New Development in Booth Case Coming Soon

[Steve Whitlock]

(06-24-2019 09:39 AM)Steve Wrote:  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.

FM Steve, Here we go again with another mystery:

Exploring Evergreen Cemetery – John W. Booth

Gerry Adler, Herald Correspondent Oct 13, 2017 0


John W. Booth

What’s in a name? According to his 1916 obituary in the Herald Democrat, for John W. Booth of Leadville his name was a family link to the infamous John Wilkes Booth, assassin of President Abraham Lincoln.

Leadville’s Booth was born in 1848. He claimed to be the nephew of John Wilkes Booth. His obituary details the Booth family history and claims that Booth was the son of Junius Brutus Booth Jr., the brother of John Wilkes Booth.

Many members of the Booth family from Massachusetts were noted actors, starting with Junius Brutus Booth Sr. The Booth buried in Evergreen Cemetery also followed a theatrical career for 24 years. He stayed in that profession until 1873 with his last performance in Helena, Mont.

After abandoning the stage, Booth lived for several years in Wyoming where he worked as an undertaker. It was there that he met and married Dolly Baker. In 1879, they moved to Leadville where Mrs. Booth persuaded him to learn the trade of cabinet maker.

Gretchen Scanlon, a Leadville historian, has thoroughly researched the Booth genealogy. While she found documented evidence in the 1880 Wyoming census that Booth did indeed reside there, she found no evidence of his purported relationship to John Wilkes Booth. In fact, Scanlon found no evidence of a birth certificate for Booth as son to Junius Brutus Booth Jr.

Booth died Dec. 31, 1916. Whether or not he is actually the nephew of John Wilkes Booth appears to be left to opinion.

Sources: Herald Democrat obituary, December 31, 1916; Gretchen Scanlon, Leadville historian.

Friends of the Historic Evergreen Cemetery is a 501 ©(3) nonprofit formed to preserve and restore the final resting place of the people who made Leadville and Lake County. To volunteer, contact John R. Piearson at 719-293-0936 or mail donations to Friends of the Historic Evergreen Cemetery at P.O. Box 955, Leadville, CO 80461.
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The article says that John W. Booth didn't undertake cabinet making until 1879, also, nobody (so far) seems to know who his first marriage was to.

If he was born out of wedlock he may likely have his mother's surname, which makes it even harder to find him in 1850-1870 census. Also, when Jack Booth introduced himself to Louisa J. (Price) Payne he said he was a cousin, not the nephew, of John Wilkes Booth, before telling her later he was THE John Wilkes Booth.