Izola Martha Mills marriage certificate/note to Mr. Hall

[Laurie Verge]

Gene,

Mrs. Forrester explains in the book that the names "Izola" and "Ogarita" are part of their familial background in Spain. I can't remember all the details, but at some point the original family name was Mendosa, I think.

I am the one who used "supposed" in the captions. And, yes, I believe that Izola Forrester (granddaughter who wrote the book) actually thought that she was the granddaughter of JWB -- and she may very well have been, but not a legitimate one!

At least one member of the Booth family supposedly believed that the claim was valid. The eldest daughter, Rosalie, supposedly sent money to help support the children in later years. However, Rosalie's personality was somewhat different, and I have known historians who speculated that she had Down's Syndrome, drinking problems, was tied to her mother, etc. She did seem to be the type who could be flim-flammed by con artists -- if that is what Martha was pulling.

There is one part of the story that I have left out. Ogarita was not the only child that Martha claimed was Booth's. There was a son, who was supposedly fathered by the escaped Booth after 1865. His name was Harry, but he went by a step-father's name (I think) of Stevenson. Harry is the one who made reputable historians doubt the story.

Izola Forrester wrote This One Mad Act in the late-1930s. Future generations sought the assistance of James O. Hall about thirty years later. He put a lot of time and effort into working with the family and they were very good friends with him. That's how I came to meet some of them. They appear to be resigned to the fact that their claims may be fraudulent and will likely never be validated.