Lincoln Assassination Tours

[Dave Taylor]

Roger is correct. William W. Kirby was a D.C. native who resided on H St. Originally a cabinet and coffin maker, Kirby became a constable of sorts and later a detective. In 1870, he formed a detective firm with Aquilla R. Allen, who, in 1865, had helped to track down the Lincoln conspirators while on the staff of D.C. Provost Marshal James O’Beirne. After her imprisonment, Mary Surratt actually requested Mr. Kirby to act as a lawyer on her behalf, but, since he wasn’t a lawyer, merely a constable at the time, he declined. There may have been some relationship through marriage between Mr. Kirby and the Holohan family that boarded with the Surratts on H st. In a statement, Anna Surratt claimed Mr. Kirby was Mrs. Holohan’s brother, but her maiden name was Smith, not Kirby. Still there was likely some family connection which is what made Mr. Kirby a familiar visitor to the boardinghouse. William Kirby died in 1905 and is buried in Oak Hill cemetery in Georgetown, the same cemetery that holds one of Mrs. Surratt’s actual attorneys, Frederick Aiken.

[wpbinzel]

(12-05-2025 02:25 PM)Dave Taylor Wrote:  Roger is correct. William W. Kirby was a D.C. native who resided on H St. Originally a cabinet and coffin maker, Kirby became a constable of sorts and later a detective. In 1870, he formed a detective firm with Aquilla R. Allen, who, in 1865, had helped to track down the Lincoln conspirators while on the staff of D.C. Provost Marshal James O’Beirne. After her imprisonment, Mary Surratt actually requested Mr. Kirby to act as a lawyer on her behalf, but, since he wasn’t a lawyer, merely a constable at the time, he declined. There may have been some relationship through marriage between Mr. Kirby and the Holohan family that boarded with the Surratts on H st. In a statement, Anna Surratt claimed Mr. Kirby was Mrs. Holohan’s brother, but her maiden name was Smith, not Kirby. Still there was likely some family connection which is what made Mr. Kirby a familiar visitor to the boardinghouse. William Kirby died in 1905 and is buried in Oak Hill cemetery in Georgetown, the same cemetery that holds one of Mrs. Surratt’s actual attorneys, Frederick Aiken.

Oak Hill Cemetery in Georgetown is also where Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton is buried as well.

[Dave Taylor]

Hello all. I just wanted to put up a quick update for interested folks. To run our John Wilkes Booth escape route tours, Lincoln Assassination Tours requires a minimum number of ticket sales to operate. I'm happy to announce that we have reached this threshold for our inaugural tour on Saturday, March 14, 2026! I'm very grateful to everyone who has purchased advance tickets to help get Lincoln Assassination Tours off the ground. If you've been thinking about taking the Booth escape route tour, I hope you'll consider registering for one of our tours this spring. In addition to the March 14 tour, we are also planning for April 18 and April 19. The April dates aren't confirmed yet, as we need a few more folks to ensure they are a go. I hope you will check out our website and social media channels to learn more.