Why did Mary move?

[L Verge]

Surrattsville was much more isolated than what the surroundings today would indicate. The closest neighbor was about a quarter-mile away. As of November 1, 1864, her remaining slaves were freed with the new Maryland State Constitution. Both of her sons were away in their individual services to the Confederacy - leaving Mrs. Surratt and Anna alone much of the time in an area that was still subject to Union raids and marauders. Surrattsville just was not safe. D.C. provided more security and she would be close to the merchants along Pennsylvania Avenue where they had already done business as well as the city markets for fresh fruits, vegetables, and other goods. It was like having a 7-11 on every corner for a farmer's wife from Southern Maryland in 1864-65.

Anna was also a young woman in need of companionship her own age as well as a social life. She was 22 and of marriageable age. The pickings were much riper in D.C., especially for a lady who had been well-trained in womanly social skills (which she had been at the Martin sisters' school in Bryantown, where Anna excelled at her studies).

I doubt that there was much money to be had at the tavern after the regular customers had impoverished themselves supporting the Confederacy or had gone to war, not to return. They had lost any income from the post office, which was now in the hands of a genuine Union supporter. Crops were dwindling without a labor force, and somehow I cannot envision either Mary Surratt or Anna planting a new crop of tobacco within the coming six months. Plus, her husband had pretty much squandered at least half of the farm's acreage in bad dealings by the time of his death in 1862. The less land on a farm the less crops you can plant, and fewer crops mean smaller incomes.

At the time of his death, John Surratt owed about $3500 to debtors, including the Calvert family from whom he had purchased the property a decade before and never finished paying. He also had not paid Jeremiah Townshend, the man who built the home. There were also people who owed him money, but couldn't or wouldn't pay. In those days, a widow did not go pounding on doors demanding payment. Her meetings with Nothey were as close to that as it came. BTW: a descendant of John Nothey visited Surratt House about ten days ago. He's from Georgia, but knows only basic family history.

It is my understanding that the H Street home had been obtained free and clear via a weird deal back in 1853. Running a boardinghouse was one of the few respectable occupations for a woman in 1864. There certainly was no need for a boardinghouse in Surrattsville. Even prior to the war, the travelers' bedroom was pretty much a flop house arrangement. The boardinghouse was located where it was also very convenient for Mary to attend any and all services, if she so desired. In Surrattsville, the closest Catholic church was over five miles away. It takes me 15-20 minutes today to reach it by car.

Finally, John Lloyd had agreed to pay $500/year to rent the Surrattsville property. He never paid up due to circumstances that were to follow...