This webpage is dedicated to John Wilkes Booth’s wife: Izola Martha Mills. Can you imagine how difficult it was to be married to the man that murdered Abraham Lincoln? After Booth shot Lincoln, most of his friends and relatives denounced him. To remain loyal to Booth was a dangerous thing to do. People would attack anyone claiming to be his friend. Booth’s mother and all of his brothers and sisters professed their loyalty to the Union. They openly claimed Lincoln’s murder was an outrage. All except one.

Booth’s sister, Rosalie, never denounced her love for John Wilkes Booth. One day, she heard a knock on the door. When she answered the door, no one was there. It was too dark to see much of anything. Then, a rock smacked her on the side of the head and knocked her to the ground.

Her brother helped her up and took her to bed. The next day, she seemed to recover somewhat. She had difficulty swallowing. Her throat was partially paralyzed. Two days later, at breakfast, she choked to death.

People that said nice things about Booth could expect a dangerous encounter with an angry public. Izola had to keep her life with Booth secret. As difficult as it was being married to Lincoln’s assassin, Izola was continuously exposed to life-threatening danger. She struggled her entire life.

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