(12-13-2020 09:32 AM)McCastle Wrote:  

(12-12-2020 08:52 PM)Susan Higginbotham Wrote:  

(12-12-2020 06:15 PM)McCastle Wrote:  Susan,

While I agree that the extensive work on Sarah Slater done by author and historian John Stanton is impressive, I have to ask the same question I posed to John many years ago... what if the name Sarah Slater was an alias?

Years ago, long before his passing, he took me on the "Cawood No Escape Tour" near his home at Mathias Point Va.

A good man, and I always enjoyed his company.

I suppose it's possible that "Slater" was an alias, but Weichman's trial testimony that Mrs. Slater was from North Carolina, spoke French, and could apply to the French consul for aid if needed coincides nicely with the background of the actual Sarah Slater.

I'm beginning to think that Weichmann's information may have come from George Atzerodt, who said Sarah was from "South" Carolina. Mary Surratt was already upset with Atzerodt for telling Weichmann too much. Again, this is just a guess.

I do agree that John Stanton's piece coincides nicely, but the dates being ten years off, leaves it somewhat questionable. Not wrong, just questionable.

I have seen only two eyewitness descriptions of Sarah Slater. I'm adding a third description of a female blockade runner, given by a fellow blockade runner on the Potomac River. I believe she had a solid French connection in Canada.

This should be an easy one to guess..

George Atzerodt
Slender / Medium Size
Black Hair
Black eyes
Age 20-21
Good Looking

David Barry
Slim / Delicate in Size
Dark Hair
Black eyes
age Under 30

????
Medium Height
Black Hair
Dark Eyes
Age 23-24
Remarkably Pretty
She loved the Confederacy with an "ardor" so intense...

I would have my doubts about the birth year on Sarah Slater's tombstone too (assuming that's what you're referring to) were she not buried next to her mother and sister. It was quite common for 19th-century ladies to shave off a few years, and since Sarah's closest surviving relatives were nephews, they probably simply took her at her word for her year of birth when they commissioned her tombstone.

Susan,

I believe you have made a reasonable case based on John Stanton's research, and there is a good chance that your work is correct.

That said, I tend to believe that Sarah Slater may have been an alias, not that I'm right about any of this, I am simply offering a different opinion on the subject.

The third description, given by Thomas A. Jones, was of his assistant Mary Augusta Watson, and is nearly identical to those given by George Atzerodt and David Barry.
https://watson1693.wordpress.com/2008/07/12/21/

A few days before Augustus Howell was arrested at Surrattsville MD., John Surratt received a letter from R.G. Watson, who asked Surratt to come to New York for " important business." Surratt did not go to the meeting. Was this just another case of Surratt creating an alibi? Did Roderick Watson's sister, ask him to send the letter to Surratt? read Surratt's letter below; see Dhu Watson/James O. Hall
https://watson1693.wordpress.com/page/2/

Mary "Sarah" Augusta Watson ( Tennyson Family records) would have been well known in the area of Port Tobacco, The Watson family was living at nearby Pope's Creek for generations until the house was supposedly burned by Union soldiers. They were also neighbors of Thomas A. Jones.
see photos of Watson House; https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=5938

George Atzerodt seemed to know more about Sarah Slater than the others, which made me consider that Mary Watson may have met Atzerodt at the carriage shop in Port Tobacco. There is some speculation that this carriage shop was owned by Robert Carvell, which means absolutely nothing, except that Mary Augusta Watson later became Mrs. John Carvell, (Carville).

While I'm not quite sure about the connection between Robert and Dr. John Carvell, I can say for sure that Mary Watson's beau was living in New Brunswick Canada. If she was Sarah Slater, this would have been her opportunity to "apply to the French Consulate" in case of any trouble. As for her speaking French, the primary languages spoken in New Brunswick are French and English. Carvell, New Brunswick, lies just across the U.S./ Canadian boarder.

Blockade runner, Dr. John Carvell and Mary Watson were married in 1867.

The use of an alias is nothing new when it comes to the conspirators. Lewis Powell was alias Payne, Booth was Boyd, Surratt was Sturdy, Sherman and probably a half dozen others. Even Herold, I think may have used the name Henson at Dr, Mudd's house. When John Surratt was finally captured in 1867 he was using the alias John Watson, the very name of Mary Watson's deceased uncle, John J. Watson. Curiously, a Captain Perry, who was seen bringing Confederate mail and hiding in the woods behind Dr. Mudd;s house may have 'borrowed" the name of Mary Watson's mother, Ann Perry...who knows.

Probably isn't them, but one line of Carvells that I started following goes back to their ancestral land, and has an interesting name in it for sure. According to family records, Mary Watson was Mary "Sarah" Augusta Watson. If Slater was an alias, I wonder if the name came from Dr. John Carvell's side of the family. While I find it interesting, this is basically just guesswork.

Thomas Carvell, Circa 1802 - 1886
Thomas Carvell was born circa 1802, at birth place, to William Carvell and Sarah Carvell (born Slater).
William was born on October 7 1775, in Market Harborough, Leicestershire, England.
Sarah was born circa 1768, in Barkby, Leicestershire, England.
Thomas was baptized on month day 1803, at baptism place.
He had 3 siblings: John Carvell and 2 other siblings.
Thomas married Elizabeth Carvell.
Elizabeth was born circa 1802, in Barkby, Leicestershire, England.
They had 3 children: Thomas Carvell and 2 other children.

(12-15-2020 01:57 PM)McCastle Wrote:  Even Herold, I think may have used the name Henson at Dr. Mudd's house.

I have always found this topic confusing. Mudd's wife wrote that Herold called himself "Tyson" and Booth said his name was "Tyler." Dr. Mudd, however, said that Herold called himself "Henson" and Booth was "Tyser or Tyson." Who knows!

If I recall properly, the book the Lincoln Conspiracy by David Balsiger and Chales Sellier had Herold being miss-identified as Henson.
The book became a not so great movie and is on Internet Archive - https://archive.org/details/the-lincoln-conspiracy-1977

I also recall Ray Neff being involved in the narrative before he wrote his classic book, Dark Union.
He tries to prove it was a Herold look-a-like named Henson who accompanies a Booth look-a-like, Boyd and finally are caught/killed at Garrett's farm.

Roger,
Confusing as it is to keep up with all of the names, imagine the look Louis Wiechmann's face when Lewis Powell showed up at Mary Surratt's door as "Wood" then returned as "Paine". Wiechmann was probably thinking .....are you kidding?

Thanks for clearing up that Tyson/Tyler issue!

Gene,
I saw a recent program about the Booth family DNA and the body in the barn. Near the beginning of the show, the narrator said that David Herold told the Union soldiers at Garrett's farm that it was Boyd who was in the barn. Shortly after saying it was David Herold, they said it wasn't David Herold, and that it was a man named Henson. All nonsense, of course, but the tale may have originated from Herold's conversations at Dr. Mudd's house.

Speaking of names in my alias Howell theory, I'm reading more trial testimony of David Barry, who rode with Surratt and Slater to Port Tobacco. His statement about knowing Howell's name seems odd considering he claims to have known Howell for "a long time." ( He thinks his name is Augustus?)

Q. Who was the blockade runner you spoke of?
A. Howell was his name.
Q. Did Surratt tell you about him?
A. He may have spoken to me about him. I knew him better than Surratt did.
Q. Who told you who he was?
A. I have known him a long time.
Q. Do you know his first name?
A. I think Augustus.

(12-15-2020 01:57 PM)McCastle Wrote:  Susan,

I believe you have made a reasonable case based on John Stanton's research, and there is a good chance that your work is correct.

By the way, I've done my own research into Sarah (I tracked down the identity of her second husband), and am not simply parroting John Stanton's. And of course, the person who laid the groundwork for future researchers was the late James O. Hall, all without the benefit of the Internet.