John Wilkes Booth

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John Wilkes booth was born in 1838 on a farm near Bel Aire, Maryland, to an English Father and his mistress he left England with. His father, Junius Brutus Booth, was a Shakespearean actor, and Booth and his two brothers, Edwin and Junius Jr, were all famous actors.

John is Marc Antony and on the left in this image. His brothers Edwin and Junius Jr are on the right. This performance of Julius Caesar was the only performance with the three brothers together, and raised the funds for the statue of Shakespeare in Central Park.

The Lincoln Family were Booth fans, as they often played in Washington DC. Abraham Lincoln saw John in "The Marble Heart". John waved his finger at Lincoln during the performance, causing Lincoln's sister in law, who was sitting with Lincoln in the same presidential box that Lincoln will later be slain to remark "Mr Lincoln, he looks as if it was meant that for you". Lincoln responded "He does look pretty sharp at me doesn't he." Tad Lincoln saw John perform in a later performance, and told John he was thrilled by him, prompting John to give him a rose.

John was pro confederate during the Civil War, but like many Marylanders, his family was divided. His Brother, Edwin, was pro Union. Edwin refused to perform in the South during the Civil War. In late 1864 or early 1865 Edwin saved the life of Robert Todd Lincoln when he fell onto train tracks in Jersey City, New Jersey. Robert was standing too close to the edge during a busy day as the train was pulling in. Edwin did not know the name of the man he saved until his friend, Colonel Adam Badeau, gave his complements to Booth for the heroic deed. Both Badeau and Robert Todd Lincoln were on the staff of Ulysses S Grant.

While Edwin was a very successful actor, the assassination of Abraham Lincoln caused him much hardship, forcing him to temporarily hault his career, and resulted in many death threats and even an assassination attempt while he was on stage in 1879.

 

[Fairfield]

John Wilkes Booth had a series of mistresses (Ellen "Ella" Starr, Carrie Bean, Sarah Slater and Isabel Sumer) as well as a series of "marriages" (Izola Mills, Kate Scott and Louisa Paine). The marriage to Louisa Paine seems to have been genuine because a wedding certificate was found in Tennessee (unless one of the other "marriages" was legitimate which would make this one bigamous). He probably left 6+ children by various women.

Ella Starr was so much in love that, after his death, she attempted suicide
From the Springfield Republican on April 28, 1865:
Booth's Mistress.
The news of Booth's death reached the ears of his mistress, Miss Ella Turner [Ella Starr], while she was in a streetcar, which caused her to weep bitterly, and drawing a photograph likeness of the murderer from her pocket, kissed it fondly several times.

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From The New York Herald, May 31, 1865:
BOOTH'S MISTRESS TO TESTIFY
The young woman, Ella Turner, who it will be remembered evinced her affection for J. Wilkes Booth by attempting suicide on learning of his crime and flight from the city, has been summoned as a witness by Payne's counsel, and much curiosity is manifested to learn what she may know of the conspiracy. She has been in the witness room at the arsenal since Saturday morning.

 

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Some critics called Booth "the handsomest man in America" and a "natural genius", and noted his having an "astonishing memory"; others were mixed in their estimation of his acting. He stood 5 feet 8 inches (1.73 m) tall, had jet-black hair, and was lean and athletic. Noted Civil War reporter George Alfred Townsend described him as a "muscular, perfect man" with "curling hair, like a Corinthian capital". Booth's stage performances were often characterized by his contemporaries as acrobatic and intensely physical, with him leaping upon the stage and gesturing with passion. He was an excellent swordsman, although a fellow actor once recalled that Booth occasionally cut himself with his own sword.

Historian Benjamin Platt Thomas wrote that Booth "won celebrity with theater-goers by his romantic personal attraction", and that he was "too impatient for hard study" and his "brilliant talents had failed of full development." Author Gene Smith wrote that Booth's acting may not have been as precise as his brother Edwin's, but his strikingly handsome appearance enthralled women. As the 1850s drew to a close, Booth was becoming wealthy as an actor, earning $20,000 a year (equivalent to $700,000 in 2024).

In all, Booth performed in 83 plays in 1858. Booth said that, of all Shakespearean characters, his favorite role was Brutus, the slayer of a tyrant.

 

[LincolnHarlan]

John Wilkes Booth had a series of mistresses (Ellen "Ella" Starr, Carrie Bean, Sarah Slater and Isabel Sumer) as well as a series of "marriages" (Izola Mills, Kate Scott and Louisa Paine). The marriage to Louisa Paine seems to have been genuine because a wedding certificate was found in Tennessee (unless one of the other "marriages" was legitimate which would make this one bigamous). He probably left 6+ children by various women.

Ella Starr was so much in love that, after his death, she attempted suicide
From the Springfield Republican on April 28, 1865:
Booth's Mistress.
The news of Booth's death reached the ears of his mistress, Miss Ella Turner [Ella Starr], while she was in a streetcar, which caused her to weep bitterly, and drawing a photograph likeness of the murderer from her pocket, kissed it fondly several times.

and
​

From The New York Herald, May 31, 1865:
BOOTH'S MISTRESS TO TESTIFY
The young woman, Ella Turner, who it will be remembered evinced her affection for J. Wilkes Booth by attempting suicide on learning of his crime and flight from the city, has been summoned as a witness by Payne's counsel, and much curiosity is manifested to learn what she may know of the conspiracy. She has been in the witness room at the arsenal since Saturday morning.

Lucy Lambert Hale was amongst those and probably the most prominent of all his girlfriends.