John Wilkes Booth Lincoln Assassination Historical Material & FBI Files

John Wilkes Booth Lincoln Assassination Historical Material & FBI Files

This collection contains a total of 2,862 pages.

FBI Files

90 pages of files copied from FBI Headquarters in Washington, D.C., covering John Wilkes Booth.

Despite the fact the FBI was not formed until many years after the death of John Wilkes Booth, the bureau responded to inquiries concerning Booth. These records contain correspondence dated 1922 and 1923 to and from William J. Burns, former Director of the Bureau of Investigation, concerning a theory that Booth lived many years after the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln. Also included are the results of a 1948 examination by the FBI Laboratory of a boot said to be worn by Booth on the night of the assassination and a 1977 examination of a diary belonging to Booth.

Lincoln Assassination Assorted Material from National Archives and the Library of Congress

70 pages of assorted material from the National Archives and the Library of Congress. Included in this set are 2 photos of John Wilkes Booth, 4 photos of Captain Edward P. Doherty, the pursuer of Booth, 25 assassination related photos including photos of the conspirators, their executions, and Lincoln's funeral. A copy of Mary Todd Lincoln's petition for a pension because of her husbands' death. The Washington police blotter from day of the assassination. An additional 40 pieces of digitized ephemeral from the time of the assassination dealing with the murder, including wanted posters, illustrations of Lincoln's funeral, and the execution of the conspirators.

Assassination Related Correspondences and Declarations

92 pages of correspondences from the National Archives and the Library of Congress, including dozens of pages from or to John Wilkes Booth, Michael O'Laughlin, Mary Ann Holmes Booth, William Seward, Attorney General James Speed, William Milward, and Sarah F. Mudd.

Documents include:

Telegram from John Wilkes Booth to Michael O'Laughlin 3/19/1864 - The major evidence against Michael O'Laughlin were telegraphs that John Wilkes Booth sent to O'Laughlin telling him "Don't fear to neglect your business. You better come at once." Another telegram from Booth tells Laughlin, "Get word to Sam, come on with or without him, Wednesday morning. We sell that day for sure. Don't fail."

John Wilkes Booth's "To Whom It May Concern" letter, 1864 - This letter is John Wilkes Booth's condemnation of the North and the Union. Booth refers to his role in the capture and execution of John Brown, and his support of slavery. This letter was published in the Philadelphia Inquirer in April 1865.

John Wilkes Booth's Calling Card, 4/14/1865 - This small calling card was handwritten by John Wilkes Booth and was left for Vice President Andrew Johnson at his Washington, DC hotel. The card reads, "Don't wish to disturb you. Are you at home? J. Wilkes Booth."

"Dearest Beloved Mother" Letter April 1865 - This letter is addressed to Mary Ann Holmes Booth, mother of John Wilkes Booth. Booth apologizes to his mother for his possible loss of life in supporting the cause of the South.

Affidavit of Sarah F. Mudd, 7/6/1865 & Transcription - This is a sworn statement taken from Sarah F. Mudd, wife of Dr. Samuel Mudd, before Justice of the Peace Ferguson, regarding visits John Wilkes Booth had with Dr. Mudd.

Books

2,590 pages in 10 volumes, dating from 1892 to 2020.

Titles include:

Abraham Lincoln and Boston Corbett with Personal Recollections of Each; John Wilkes Booth and Jefferson Davis, A True Story of their Capture by B. Berkeley Johnson (1914)

Assassination of Lincoln; A History of The Great Conspiracy; Trial of the Conspirators by a Military Commission, and a Review of the Trial Of John H. Surratt. By T.M. Harris (1892)

I Saw Booth Shoot Lincoln, by W.J. Ferguson (1930)

In the Shadow of Lincoln's Death by Otto Eisenschiml (1940)

John Wilkes Booth - Fact and Fiction of Lincoln's Assassination by Francis F. Wilson (1929)

Lincoln, the Story of the Assassination by R. Bond Truett (1949)

Staff Ride Guide the Lincoln Assassination (2020)

The Assassination of Abraham Lincoln - Flight, Pursuit, Capture, and Punishment of the Conspirators by Osborn Hamiline Oldroyd (1901)

The Crime at Ford's Theater. by Edward James Kelly (1944)

The life, crime, and capture of John Wilkes Booth, with a full sketch of the conspiracy of which he was the leader, and the pursuit, trial and execution of his accomplices. By George Alfred Townsend. (1865)

John Wilkes Booth Newspaper Articles

20 full sheet American newspaper pages containing articles covering Booth, between July 24, 1860, and March 18, 1865, related to his theatrical career. Newspapers include The Daily Exchange (Baltimore, MD), Evening Star (Washington D.C.), The National Republican (Washington D.C.), The New York Herald, and the Cincinnati Daily Press.