John Wilkes Booth was born on May 10, 1838 in Maryland?s Harford County on the family farm. His father, Junius Brutus, was one of Maryland?s most distinguished residents. He was a celebrated Shakespearean Actor, who had left his native England to come to the United States in 1821. Although a notorious alcoholic, Junius was very attached to his family. He and his wife, Mary Ann Holmes Booth had, ten children, six of whom survived to adulthood. John Wilkes, a handsome boy, was the ninth child. John Wilkes Booth had poise and outstanding looks, but his ability to learn did not come as naturally. ?He had to plod, progress slowly step by step, ut that which he once attained he never lost,? wrote his sister Aisa many years later in a memoir about her brother. ?His feelings were ardent and impulsive; in a moment of devotion or enthusiasm he would grant or give anything he possessed.Growing up, John was the favored child of both parents, ?his mother?s darling,? and his father?s ?always preferred.? With long jet-black hair, dark eyes, long curling lashes, and creamlike complexion, he would spend his time playing Christopher Columbus in the brook and playing the flute, enjoying any sound of music. He was cheerful, joyful, full of fun, kinder, and gentle. ?Don?t let us be sad,? John would say. ?Life is so short, and the world so beautiful. Just to breathe is delicious.? He liked to fling himself on the ground in their woods, sniffing what he called ?the earth?s healthy breath? and nibbling, ?burrowing,? he called it, at the sweet roots and twigs.In 1852, John?s father, Junius died after drinking poisonous water on a Mississippi steamboat returning home from a theatrical tour. In death, he left his family with a mountain of debts. The Booth family was forced to rent our the fine Baltimore home they had been living in for years and return to the family farm near BelAir. At the age of 14, John finished his schooling and moved back...
