Who is this?

[Laurie Verge]

About three months ago, Dave Taylor posted a photo that was said to be of David Herold. I knew that I had seen the photo before, but could not remember where. The old brain moves slowly these days, but it still works!

I cannot find a copy of the book that I think this photo is in, but here are some details. In the early-1980s, before I became director of Surratt House, Mr. Hall, John Brennan, and I (and maybe others) were asked to verify that this picture was of David Herold - and another one shown that was thought to be Booth. We all agreed that the photos were neither of Herold nor Booth.

They were subsequently published in a family folklore book and listed as Herold and Booth. I believe the title of the book is Treasures in the Attic, and it was written by a lady who had inherited a family home here in Southern Maryland with history dating to the 1800s. One of the family members was believed to have been part of the Confederate underground (perhaps the Doctors' Line) during the Civil War.

It's a charming book to read, but not always historically accurate.