A Few of My Characters
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- Abraham Lincoln, 1846 or 1847 (Library of Congress)
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- Mary Lincoln, 1846 or 1847 (Library of Congress)
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- Emily and Hardin Helm (Kentucky Historical Society)
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- Katherine and Elodie Helm (Kentucky Historical Society)
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Two Letters from a Grieving Daughter
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Whatever one believes about the guilt or innocence of Mary Surratt, her daughter, Anna, is surely deserving of our sympathy. On July 6, 1865, she had been given the horrifying news that her mother would be executed; the following day, …
Posted in American Civil War, Mary Surratt
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July 6-7, 1865
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On July 6, 1865, General John F. Hartranft, who had been placed in charge of Washington, D.C.’s Old Arsenal Prison, went from cell to cell, informing Mary Surratt, Lewis Powell (known at the time by his alias of Lewis Payne), …
Posted in Mary Surratt
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Lincoln Remembered in Washington, D.C.
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It’s a beautiful spring evening in Washington, D.C., way too nice to be sitting in a hotel room, but I had a marvelous two days and wanted to talk about them while they were fresh in my mind. (Apologies for …
Posted in American Civil War
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April 3, 1865: Richmond Falls, and John Surratt Departs
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One hundred and fifty years ago today, on April 3, 1865, Richmond, Virginia, the capital of the Confederacy, fell to the Union. The day before, Jefferson Davis and his cabinet had fled the city, having authorized the burning of warehouses …
Posted in John Surratt, Mary Surratt, Nora Fitzpatrick
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The Carte de Visite and the Lincoln Assassination
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Lately, I’ve developed a weakness for cartes de visite—the small photographs that were prized during the last half of the nineteenth century—and have amassed a tiny collection of them, including one of my favorites here of an unidentified lady. As …
Posted in American Civil War, Mary Surratt, Nora Fitzpatrick
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New Website Material for Hanging Mary
I’ve been tinkering a bit with my website. For my forthcoming novel (for which I hope to be able to post cover art soon), I’ve added a list of further reading as well as a PDF article about my research on …
Posted in Mary Surratt, My Novels, Nora Fitzpatrick
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Guest Post by Jeffrey Stayton, Author of This Side of the River
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Today I’m happy to be hosting Jeffrey Stayton, who’s written a novel set in the immediate aftermath of the American Civil War called This Side of the River. Over to Jeffrey! Nostalgia One of the most difficult aspects of writing …
Posted in American Civil War, Guest Posts
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Dear Cousin: John Surratt’s Letters to Bell Seaman
On at least five occasions, John Surratt, the youngest son of Mary Surratt, put pen to paper to write to his second cousin, Isabel (“Bell”) Seaman, who lived with her family in Washington, Pennsylvania. The first three letters (the second …
Posted in John Surratt
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Merry Christmas, and An Excerpt!
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Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year! I’ve been busy revising my forthcoming novel, Hanging Mary, for the publisher. Here’s a seasonal excerpt for you, set at Mary Surratt’s boardinghouse 150 years ago on Christmas Eve, 1864: The men had …
Posted in Mary Surratt, My Novels, Nora Fitzpatrick
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Excerpts from Hanging Mary!
Last night, after a great deal of cutting and pasting of HTML, I managed to create a spot on my website’s menu bar for Hanging Mary–along with excerpts! Check them out here. I’ll be adding a “Further Reading” link for …
Posted in Mary Surratt, My Novels, Nora Fitzpatrick
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