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Article milestones Date Process Result June 8, 2007 Good article nominee Not listed October 16, 2007 Good article nominee Listed Current Status: Good article

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An event in this article is an April 26 selected anniversary

Hero?

I see a lot of discussion about him. If he killed Lincoln sooner then there may not have been a war or it could have ended sooner. None of this ofcourse is discussed in our government public schools. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Ericg33 (talk • contribs) 08:16, 19 July 2008 (UTC)

FBI records?

Whats up with this line "FBI records that were made public give no information to support the escape theory.[23][24]" What FBI records? Why would the FBI have any records of an incident that happened almost 40 years before it was started? Even if we presume that documentation was handed down to relevant successor agencies through the years, that sort of information would most likely have ended up in the Secret Services hands, whom not only protect the President and other high-ranking officials now, but actually came into existence a mere month or two after the assassination attempt. SiberioS (talk) 06:13, 1 February 2008 (UTC)

The FBI's FOIA documents section has a 184-page dossier on Booth, as indicated on the section's index here. I've restored the link in the article and also reworded the reference. JGHowes ^talk - 07:14, 1 February 2008 (UTC)

The Lead

I've had to revert the removal of a word in the Lead about Booth's death. As the Lead is an overview (summary, intro) of the article, and there is a section within the article that specifically discusses the possibility that he didn't die as is described in the official history. My notation of its presence within the article is not Undue Weight, as the reverter argued, as but one or two words were used to illustrate the existence of the section within the article.
Of course, i am wiling to discuss the matter here. - Arcayne (^{cast a spell}) 16:33, 2 February 2008 (UTC)

My objection is not to the mention of the theory that he didn't die on Garrett's front porch, but to the word choice: "...supposedly killed". This, in my view, wrongly implies that what is (at best) a fringe theory is taken seriously by creditable historians, when it is not. That is what I mean by "undue weight". The use of a word to avoid such as "supposedly" is objectionable in the Lead to a GA. I say reword or Delete. JGHowes ^talk - 19:13, 2 February 2008 (UTC)

Okay, JG, what alternative would you suggest, since you do not prefer the word, 'supposedly' - perhaps you have an alternative method by which to denote the theories? I am open to suggestions. - Arcayne (^{cast a spell}) 19:59, 2 February 2008 (UTC)

Have added, "Some individuals and writers have advanced theories that Booth escaped his pursuers and died years later under a pseudonym" as the first sentence introducing the "Booth escape" section, which otherwise didn't seem to flow well from the previous section, and replaced "supposedly" with similar verbiage in the Lead. JGHowes ^talk - 14:21, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

Those both are well-written, JG; however, I was referring to the notation in the Lead where it says unequivocally that he died on such-and-such date. Left as is, it tends to ignore the theory, which doesn't seem very neutral or objective. Again, note that I am not suggesting an introspective paragraph on the theory; I think - as it is detailed in a whole section of the article, that it deserves mention in the overview that is the Lead. - Arcayne (^{cast a spell}) 17:39, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

I don't see that the Lead, as revised, "ignores" the theory. It's now mentioned in the same paragraph of the Lead, after all. JGHowes ^talk - 20:14, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

Oops, i missed that, JG. I've tweaked it a bit, for readability. - Arcayne (^{cast a spell}) 00:57, 5 February 2008 (UTC)

The tweak looks fine to me, Arcayne. I'm glad we were able to resolve this for the betterment of the article. JGHowes ^talk - 01:40, 5 February 2008 (UTC).

As am I, JG. It's always fun to work with reasonable people. - Arcayne (^{cast a spell}) 01:46, 5 February 2008 (UTC)

Catholic?

There's a poor source, "John Wilkes Booth: a Catholic? A spie of the Vatican?" by Spirit of Lincoln Assoc. hosted by Geocities, that says Booth wasn't Catholic. On the other hand I don't see any good sources that say he was Catholic. This good source, Conspiracy Theories in American History: An Encyclopedia, discusses the Catholic conpiracy theory but doesn't mention Booth being Catholic. One of the conspirators, John Surratt, was definitely Catholic. Unless anyone disagrees I'm removing the "Catholic" category. ·:· Will Beback ·:· 08:53, 11 June 2008 (UTC)

I've removed it pending resolution. ·:· Will Beback ·:· 11:11, 12 June 2008 (UTC)

I agree that we really need to have a reliable source for the article to state definitively Booth's religious affiliation (if any). I do not find Booth's church affiliation or baptism mentioned in the reference cited by Smith2006, Geringer's John Wilkes Booth: A Brutus of His Age. Unless and until a reliable source can be found, this should not be included in the article. JGHowes ^talk - 12:01, 12 June 2008 (UTC)

Likewise, I just removed an assertion that the subject was Episcopalian as it was sourced to a self-published site. The site is a law firm that submitted a brief in a lawsuit concerning Booth's remains. "EXPOSING THE MYTH THAT JOHN WILKES BOOTH ESCAPED" The source says, "Booth was an Episcopalian, and the ceremony was conducted by the Reverend Fleming James of Christ Episcopal Church, where Weaver was a sexton. (T. 5/25/95 at 117; Ex. 22H)." I can't determine what "T. 5/25/95 at 117" refers to, but it appears to be the citation. As before, we should be able to find a good source for this information. Until we do, it's better not to say anything. ·:· Will Beback ·:· 22:44, 13 June 2008 (UTC)

"On the 18th of February 1869, Booth's remains were deposited in Weaver's private vault at Green Mount Cemetery awaiting warmer weather for digging a grave. Burial occurred in Green Mount Cemetery on June 22, 1869. Booth was an Episcopalian, and the ceremony was conducted by the Reverend Minister Fleming, James of Christ Episcopal Church, where Weaver was a sexton." (T. 5/25/95 at p. 117; Ex. 22H). Gorman & Williams Attorneys at Law: Sources on the Wilkes Booth case. THE COURT OF SPECIAL APPEALS OF MARYLAND (September 1995), No. 1531 Another version (link) of the same case is: http://caselaw.findlaw.com/data2/marylandstatecases/cosa/1996/1531s95.pdf This is a sufficient source under Wikipedia norms, and you are therefore obliged to leave it in. It seems certain persons are trying to push the lie that Booth was a "Catholic agent of the Pope" "conspiring against America". The Court of Maryland asserted these facts.Smith2006 (talk) 13:58, 14 June 2008 (UTC)

St. Timothy's Hall

Location: St. Timothy's Church; 200 Ingleside Avenue; Catonsville, Maryland 21228 Phone: 410-747-6690

Hours: For information about viewing the interior of the church call 410-747-6690.

Description: In 1852-53 fourteen year old John Wilkes Booth attended a boarding school called St. Timothy's Hall in Catonsville, Maryland. His sister Asia Booth Clarke later wrote that John Wilkes Booth and "younger brother [Joseph] were placed at the finishing school at Catonsville, St. Timothy's Hall . . . They here received Baptism [January 23, 1853], and were prepared for the Confirmation according to the Episcopal Church. They entered the Hall as artillery cadets, and wore the steel-gray uniform of the class. Some of the best names of Maryland were on the roll of students at this Hall, names that have resounded through our country both in honor and contumely, names, too, that seem to have gone down in silence with the cause they espoused."

According to the school's prospectus, "The object of . . . St. Timothy's Hall is to make it an institution of strict discipline, of good morals, and by the grace of God, a religious home for the young. [St. Timothy's is] a literary institution, for the education of young gentlemen whose appreciation of knowledge, and love of order, have made them diligent and patient of restraint."

Comments: The bell tower of St. Timonthy's Church in Catonsville bears the date 1857 which indicates the bell tower and perhaps the present church were built after John Wilkes and Joseph Booth attended St. Timothy's Hall. For more information, see Asia Booth Clarke, John Wilkes Booth: A Sister's Memoir, edited by Terry Alford, (Jackson: University of Mississippi, 1996), pgs. 44-45. This is an edited and annotated version of a biography of John Wilkes Booth published under the title of The Unlocked Book by Asia Booth Clarke. We thank the Rector, Stevin R. Randall, for his cooperation

http://www.harfordhistory.net/boothtour2.htm Smith2006 (talk) 13:58, 14 June 2008 (UTC)

Succession law error

The article says: "By targeting Lincoln and his two immediate successors to the office, Booth seems to have intended to decapitate the Union government and throw it into a state of panic and confusion." Johnson was Lincoln's successor, but the next in line would have been the President pro tem of the Senate (the position was vacant at the time), followed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives (Schuyler Colfax). See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Presidential_Succession_Act_of_1792#Presidential_Succession_Act_of_1792 for details. 69.229.20.210 (talk) 17:46, 13 June 2008 (UTC)

Suggest Edit on Boyhood Home

The line, "Booth's boyhood home, 'Tudor Hall', was built there in 1847," appears awkward to me for two reasons. First, it comes after a citation about John Wilkes in England, so at first I thought the Booths built Tudor Hall in England, not Bel Air, Maryland. Second, according to the dates, Booth was about 9 years old when Tudor Hall was built, which begs the question why this was called his boyhood home. In general, this is a well written article, but that sentence seemed like a hiccup to me. 58.8.11.181 (talk) 11:03, 16 September 2008 (UTC)

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