I would have to take this story with a pinch of salt even though I know for certain that John Booth (publically known as John Wilkes Booth) was not killed in Virginia. However Izola’s story is quite possible for the following reasons and circumstances: The transcription of Rosalie Ann Booth’s 1860 letter was first published in the June 1979 edition of Richard Sloan’s Lincoln Log. A copy of the original document, housed at the New York Public Library, was provided courtesy of Richard Sloan. The Binghamton LEADER reports on OHB’s death in much the same fashion as articles above but on April 15, 1892 it reports that it was not known who she was when buried. It reports that her husband Al Henderson was not working with the Floy Troupe and that he rushed to Binghamton from NYC, arriving just in time to be at the death bed. It is true that John Wilkes Booth was not shot and killed in Garrett’s Barn in Caroline County, Virginia. The man killed in the barn was an unknown Confederate soldier, shot and killed by Sergeant Boston Corbett under direct instructions from the NDP under Colonel Baker and Officer Conger (later promoted to Lt. Colonel for delivering the soldier’s out of date diary (1864) to Baker in Washington). I have written a book about Izola. I know many people will disagree with some parts of the book, but everyone reading the book should come away with the feeling that Izola was a good person.

I am happy that my input gives further insight into the question of whether Ogarita really was the daughter of John W.Booth the actor. Up till now I just had second hand accounts on this particular subject that tended to favour Ogarita’s claim. With the recent inauguration of a new United States president, I was reminded of some of the odd bits of presidential history. I found once such story in my sister-in-law's family tree. Martha Lizola Mills; her daughter, Ogarita Elizabeth Bellows; and her granddaughter, Izola Louis Hills, all believed Martha was the secret wife of John Wilkes Booth, the person many witnessed assassinated then president Abraham Lincolon. They also believed Booth escaped and lived several more years and that he fathered a son with Martha Lizola after Lincoln's assassination. John [Wilkes Booth] had one daughter Ogretia and one son Alonso. Ogretia was beautyfull. Alonso was very much like the old Mr Richard Booth. Johns wife is still living. her name was Izalia. I do not know her maiden name. John told Roslie he would give her two oil wells, and he wished her to take care of those two children, which she did, although they were with there Mother. Rosie calls them her Children. John was not married to there Mother. after Johns Death Izalia she went with the Children A way to the Ilenoiise. they the Children are both married now. poor Children… None of the family takes any account of John Wilks’ Children but Roslie. she is very kind to them: does not visit them, but sends them money every spring and fall. calls them her Children.” Perhaps you will think now I am obssessed with John Booth but I will also say that if you are a descendant then surely you would not be dis-interested in knowing that others do not see Booth as an evil assassin. There seems to be much hatred for Izola on the internet and I hope you aren’t a victim. I recently read at the Boothiebarn.com “…was the fact that poor Rosalie Booth had fallen for Izola Mills’ claim to be the mother of her brother’s children. Only a handful of known documents exist that prove a relationship existed between Rose and the con-artist Izola Mills.” In their mind Izola is a con-artist. I wrote the following comment to Boothiebarn and had it promptly deleted. Censorship is alive and well there.A True History of the Assassination of Abraham Lincoln and of the Conspiracy of 1865, by Louis J. Weichmann, 1975 It has been over one-hundred-and-fifty years since I became an accessory after the fact, and no one can hurt me now. There is no reason to keep my life a secret any longer. This will be the first time I tell my story. This is the story of how Izola (mother of Ogarita) had received a letter (circa 1st June 1865)from John Booth, about 6 weeks after Abe’s assassination. He asked her to meet him in Central Park (NYC) and she did; and both then went to Montreal. They spent only two weeks together there, awaiting his mail to arrive. ‘During this time he executed a Power of Attorney which gave powers to proceed with litigation in regard to some oil property he owned in western Pennsylvania.’ After this they parted and she never saw him again. Everywhere I went, danger seemed to follow me. Don’t get me wrong; people weren’t trying to hurt me. I never gave anyone a reason to dislike me. But I needed to keep some things about me hidden. If people knew the truth, I would have been sent to prison. Three years later, Abram’s ship returned to Malaga. He was hoping to see Izola and went looking for her. When he found her, she had a two-year-old baby girl with her. That baby was me! My name is Martha Lizola Mendoza. Abram was surprised to learn about me; he had no idea he was a father.

But think of it like this….as the years go by, what if SOMEONE who is currently looking into the subject of OGARITA BOOTH HENDERSON comes along. SHE is the obscure ITEM brought forth in some clarity here. WHAT if they BRING FORTH something NEW about HER. the tombstone on her grave was placed in October or November 1972 by Rita’s grand daughter, Rita Shepard of Ft. Lauderdale FL. The monument was built by the Bares Monument Company. (My search of an old directory shows the Emmerich J. Bares was an attendant at the Binghamton State Hospital in the 1940’s, and opened his monument company by the 1960’s.) The plan to kidnap was proposed by Booth to John Surratt on his own responsibility. (See Surratt’s own lectures). No one else was involved except this little group. They all rejected it at first particularly Arnold and O’Laughlin but they did try once by scouting the Seventh Street Hospital but Salmon Chase was in the carriage, so they reneged. Below you will see an advertisement for the Floy Crowell troupe from April 5th 1892. Although Rita and her husband Al Henderson are not mentioned, they were among the 19 players in the production of revolving plays that promised, “NO DULL MOMENTS.” In October 1882, she appeared in the W. E. Sterling & Marie Wellesley Company and appeared on stage in such roles as Eliza in Uncle Tom's Cabin (also Izola's stage debut, as Little Harry). Another play Henderson was in at this time was The Old Cross! or The Dogs of the Forest. In the same play was Alexander Henderson (1850–1920), a London-born musical director and actor who grew up in Scotland and came to the United States in the 1870s. The two married around 1884. Henderson appeared on stage with Lillian Russell and Edward Solomon in their 1885 winter tour. [4] In 1885, the couple had a daughter, Beatrice Rosalie "Booth" Henderson, who followed the family tradition and became an actress, and later in life ran a summer theater in Keene, New Hampshire and directed plays in Fort Lauderdale, Florida in the winter. In 1884, Henderson began using the stage name "Rita Booth", which she did for the last eight years of her life.What is so frustrating to me is that (, just like Rosalie,) only ONE image of Blanche De Bar Booth is available, at least to my knowledge, and I have NEVER been able to locate an image of Marion Booth at all. One would think that of all the different museums involving the Booth family that at least a few photos of these rather obscure women in the family should be some where and made available. Izola was married to Charles Bellows at the time she married Booth and she would not like to be called a bigamist. There was a need for secrecy because most people would object to a woman being married to two men at the same time. For some nights past she [Mary Ann] insisted that Rose should sleep in the same bed with her – she felt too nervous to be alone, & Rose was asleep beside her, when the nurse woke her & informed her of Mother’s death.” For almost the rest of her life, Rose was housed and given an allowance by her brother Edwin. She followed her mother as they moved from rented homes in different cities, procured for them with Edwin’s influence and money. In 1859, Asia Booth married actor John Sleeper Clarke and the two took up residence in Philadelphia. Mary Ann moved in with the newlyweds about two months after their marriage and soon Rose and Joseph followed. The entire family was residing at the house when the 1860 census was taken. In a March 7 th, letter to Jean Anderson, Asia writes, “Ned [Edwin] has sent Rose and me the very loveliest of Escritoires”. They are large boxes inlaid with pearl, containing drawers for jewelry and little [indecipherable] a writing desk nicely furnished and a work box at the top of all, I wish you could see and admire.”

A city inspector named George A. Lincoln was assigned to oversee the exodus to Glenwood Cemetery. He kept a diary of the goings-on. His March 6th entry is peculiar: Rose even jokes with Edwin stating that he “won” their bet regarding Asia and, assumedly, her skills at motherhood. The 36 year-old also seems to make humorous reference to her continued unmarried status with her aside of, “unless I get married, and have a house of my own but I don’t think that there is any danger of that yet awhile.” My interest in Izola begins with her marriage to John Wilkes Booth, but when you say that Izola was living with her son in 1860 and I say her son was born in 1861; the discrepancy in dates bothered me, so I decided to see what I could find out. The following is what I learned among the conflicting information.

Publications

Murdering Mr. Lincoln: A New Detection of the 19th Century's Most Famous Crime, by Charles Higham, 2004 A month later, on January 15 th, 1889, Rosalie Ann Booth, the eldest daughter of her beloved mother, passed away. Her death certificate states the chief cause of death was “bulbar paralysis” with “progressive spinal sclerosis” as a contributing factor. Her final illness lasted from January 7 th until her death on the 15 th at 10:00 p.m. Her body was transported from New York to Baltimore and a surprisingly well-documented funeral commenced: Booth was never married and never had a child.(See his own letters where he is asking his mother for advice about marriage; she seemed happy about Lucy Hale however). He was dating Lucy Hale at this time it is said. The devotion Rose has to her mother is very clear in the letter. Asked by Edwin where she wished to live, New York or Boston, Rose replies that she will go wherever 57 year-old Mary Ann goes. This bond between mother and eldest daughter would continue to grow in the years to come. Letters from Asia to Jean over the next three years contain references to her mother and sister’s continued cohabitation: