren't for John? Or did he become involved because of her example?

Are there any notes or transcripts of the police interviews with Anna? Did Anna play any role in her brothers trial?

There is no doubt that Mary Surratt was supportive of the Confederacy. She was raised in a slave-holding family (her father owning slaves and also being an overseer to those owned by the powerful Calverts). She married into a slave-holding family, with her mother-in-law giving each grandchild their own slave.

Her husband was a rabid secessionist; her eldest son a soldier in the CSA; her youngest a courier for the Confederate government. There are also Confederate papers showing the Surratt Tavern listed as a Confederate safehouse through the last quarter of 1864 - two years after her husband's death. That same report mentions other towns that are safe - only a specific building is mentioned in the case of Surratt Tavern.

I just can't make the leap to her knowing about the change in plans, mainly because of her deep Catholic feelings. That would have been one hell of a confession she would have to make the next time she entered the confessional!

And, since we all tend to think that the plan did not definitely change to murder until April 11, it could only be Booth who could have told her. She did not have access to any of the other conspirators at that point - including her own son. Booth would have had to place a lot of faith in Mrs. Surratt to divulge the plans. Did he really trust her that much, knowing that she was the one most likely to be rounded up first by the authorities?

I've said this a lot of times, but I frankly like having the mystery unsolved. It's good for business at the museum!