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Birth
John Wilkes Booth was born near Bel Air, Maryland. He was one of 10 children to Junius Brutus Booth and Mary Ann Holmes. Like Booth, his father was also a well known actor -
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Life
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Joins the Know-Nothing Party
In the 1850's Booth joined the Know-Nothing Party. The party's goal was to limit immigration into the United States. -
Acting Debut
When Booth turned 17, he made his acting debut in Baltimore. He played a role in a production of Shakespeare's Richard III. The picture shows Booth performing with his two brothers, Edwin and Junius, Jr -
Joins Virginia Militia
In October, 1859, John Brown raids Harper's Ferry, Virginia as a revolt against slavery. Booth was shocked and aided in the capture and execution of John Brown by joining the Virginia Militia. Booth also witnessed John Brown's hanging, as shown in the picture. -
Civil War: Confederate Spy
During the Civil War, Booth worked as a Confederate Secret Agent. Booth had been a southern sympathizers. He also believed in succession and the idea of slavery. -
Oil Investment
In early 1863, Booth and a few friends invested in an oil company. His company was named the "Dramatic Oil Company". This picture shows the company drilling for oil. -
Secretly Engaged
Booth was in a relationship with Lucy Lambert Hale. The couple got secretly engaged in March. Hale was the daughter of US Senator John Parker Hale of New Hampshire -
Lincoln Kidnapping Plan
On March 15, Booth and his fellow conspirators met and formulated a plan to abduct the president. Booth formed a plan where they would intercept Lincoln's carriage on the way to a play at the Campbell Hospital. The plans were foiled when the president changed his plans. The picture shows the conspirators -
Lincoln's Assasination
The president and his wife were watching a performance of 'Our American Cousin' at Ford's Theater. Booth came from behind and shot Lincoln in the back of the head. The president would die the next day -
Escaping
After shooting Lincoln, Booth jumped on to the stage and escaped. He then fled Washington, met with David Herold, and they went down to south Maryland. Samuel Mudd treated Booth's injured leg. -
Death
After crossing the Potomac River to Virginia, Booth and Herold hid in a barn on Richard Garrett's farm. Union troops surrounded the area and burned down the barn. Herold surrendered, but Booth stayed in the burning barn and was shot and killed. The picture shows the barn being burned down.
