John Wilkes Booth

  • November 30, 1852

    November 30, 1852
    After his father's death in 1852 Booth left his studies at St. Timothy’s hall which is a prestigious school in Catonsville. He went to school here with his brother from 1853-1853.
  • Early in 1853

    Early in 1853
    Booth begins to follow his older brothers Junius Jr and Edwin into the acting profession. He debut in Shakespeare's Richard III at Charles Street Theater in Baltimore.
  • October 1859

    In October 1859 Booth hears about John Browns raid on Harper's Fairy. He is shocked by the news, and later enlists in Richmond's militia for a short time witnessing John Browns hanging in December.
  • November 1863

    In November 1863, he performed in The Marble Heart at Ford's Theater, this is the only time Lincoln would see him perform
  • May 1864

    May 1864
    In May 1864 Booth invested into an oil company in western Pennsylvania. After seeing there was not going to be any immediate profit he backed out, Booth lost most of his saving and caused him to go into debt.
  • March 4, 1865

    Saturday March 4, 1865 Booth attends Lincoln's second inauguration speech. He reacted strongly to what Lincoln’s ideas were about black voting rights and told his co-conspirator that he was “going to put him through”.
  • March 28, 1865

    John Wilkes Booth preforms in his last show in Fords theater. He was a co-staring in The Apostate. Less then a week later Robert E. Lee would surrender at Richmond.
  • April 14, 1865

    April 14, 1865
    Killed President Abraham Lincoln on April 14, 1865 shot Lincoln at Ford's theater with .50 caliber handgun. He jumped out of the box, landing on the stage. He is believed to have broken his leg upon landing. This is where the 12 day man hunt begins.
  • April 26, 1865

    April 26, 1865
    On April 26, 1865 the 12 day man hunt for John Wilkes Booth has come to an end. Union soldiers track him down to Garret's farm in Port Royal Virginia. There he is shot by Sergeant Boston Corbett who was standing outside the barn,