History of Bel Air, (Harford County) Maryland United States of America

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Biographies:

Edwin Thomas Booth, actor, was born at Booth Farm, Bel Air, Harford county, Md., Nov. 13, 1833; son of Junius Brutus and Mary Ann (Holmes) Booth. His first scholastic instruction was received from Miss Susan Hyde, afterwards secretary of the Peabody institute at Baltimore, and, though his subsequent attendance at school was desultory, he acquired a fairly good English education. He early began to accompany his father on his periodical theatrical tours, which devolved upon the son the no slight duty of caring for the health and comfort of the eccentric actor. A strong affection grew up between the two. The boy was grave beyond his years, observant, thoughtful, and extremely sympathetic. His inherited talent and his early association with theatrical life created in him a desire to become an actor, and, overcoming his father's opposition, he made his debut at the Boston museum as Tressel in Richard III., Sept. 9, 1849. The result was evidently not unpleasing to his father, for Edwin continued to play, appearing September 27, as Cassius to his father's Iago, at the Providence museum; September 29, as Wilford to his father's Sir Edward Mortimer in "The Iron Chest"; December 25, as Laertes to his father's Hamlet, at the Old Drury, Pittsburg, Pa., and May 22, 1850, again playing Wilford. In 1851 the elder Booth was billed in Richard III. at the National theatre, N.Y., and being suddenly indisposed sent his son to play the title role. No apology had been made, and the audience was at first disappointed and ungracious, but before the end of the performance warmed into enthusiasm and called the young actor before the curtain. Soon after this he entered into an engagement with Theodore Barton of Baltimore, to play various parts at a salary of six dollars per week. In this he proved a failure, and in 1852 accompanied his father to join his brother, J. B. Booth, Jr., in California. They played two weeks at the Jenny Lind theatre in San Francisco, Edwin playing Wilford in "The Iron Chest "; Allworth in "A New Way to Pay Old Debts"; Laertes in "Hamlet"; Gratiano in" Merchant of Venice"; Richard in "Richard III."; Edgar in "King Lear," and Cassio in "Othello." At Sacramento the three Booths held benefits on three succeeding nights: the first night being the elder Booth's benefit, he played" Richard II.," the following night J. B. Booth, Jr., played Othello to his father's Iago; the third night, being Edwin's benefit, he played Jaffier to his father's Pierre. The elder Booth returned to the east and Edwin remained in California, growing daily poorer in purse and richer in experience. California was just then in a state of financial depression, and young Booth found the difficulty of making engagements only exceeded by the difficulty of receiving pay for them. His companion was D.C. Anderson, who shared with him the discomforts of the camping-out life, which they were compelled to adopt. Their lodging-house was first a tent erected in the sand lots, and after a two-roomed shanty called by them the" Rancho," where they cooked their own food and did their own marketing. At Sacramento he played with Catherine Sinclair Forrest, the divorced wife of Edwin Forrest, acting Raphael to her Marco in "The Marble Heart." He also supported her at San Francisco. A successful tour to Australia, New Zealand and the Sandwich Islands was made in 1855, and the following year he returned to the United States and began a starring tour. His first appearance after his return was in Baltimore as Richard. On one occasion, while playing in Detroit, the proof of a handbill intended for his manager accidentally fell into his hands. He struck from it all the adjectives written before his name, and wrote, "Announce me as simple Edwin Booth, nothing more." The announcement bill appeared: "Engagement for one week only of Simple Edwin Booth." Later he played in Richmond, Va., under the management of Joseph Jefferson, and there met Miss Mary Devlin of Troy, N.Y., who afterwards became his wife. In the early spring of 1857 he appeared in Boston as Sir Giles Overreach in "A New Way to Pay Old Debts," and on May 4, he presented Richard III. at the Metropolitan theatre, New York, making a brilliant success in both cities. In the fall of 1857 he visited the principal cities of the south, also fulfilling an engagement at the Howard Athen?um, Boston, supported by Barrett and McCullough. He was married to Mary Devlin, July 7, 1860, and during the year played at the Arch street theatre in Philadelphia. In December he began a series of performances with Charlotte Cushman at the Academy of music in Philadelphia, playing Wolsey to her Katherine in "Henry VIII.," Macbeth to her Lady Macbeth, Shylock to her Portia, and Petruchio to her Katherine. In September, 1861, Mr. and Mrs. Booth went to England, where their only daughter, Edwina, was born, Dec. 9, 1861. The London engagement had been hastily arranged, and various circumstances combined to make his reception a cold one. His Richard failed utterly, as did his Shylock and Sir Giles. Just before his return, however, he redeemed himself by playing Richelieu, winning from his critical audience storms of applause. This was unfortunately his last performance during that visit to London. He proceeded thence to Manchester, where Henry Irving was a member of his company. After a visit to Paris he returned to America. On Sept. 2, 1862, he opened the season at the Winter Garden theatre, New York, and afterwards played for a short time with Charlotte Cushman in Philadelphia. For some months after the sudden death of his wife, Feb. 9, 1863, he did not appear on the stage. In the fall of 1863 he purchased, with J. S. Clark, the Walnut street theatre in Philadelphia. On March 28, 1864, he produced "The Fool's Revenge," at Niblo's Garden, N.Y., and in August, with J.S. Clark and William Stuart, he took a lease of the Winter Garden theatre. It was in that year that his fame as Hamlet was substantiated. On Nov. 26, 1864, he began his famous presentment of that character for one hundred consecutive nights. He played Sir Edward Mortimer in Boston, April 14, 1865, and the following morning received the news of Lincoln's assassination at the hand of his brother, John Wilkes Booth. His intention thereupon was to leave the stage permanently,[p.347] but on Jan. 3, 1866, at the urgent solicitation of his friends, he appeared at the Winter Garden theatre as Hamlet, and was received with great enthusiasm. In that month he took a lease of the Boston theatre, and after an extended engagement in that city he went to Philadelphia, where he interpreted Othello, Romeo, Shylock, Richard III., Ruy Blas, Don C?sar de Bazan, Hamlet, Richelieu, Petruchio, Sir Giles and others. On Feb. 1, 1866, he played Richelieu at the Winter Garden, and on Jan. 28, 1867, began a seven weeks' run of "The Merchant of Venice." The theatre was burned March 23, 1867, and Booth lost many articles of value, and all his properties. For two years he travelled to raise the money for "Booth's Theatre," which he erected on 23d street, New York, at a cost of over one million dollars, and which was opened Feb. 3, 1869, with "Romeo and Juliet," Booth playing Romeo to Miss McVicker's Juliet; "The Moor of Venice" followed, with Edwin Adams and Booth alternating as Othello and Miss McVicker as Desdemona. After Miss Mc-Vicker's marriage to Booth, June 7, 1869, she retired from the stage. Edwin Adams was Booth's leading man during the season of 1869, Lawrence Barrett occupying the same position the following season. In 1878 the theatre was leased to J. B. Booth, Jr., who lost heavily on the venture. On Oct. 25, 1875, Booth produced for the first time "Richard II.," at Daly's Fifth avenue theatre, afterwards playing "King Lear." He travelled through the south and west until June, 1876, and in September went to San Francisco, where he met with exceptional success. He next visited New York, Brooklyn, Philadelphia, Cincinnati, and Boston. In April, 1878, while playing in Chicago, a lunatic fired three times upon him without effect. In the fall of 1879 he played at Baltimore, Philadelphia and New York; in 1880 in Boston; in 1880-'81 in London as Hamlet, Othello, Richelieu, Iago, Bertuccio, King Lear and Shylock. In 1881-'82 he was at the Lyceum with Henry Irving, and in the summer of 1882 played at the London Adelphi. In 1883 he played in German cities with brilliant results, speaking his part in English. Returning to the United States he repeated his former successes. He toured the country with Madame Modjeska in 1890, and in April, 1891, retired to the Players' club, which he founded and to which he gave more than $250,000. He died in New York city June 7, 1893.

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor

John Wilkes Booth, actor, was born in Bel Air, Md., in 1838; son of Junius Brutus and Mary Ann (Holmes) Booth, and the brother of Junius Brutus and Edwin Booth. He was educated for the stage, but his erratic life prevented him from rising much above mediocrity. His first appearance on the stage was as Richmond in "Richard III.," at St. Charles theatre, Baltimore, in 1856, and his last as Pescara in "The Apostate," at Ford's theatre, Washington, D.C., in 1865. In the civil war his sympathies were with the south. Early in 1865 he conspired with other southern sympathizers to kill President Lincoln and the members of his cabinet. On the appointed night, April 14, 1865, he entered Ford's theatre, where the President was in attendance, gained access to his box and shot him from behind, then leaped to the stage, shouting, "Sic Semper Tyrannis. The south is avenged !" and despite a broken leg caused by a fall, his spur becoming caught in the folds of a flag as he jumped from the box, he made good his escape on horse-back. He was concealed by southern sympathizers, and after eleven days was found in a barn at Bowling Green, Va. He refused to surrender and was shot by Boston Corbett, a soldier of the searching party. His body was secretly buried by the government authorities, but after two years it was surrendered to his brother Edwin, and re-interred in the family plot in Baltimore cemetery. The date of his death is April 26, 1865.

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor