Contributed by Maine Historical Society
Description
In February 1864, actor John Wilkes Booth writes to friend and business adviser Joseph H. Simonds while in Cincinnati, Ohio. Booth was scheduled to perform in Othello, The Merchant of Venice, Hamlet, Richard III, The Apostate, Money, and Richelieu at Wood's Theatre in Cincinnati from February 15–26, 1864. He missed two of these performances due to illness sustained on his frigid journey to Cincinnati.
Simonds worked as a teller and clerk at the Mechanics Bank in Boston. He and Booth met in the summer of 1861 when Booth was performing in Boston. Simonds served as the actor's informal accountant and handled the acquisition of some of his real estate holdings. In the letter, Booth writes that he included a power of attorney document for Simonds.
In early 1864, Booth and two friends started an oil prospecting venture under the name of the Dramatic Oil Company. With an investment of $5,000, Booth owned a one-third interest in a three and a half-acre property near Franklin, Pennsylvania—the heart of oil country in the Allegheny River valley. The land, which only yielded a meager amount of petroleum, proved worthless. In June 1864, Simonds accompanied Booth to the area in order to take charge of Booth's business there.
At the time of writing the letter, Booth anticipated seeing Simonds during his next stay in Boston where he was scheduled to perform at the Boston Museum from April 25–May 27, 1864.
Transcription
About This Item
- Title: John Wilkes Booth to Joseph H. Simonds regarding power of attorney, Cincinnati, OH, 1864
- Creator: John Wilkes Booth
- Creation Date: 1864
- Subject Date: 1864
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Locations:
- Cincinnati, Hamilton County, OH
- Boston, Suffolk County, MA
- Media: Ink on paper
- Dimensions: 17.75 cm x 12.75 cm
- Local Code: Coll. 420, Box 33/47
- Collection: John S. H. Fogg autograph collection
- Object Type: Text
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For more information about this item, contact:
Maine Historical Society485 Congress Street, Portland, ME 04101
(207) 774-1822 x230
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