New Development in Booth Case Coming Soon

[Steve]

I found a copy of this John Wilkes Booth (d. 1916) obituary. It says that he was the son of Junius Brutus Booth Jr., the assassin John Wilkes Booth's older brother. Now I checked and Junius Jr. had no son born in 1848 to his first wife Clementina and there is no son named John living with Clementina in the 1850 census in Massachusetts. Junius Jr. would a few years later abandon his wife and daughter to go west with his mistress, Harriet Mace out in California where they would go on living with Harriet as if they were married. So I guess it's possible that Junius could have had another mistress and baby before meeting Harriet?

Laura Ida Booth was six when her mother died, if her mother told Laura, as she was dying, that her father was named John Wilkes Booth and that he was the son of actor Junius Brutus Booth it's pretty easy to see how Laura could've become confused about what she meant trying to remember it years later. Of course, that doesn't actually prove this John Wilkes Booth is actually the son of Junius Brutus Booth Jr.

I'm going to email the articles/obituary to Roger for him to post images to the forum.

31 December 1916 Herald Democrat of Leadville, CO

01 January 1917 Herald Democrat of Leadville, CO

29 September 1847 advertisement of Junius Brutus Booth Jr. performance in the Boston Daily Bee, proving that Junius, at least, was in the right area to be John Wilkes Booth (c1848-1916)'s father if he really was born in Salem, Mass.