Just a little follow-up on the petitioners in the 1995 exhumation case:

"John Wilkes Booth had no
legitimate children and no direct descendants. Two
distant descendants agreed to become Petitioners in a
legal effort to force Green Mount Cemetery to permit
the exhumation of the remains of John Wilkes Booth:
Virginia Eleanor Humbrecht Kline of Pennsylvania, a
first cousin twice removed, and Lois White Rathbun
of Rhode Island, a great, great, great niece.
Not all the distant descendants were in favor of
an exhumation. At the time of the hearing, Marie
Worster, who is Petitioner Kline's sister, did not
consent to an exhumation, nor did her daughter. Mrs.
Worster and her daughter have possession of the
original deed given by Green Mount Cemetery to
Mary Ann Booth. I spoke with Mrs. Worster and
urged her to come to court and testify as to her opposition, but she did not want to become publicly
involved." excerpted from a legal article prepared by Frank Gorman.

There were supposedly 22 petitioners, none of close kin. After the case, a leading historian in the assassination field spoke with a number of them whom he knew from previous interviews. They indicated that they had been pressured into going along with the petition, and many said they just wanted to get the whole thing over with.

Frankly, so do I! There comes a time when historical evidence has to take precedence over family legend, speculation, and hearsay

(07-07-2019 03:01 PM)Steve Wrote:  Steve W. -

I found a copy of the 1956 marriage record of Virginia Asburn and John Robert McCrea.

FM Steve, I guess we're just on a Steve Quest! At any rate to follow up on the marriage record you found for Virginia F. Asburn, here is the marriage for her parents, Juanita Bonney and Charles W. Asburn Jr:

Juanita Bonney

in the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Marriage Index, 1885-1951

Name: Juanita Bonney
Gender: Female
Spouse: Charles W Ashburn [Charles Wilson Asburn Jr]
Spouse Gender: Male
Marriage Place: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Marriage Year: 1918
Marriage License Number: 380253
Digital GSU Number: 4141622
****************************
Things didn't go so well and they went their separate ways. Juanita's brother, Ben Bonney, in his 1931 obit has her as Miss Waunita [sic] Bonney.

Juanita Bonney

in the 1910 United States Federal Census

Name: Juanita Bonney
[Justin Bonney]
Age in 1910: 11
Birth Year: abt 1899
Birthplace: Indiana
Home in 1910: Wichita Ward 1, Sedgwick, Kansas
Street: S Compania
Race: White
Gender: Female
Relation to Head of House: Daughter
Marital status: Single
Father's name: Ben R Bonney
Father's Birthplace: Ohio
Mother's name: Terry M Bonney
Mother's Birthplace: Nebraska
Native Tongue: English
Attended School: Yes
Able to Read: Yes
Able to Write: Yes
Neighbors:
Household Members:
Name Age
Ben R Bonney 42 [Bickford “Ben” R. Bonney]
Terry M Bonney 35 [Teresa “Terry” M Bonney]
Juanita Bonney 11 [Juanita Bonney m: Charles W. Asburn Jr]
Benj R Bonney Jr. 9 [Died in 1931]
Thos Bonney 4
Chas Dunn 25
Paul Parker 25
W R Windell 25
E E Wilson 23
******************************
Benjamin B. Bonney
Birth 1900
Death 10 Apr 1931 (aged 30–31)
Kearney, Buffalo County, Nebraska, USA
Burial
Holy Sepulchre Cemetery
Omaha, Douglas County, Nebraska, USA Show Map
Plot Section M, Block 9, Row East, Grave (42?)
Memorial ID 154956743 · View Source

According to his burial card he died from tuberculosis at Kearney, Nebr. on April 10, 1931, age 30 years, and was buried April 13.

```````

Omaha World-Herald, Morning, April 13, 1931, p. 12, col. 1

DEATH NOTICES

BONNEY – Benjamin, age 30 years. He is survived besides his wife by his mother, Mrs. Theresa Bonney; 1 brother, Thomas of Harrison, Ark., and 1 sister, Miss Waunita Bonney of Bayonne, N. J.

Funeral Monday morning from John A. Gentleman’s mortuary at 8:30 a.m. to St. Mary Magdalene church at 9. Interment Holy Sepulchre cemetery.
Family Members
Parents

Photo
Bick R. Booney

1864–1927
Theresa McGuire Bonney

1878–1962
**************************
Juanita moved to Omaha, NE, where her mother was living by 1935.

Juanita Asburn

in the U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995

Name: Juanita Asburn
Gender: Female
Residence Year: 1935
Street address: 823 S 2lth apt 28
Residence Place: Omaha, Nebraska, USA
Spouse: Charles Asburn [Wid of Chas, NOTE: Charles W. Asburn Jr d: 1977]
Publication Title: Omaha, Nebraska, City Directory, 1935
*******************************************
Juanita Asburn

in the U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995

Name: Juanita Asburn
Gender: Female
Residence Year: 1939
Street address: 4622 S 26th
Residence Place: Omaha, Nebraska, USA
Spouse: Charles Asburn [Wid of Chas]
Publication Title: Omaha, Nebraska, City Directory, 1939
******************************************
Juanita Asburn

in the U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995

Name: Juanita Asburn
Residence Year: 1941
Street address: 4622 S 26th
Residence Place: Omaha, Nebraska, USA
Publication Title: Omaha, Nebraska, City Directory, 1941
**********************************************
Note that in 1939 she was Mrs Juanita Asburn; however, in the 1940 census she was Juanita Bonnie, living with her mother, as was her daughter, Virginia. Virginia's surname was compressed a bit and I think intended to be Bonnie as well.

Virginia Bemis

in the 1940 United States Federal Census

Name: Virginia Bemis[Virginia Asburn]
Age: 20
Estimated birth year: abt 1920
Gender: Female

Race: White
Birthplace: New Jersey
Marital status: Single
Relation to Head of House: Granddaughter
Home in 1940: Omaha, Douglas, Nebraska
Map of Home in 1940: View Map
Street: So 26
House Number: 4622
Inferred Residence in 1935: Omaha, Douglas, Nebraska
Residence in 1935: Same Place
Sheet Number: 12A
Occupation: Stenographer
Industry: General Office
Attended School or College: No
Highest Grade Completed: High School, 4th year
Duration of Unemployment: 12
Class of Worker: Wage or salary worker in private work
Weeks Worked in 1939: 52
Income: 690
Income Other Sources: No
Neighbors:
Household Members:
Name Age
Teresa Bonnie 65 [Teresa (McGuire) Bonney
Waunita Bonnie 41 [Juanita (Bonney) Asburn]
Virginia Bemis 20 [Virginia Asburn, dtr of Juanita Bonney & Charles W. Asburn Jr]
Mary Dupre 25 [Lodger]
**************************
Juanita's mother, Theresa (McGuire) Bonney clears it up in the obit with her memorial, which shows daughter, Mrs Juanita Asburne, and Virginia McCrea as her granddaughter.

Theresa McGuire Bonney
Birth 1878
Saunders County, Nebraska, USA
Death 18 Apr 1962 (aged 83–84)
Omaha, Douglas County, Nebraska, USA
Burial
Holy Sepulchre Cemetery
Omaha, Douglas County, Nebraska, USA
Plot Section O, Block 26, Row West, Grave 26
Memorial ID 154040248 · View Source

Daughter of Charles and Sarah (Oxford) McGuire. Married Bickford Bonney on July 19, 1897 at Zion Presbyterian Church, Schuyler, Nebr.

```````````

Evening World-Herald (Omaha, Nebr.), April 19, 1962, p. 36, col. 1

BONNEY – Theresa, age 77 years, St. Vincent’s Home. Survived by daughter, Mrs. Juanita Asburne, Omaha; granddaughter, Virginia McCrea, Santa Monica, Cal.; five sisters.

Funeral services Friday, 10 a.m. at mortuary, South Side. Interment Holy Sepulchre Cemetery. Member Third Order of St. Francis. St. Bridget Altar Society rosary Thursday, 1:30 p.m.

HEAFEY & HEAFEY
Family Members
Spouse

Photo
Bick R. Booney

1864–1927

Children

Photo
Benjamin B. Bonney

1900–1931

Gravesite Details No visible marker 11/13/15.
************************************
Teresa Mc Guire

in the Nebraska, Marriage Records, 1855-1908

Name: Teresa Mc Guire
Gender: Female
Race: White
Marriage Age: 19
Record Type: Marriage
Birth Date: abt 1878
Birth Place: Saunders Co., Neb.
Marriage Date: 16 Jul 1897
Marriage Place: Nebraska, USA
Marriage County Office: Colfax
Father: Charley Mc Guire
Mother: Sarah Mc Guire
Spouse: Bick R. Bonney [Bickford R. Bonney]

Juanita must have been the first wife of Charles, if she was still alive in 1962:

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/77868125

Since neither Charles' or Juanita's mother's obituaries mention Virginia having any children and Virginia had her first marriage at 35 - I'm thinking it's pretty unlikely that she had any children. Even if she did have children, were now at the 3rd cousin level for descendants of Junius Jr and 4th cousin level for descendants of the other Booth siblings - which for autosomal DNA testing is near the limit for the reliability of those types of DNA tests according to this link:

https://isogg.org/wiki/Autosomal_DNA

(07-08-2019 06:53 PM)Steve Wrote:  Juanita must have been the first wife of Charles, if she was still alive in 1962:

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/77868125

Since neither Charles' or Juanita's mother's obituaries mention Virginia having any children and Virginia had her first marriage at 35 - I'm thinking it's pretty unlikely that she had any children. Even if she did have children, were now at the 3rd cousin level for descendants of Junius Jr and 4th cousin level for descendants of the other Booth siblings - which for autosomal DNA testing is near the limit for the reliability of those types of DNA tests according to this link:

https://isogg.org/wiki/Autosomal_DNA

Agreed on getting close to limit for reliable autosomal testing. Charles was married to Evelyn LaDeaux by 1930, but haven't got an exact date for marriage.

Here are some new documents and newspaper articles:


Marriage bond of Louisa Payne and John W. Booth





Marriage license back then front of Louisa Payne and John W. Booth



Interview of Laura Ida Booth on pg. 12 of the 13 Sept. 1903 issue of the New York Sun





Article in the 24 Dec. 1911 issue of The Tennessean (Nashville)







Article in the 14 Nov. 1926 issue of The Tennessean, the year after Laura Ida Booth died

---

Comparison of the supposed signature of the Tennessee John Wilkes Booth (from the image in the 1911 article) with a known signature of the assassin John Wilkes Booth from an endorsement from a Feb. 1863 check sent to him from his brother Edwin. The point I'm trying to make is the supposed cut out "J. Wilkes Booth" signature of the Tennessee JWB shown to the newspaper in 1911 is probably a forgery based on the signature of the assassin JWB.

(07-09-2019 02:14 PM)Steve Wrote:  Here are some new documents and newspaper articles:




Comparison of the supposed signature of the Tennessee John Wilkes Booth (from the image in the 1911 article) with a known signature of the assassin John Wilkes Booth from an endorsement from a Feb. 1863 check sent to him from his brother Edwin. The point I'm trying to make is the supposed cut out "J. Wilkes Booth" signature of the Tennessee JWB shown to the newspaper in 1911 is probably a forgery based on the signature of the assassin JWB.

So, what document is it that J. Wielkes [sic] Booth signed as Mrs Howard's father? I guess he couldn't spell his own name. Surely they didn't just say here is his signature without it being on a document?

(07-09-2019 05:27 PM)Steve Whitlock Wrote:  

(07-09-2019 02:14 PM)Steve Wrote:  Here are some new documents and newspaper articles:




Comparison of the supposed signature of the Tennessee John Wilkes Booth (from the image in the 1911 article) with a known signature of the assassin John Wilkes Booth from an endorsement from a Feb. 1863 check sent to him from his brother Edwin. The point I'm trying to make is the supposed cut out "J. Wilkes Booth" signature of the Tennessee JWB shown to the newspaper in 1911 is probably a forgery based on the signature of the assassin JWB.

So, what document is it that J. Wielkes [sic] Booth signed as Mrs Howard's father? I guess he couldn't spell his own name. Surely they didn't just say here is his signature without it being on a document?

I found the death record of Laura Ida Booth. The 29 April 1925 date matches the death date from her probate records. Norman was her later performance last name, but I have no idea why her first name is given as Ruth on the death certificate.

New York, New York City Municipal Deaths, 1795-1949

Name: Ruth Norman
Event Type: Death
Event Date: 29 Apr 1925
Event Place: Manhattan, New York, New York, United States
Address: 227 West 46th St.
Residence Place: N.Y. City
Gender: Female
Age: 52
Marital Status: Married
Race: White
Occupation: Theatrical
Birth Year: 1873 (estimated)
Birthplace: U.S.
Burial Date: 01 May 1925
Cemetery: Kensico
Father's Name: John Wilkes Booth
Father's Birthplace: U.S.
Mother's Name: Ida Payne
Mother's Birthplace: U.S

The 1911 article says the scrap of paper was attached to a certified copy of her parents marriage record "bearing the signature 'J. Wilkes Booth', which she declares was torn from the records of the Tennessee Court with the permission of the clerk"

I missed the possible "e" after the "i", but I still think it was copied off of the signature of the assassin and isn't from court records. There was nothing torn off the marriage records, which were signed "Jno. W. Boothe" according to record copy of the marriage bond. (But that looks like it might have been written by the clerk or officiant, and not Booth like it was supposed to.) The are no signatures of the married couple on the license, just the signature of the officiant on the back.

(07-09-2019 07:00 PM)Steve Wrote:  

(07-09-2019 05:27 PM)Steve Whitlock Wrote:  

(07-09-2019 02:14 PM)Steve Wrote:  Here are some new documents and newspaper articles:




Comparison of the supposed signature of the Tennessee John Wilkes Booth (from the image in the 1911 article) with a known signature of the assassin John Wilkes Booth from an endorsement from a Feb. 1863 check sent to him from his brother Edwin. The point I'm trying to make is the supposed cut out "J. Wilkes Booth" signature of the Tennessee JWB shown to the newspaper in 1911 is probably a forgery based on the signature of the assassin JWB.

McCager
So, what document is it that J. Wielkes [sic] Booth signed as Mrs Howard's father? I guess he couldn't spell his own name. Surely they didn't just say here is his signature without it being on a document?

I found the death record of Laura Ida Booth. The 29 April 1925 date matches the death date from her probate records. Norman was her later performance last name, but I have no idea why her first name is given as Ruth on the death certificate.

New York, New York City Municipal Deaths, 1795-1949

Name: Ruth Norman
Event Type: Death
Event Date: 29 Apr 1925
Event Place: Manhattan, New York, New York, United States
Address: 227 West 46th St.
Residence Place: N.Y. City
Gender: Female
Age: 52
Marital Status: Married
Race: White
Occupation: Theatrical
Birth Year: 1873 (estimated)
Birthplace: U.S.
Burial Date: 01 May 1925
Cemetery: Kensico
Father's Name: John Wilkes Booth
Father's Birthplace: U.S.
Mother's Name: Ida Payne
Mother's Birthplace: U.S

The 1911 article says the scrap of paper was attached to a certified copy of her parents marriage record "bearing the signature 'J. Wilkes Booth', which she declares was torn from the records of the Tennessee Court with the permission of the clerk"

I missed the possible "e" after the "i", but I still think it was copied off of the signature of the assassin and isn't from court records. There was nothing torn off the marriage records, which were signed "Jno. W. Boothe" according to record copy of the marriage bond. (But that looks like it might have been written by the clerk or officiant, and not Booth like it was supposed to.) The are no signatures of the married couple on the license, just the signature of the officiant on the back.

FM Steve, I also have the Ruth Norman death record. I thought I had posted it, but I forgot to. There's also a death record at ancestry.com for Ruth Norman that has less information.

Having spent the day looking at a multitude of articles intent on spreading the misinformation that David E. George/John St. Helen is the real John Wilkes Booth I must say that it's only going to get worse, until it appears as accepted historical fact by far too many. Anger won't dispel the fiction, but proof can slow it down considerably.

What we need to find is copies of handwriting by David E. George that some maintain is so like that of J. Wilkes Booth. If so, where is it? A newspaper article I read said that David E. George's signature on a check, I think, looked nothing like the handwriting of JWB.

We need to find that check, or whatever provided the sample of George's handwriting. We also need to find handwriting of the John Wilkes Booth d: 1916 Leadville, Co. I'm coming around to your way of thinking. Did he sign anything on the court case for the slot machines that you found?

McCager Payne in some of the things I've read seems to imply that since David E. George said he was John Wilkes Booth when he was committing suicide several times, that he must be the one; however, I haven't seen any evidence that he or Laura Ida Booth was aware of the man in Leadville, CO who actually said he was John Wilkes Booth in records, including his marriage to Dollie Adeline Baker in 1874. David E. George and all his aliases ran from being known as John Wilkes Booth except when he thought he was dying.

A supposed letter by someone who saw John/Jno W. Booth referred to him as a "handsome lad". That implies someone young, perhaps a 23-24 yr old John Wilkes Booth b: 1848. That "handsome lad" can be found if you google "Louisa and the assassin", which is a .pdf file that also has a letter Laura wrote to an aunt back in TN, along with her marriage record and Marriage license to Lewis Howard, and a news clipping about that marriage and the reaction when she said her father was John Wilkes Booth.

If we do nothing else we will make a significant contribution to history by proving beyond a doubt that David E. George was NOT the John/Jno W. Booth that married Louisa J. Payne. The certainty of Laura and McCager that John Wilkes Booth was her father plays strongly to the "he got away" theorists, and it doesn't help that they thought David E. George was that John Wilkes Booth, when it might well have been a man who acknowledged publicly he was a John Wilkes Booth, even if claiming Junius Brutus Booth Jr as a father.

I agree that there may have been a forged J. Wielkes Booth signature!

Maybe ordering the 1874 marriage record John Wilkes Booth and Dollie Baker from Wyoming state archives will provide a copy of the Leadville - JWB's signature. There's a whole bunch of material relating to David E. George at the Surratt museum that will probably provide more information on him.

(07-10-2019 01:16 AM)Steve Wrote:  Maybe ordering the 1874 marriage record John Wilkes Booth and Dollie Baker from Wyoming state archives will provide a copy of the Leadville - JWB's signature. There's a whole bunch of material relating to David E. George at the Surratt museum that will probably provide more information on him.

A lady named Wanda Wade told me last week she would get me an image of the marriage record this week. I'm hoping for today (Wed) or tomorrow.

I also read an article by someone who visited the room of David E. George and mentioned a copy of his will there. He may not have written it, but it should at least have his signature if he didn't. Now to figure out how to see it online.

It's 3:07 A.M. here in MO, you should be sleeping. I have nieces on the west side of MO. Maybe I should see where Enid is relative to them.

(07-10-2019 01:16 AM)Steve Wrote:  Maybe ordering the 1874 marriage record John Wilkes Booth and Dollie Baker from Wyoming state archives will provide a copy of the Leadville - JWB's signature. There's a whole bunch of material relating to David E. George at the Surratt museum that will probably provide more information on him.

I just received the marriage record for John Wilkes Booth and Dollie Adeline Baker. I'm not sure it has his signature, unless it's at the beginning, which differs from the handwriting in the body of the marriage record.

I just read your private message, and can't seem to respond correctly. Please contact me at ctn59880@centurytel.net

The marriage record is a .pdf file, so I need to ask Roger to attach it.

CLICK HERE.

Here's the account of David E. George's coroner inquest from page 7 of the 15 January 1903 Enid Weekly Wave. It doesn't mention George confessing that he was John Wilkes Booth as he was dying:

---

You might also want to look at this old thread:

http://rogerjnorton.com/LincolnDiscussio...l#pid74365

(07-11-2019 05:54 PM)Steve Wrote:  Here's the account of David E. George's coroner inquest from page 7 of the 15 January 1903 Enid Weekly Wave. It doesn't mention George confessing that he was John Wilkes Booth as he was dying:

---

You might also want to look at this old thread:

http://rogerjnorton.com/LincolnDiscussio...l#pid74365

FM Steve, Thank you for the link to the old thread that I missed when I looked through what I thought was all of them on the current topic here.

I seem to be late to the party, again. Still, who was John Wilkes Booth that married Dollie Adeline Baker? We know (or I know) that it's unlikely David E. George married Louisa J. (Price) Payne, even tho Laura Ida Elizabeth Booth and her half-brother, McCager Payne, pursued that thought, along with Finis L. Bates.

Insofar as the article in the other thread for David Elihu George being from MS, that goes along with a 1931 expose by former postmaster George Rainey of Enid, OK, who claims they found the nephew, Willie George, a banker in TX.

According to Bates' book, David E. George, previously went by the alias George D. Ryan in other towns of Oklahoma Territory:

https://archive.org/details/escapesuicid...e/page/228

I checked and couldn't find any mention of the name George Ryan or its variants. Also you can tell from the articles I posted on the other thread, David E. George, painter "of Dallas" appears in several Oklahoma newspapers, including in some of the same towns where the Ryan alias was supposedly used.

In fact the earliest confirmed record I could find mentioning David E. George is from page 8 of the April 14, 1897 edition of the Evening Messenger of Marshall, Texas:

   

This confirms, at least, that he did indeed come to Oklahoma from Texas. But I can't find any record or city directory listing of him in Dallas. Unfortunately, he seems to have been missed in the 1900 census. There was that insurance policy paper found on him when he died, but that seems to have been bogus, so I'm not sure if we can take the information the policy or the repudiated will says about his origins and family at face value or not.

I was thinking maybe the Ford investigation of Bates and his claims about Mr. George picked up some clues that might have seemed insignificant or impossible to follow up at the time that might be easier to follow-up now with all the historical records and databases online now

(07-12-2019 06:45 PM)Steve Wrote:  According to Bates' book, David E. George, previously went by the alias George D. Ryan in other towns of Oklahoma Territory:

https://archive.org/details/escapesuicid...e/page/228

I checked and couldn't find any mention of the name George Ryan or its variants. Also you can tell from the articles I posted on the other thread, David E. George, painter "of Dallas" appears in several Oklahoma newspapers, including in some of the same towns where the Ryan alias was supposedly used.

In fact the earliest confirmed record I could find mentioning David E. George is from page 8 of the April 14, 1897 edition of the Evening Messenger of Marshall, Texas:

There is a mention that David E. George bought a house in El Reno and had J. W. Simmons and his wife living with him

This confirms, at least, that he did indeed come to Oklahoma from Texas. But I can't find any record or city directory listing of him in Dallas. Unfortunately, he seems to have been missed in the 1900 census. There was that insurance policy paper found on him when he died, but that seems to have been bogus, so I'm not sure if we can take the information the policy or the repudiated will says about his origins and family at face value or not.

I was thinking maybe the Ford investigation of Bates and his claims about Mr. George picked up some clues that might have seemed insignificant or impossible to follow up at the time that might be easier to follow-up now with all the historical records and databases online now

---

(07-12-2019 08:01 PM)Steve Whitlock Wrote:  

(07-12-2019 06:45 PM)Steve Wrote:  According to Bates' book, David E. George, previously went by the alias George D. Ryan in other towns of Oklahoma Territory:

https://archive.org/details/escapesuicid...e/page/228

I checked and couldn't find any mention of the name George Ryan or its variants. Also you can tell from the articles I posted on the other thread, David E. George, painter "of Dallas" appears in several Oklahoma newspapers, including in some of the same towns where the Ryan alias was supposedly used.

In fact the earliest confirmed record I could find mentioning David E. George is from page 8 of the April 14, 1897 edition of the Evening Messenger of Marshall, Texas:

This confirms, at least, that he did indeed come to Oklahoma from Texas. But I can't find any record or city directory listing of him in Dallas. Unfortunately, he seems to have been missed in the 1900 census. There was that insurance policy paper found on him when he died, but that seems to have been bogus, so I'm not sure if we can take the information the policy or the repudiated will says about his origins and family at face value or not.

I was thinking maybe the Ford investigation of Bates and his claims about Mr. George picked up some clues that might have seemed insignificant or impossible to follow up at the time that might be easier to follow-up now with all the historical records and databases online now

David E. George also appears in the 1903 Jennings, El Reno City Directory as a painter living on Macomb. There is also a John George in that directory, at a different address.

From "John Wilkes Booth, The Enid Legend" comes:

"Frontier towns in the American West were no place for lonely elders with no one to care for them. Fortunately, these same towns were also places where neighbors looked out for one another. George decided this was a good place to settle. He came up with 350 dollars to purchase a simple little four-room house. He persuaded J. W. Simmons and his wife to live with him rent free, in exchange for their care.

One afternoon, about a month after settling into the little house, George returned home with the answer to all his problems. He greeted Mrs. Simmons, her friend Ida Harper - whose husband was the town's Methodist minister and another lady, who were visiting in the main room. Always the gentleman, he excused himself before retiring to his own room. A short while later, the pleasantries of the ladies' chat was disturbed by desperate cries for help. The women rushed to George's room and found him lying sick on his bed - his eyes dilated from a self-induced dose of morphine. Mrs. Harper stayed with the dying old man while the other two women, for some strange reason, rushed out of the room to make "strong coffee," as if it were a remedy for poison. In their absence, George called the minister's wife to his bedside. He confessed to her that he was indeed the actor who had assassinated the president. She thought he might be delirious from pain, but was soon convinced the man was quite aware of what he was saying. Again he used the phrase, "I killed the best man that ever lived.""

In the 1900 census we have Rev J W Simmons living on Macomb Ave:

Nortie Simmons

in the 1900 United States Federal Census

Name: Nortie Simmons
[Sarah Nortie Sams]
Age: 40
Birth Date: Feb 1860
Birthplace: Kentucky
Home in 1900: El Reno, Canadian, Oklahoma
Ward of City: 1st
Street: Mc Comb Ave
House Number: 107
Sheet Number: 6
Number of Dwelling in Order of Visitation: 114
Family Number: 118
Race: White
Gender: Female
Relation to Head of House: Wife
Marital status: Married
Spouse's name: James Simmons
Marriage Year: 1877
Father's Birthplace: Kentucky
Mother's Birthplace: Kentucky
Mother: Number of Living Children: 1
Mother: How Many Children: 6
Months Not Employed: 0
Attended School: 0
Can Read: Yes
Can Write: Yes
Can Speak English: Yes
Neighbors:
Household Members:
Name Age
James Simmons 50 [Rev JW Simmons]
Nortie Simmons 40 [Sara Norton “Nortie” (Sams) Simmons]
May C Simmons 23
Jesse T Simmons 35
***********************
According to the same article David E. George didn't get to El Reno until 1901:

"St. Helen's trail grew cold until 1901, when he arrived in El Reno, Oklahoma, under the alias of David E. George. He lived in the town for fewer than two years, however, in that short time he made quite an impression on his fellow residents. William G. Shepherd, who picks up the story from there, interviewed witnesses who personally knew the mysterious Mr. George. His findings were published in an article entitled, "Shattering the Myth of John Wilkes Booth's Escape," that appeared in the November 1924 issue of Harper's Monthly Magazine."

---

(07-12-2019 08:01 PM)Steve Whitlock Wrote:  

(07-12-2019 06:45 PM)Steve Wrote:  According to Bates' book, David E. George, previously went by the alias George D. Ryan in other towns of Oklahoma Territory:

https://archive.org/details/escapesuicid...e/page/228

I checked and couldn't find any mention of the name George Ryan or its variants. Also you can tell from the articles I posted on the other thread, David E. George, painter "of Dallas" appears in several Oklahoma newspapers, including in some of the same towns where the Ryan alias was supposedly used.

In fact the earliest confirmed record I could find mentioning David E. George is from page 8 of the April 14, 1897 edition of the Evening Messenger of Marshall, Texas:

There is a mention that David E. George bought a house in El Reno and had J. W. Simmons and his wife living with him

This confirms, at least, that he did indeed come to Oklahoma from Texas. But I can't find any record or city directory listing of him in Dallas. Unfortunately, he seems to have been missed in the 1900 census. There was that insurance policy paper found on him when he died, but that seems to have been bogus, so I'm not sure if we can take the information the policy or the repudiated will says about his origins and family at face value or not.

I was thinking maybe the Ford investigation of Bates and his claims about Mr. George picked up some clues that might have seemed insignificant or impossible to follow up at the time that might be easier to follow-up now with all the historical records and databases online now

---

(07-12-2019 08:01 PM)Steve Whitlock Wrote:  

(07-12-2019 06:45 PM)Steve Wrote:  According to Bates' book, David E. George, previously went by the alias George D. Ryan in other towns of Oklahoma Territory:

https://archive.org/details/escapesuicid...e/page/228

I checked and couldn't find any mention of the name George Ryan or its variants. Also you can tell from the articles I posted on the other thread, David E. George, painter "of Dallas" appears in several Oklahoma newspapers, including in some of the same towns where the Ryan alias was supposedly used.

In fact the earliest confirmed record I could find mentioning David E. George is from page 8 of the April 14, 1897 edition of the Evening Messenger of Marshall, Texas:

This confirms, at least, that he did indeed come to Oklahoma from Texas. But I can't find any record or city directory listing of him in Dallas. Unfortunately, he seems to have been missed in the 1900 census. There was that insurance policy paper found on him when he died, but that seems to have been bogus, so I'm not sure if we can take the information the policy or the repudiated will says about his origins and family at face value or not.

I was thinking maybe the Ford investigation of Bates and his claims about Mr. George picked up some clues that might have seemed insignificant or impossible to follow up at the time that might be easier to follow-up now with all the historical records and databases online now

David E. George also appears in the 1903 Jennings, El Reno City Directory as a painter living on Macomb. There is also a John George in that directory, at a different address.

From "John Wilkes Booth, The Enid Legend" comes:

"Frontier towns in the American West were no place for lonely elders with no one to care for them. Fortunately, these same towns were also places where neighbors looked out for one another. George decided this was a good place to settle. He came up with 350 dollars to purchase a simple little four-room house. He persuaded J. W. Simmons and his wife to live with him rent free, in exchange for their care.

One afternoon, about a month after settling into the little house, George returned home with the answer to all his problems. He greeted Mrs. Simmons, her friend Ida Harper - whose husband was the town's Methodist minister and another lady, who were visiting in the main room. Always the gentleman, he excused himself before retiring to his own room. A short while later, the pleasantries of the ladies' chat was disturbed by desperate cries for help. The women rushed to George's room and found him lying sick on his bed - his eyes dilated from a self-induced dose of morphine. Mrs. Harper stayed with the dying old man while the other two women, for some strange reason, rushed out of the room to make "strong coffee," as if it were a remedy for poison. In their absence, George called the minister's wife to his bedside. He confessed to her that he was indeed the actor who had assassinated the president. She thought he might be delirious from pain, but was soon convinced the man was quite aware of what he was saying. Again he used the phrase, "I killed the best man that ever lived.""

In the 1900 census we have Rev J W Simmons living on Macomb Ave:

Nortie Simmons

in the 1900 United States Federal Census

Name: Nortie Simmons
[Sarah Nortie Sams]
Age: 40
Birth Date: Feb 1860
Birthplace: Kentucky
Home in 1900: El Reno, Canadian, Oklahoma
Ward of City: 1st
Street: Mc Comb Ave
House Number: 107
Sheet Number: 6
Number of Dwelling in Order of Visitation: 114
Family Number: 118
Race: White
Gender: Female
Relation to Head of House: Wife
Marital status: Married
Spouse's name: James Simmons
Marriage Year: 1877
Father's Birthplace: Kentucky
Mother's Birthplace: Kentucky
Mother: Number of Living Children: 1
Mother: How Many Children: 6
Months Not Employed: 0
Attended School: 0
Can Read: Yes
Can Write: Yes
Can Speak English: Yes
Neighbors:
Household Members:
Name Age
James Simmons 50 [Rev JW Simmons]
Nortie Simmons 40 [Sara Norton “Nortie” (Sams) Simmons]
May C Simmons 23
Jesse T Simmons 35
***********************
According to the same article David E. George didn't get to El Reno until 1901:

"St. Helen's trail grew cold until 1901, when he arrived in El Reno, Oklahoma, under the alias of David E. George. He lived in the town for fewer than two years, however, in that short time he made quite an impression on his fellow residents. William G. Shepherd, who picks up the story from there, interviewed witnesses who personally knew the mysterious Mr. George. His findings were published in an article entitled, "Shattering the Myth of John Wilkes Booth's Escape," that appeared in the November 1924 issue of Harper's Monthly Magazine."

Oops. Rev J. W. Simmons was on McComb, not Macomb. Not sure whether there was both a Macomb and McComb.