Izola Martha Mills

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Rose mentions John Wilkes’ long curtain call for his performance as Ludovico in Evadne (top) and Joe’s appearance alongside Edwin as Biondello in The Taming of the Shrew (bottom). But think of it like this….as the years go by, what if SOMEONE who is currently looking into the subject of OGARITA BOOTH HENDERSON comes along. SHE is the obscure ITEM brought forth in some clarity here. WHAT if they BRING FORTH something NEW about HER.

Mixed within this grisly drama, we give a heavy spotlight to the story of Ogarita Booth Henderson, a resident of Glenwood Cemetery since 1892. Her story will be accorded and afforded the star power to out-shadow the stories of hallowed, forgotten, and neglected lands. As was discussed at the beginning of this biographical sketch, had Rosalie Ann Booth been born into a family other than the Booths, her life would have been considered a normal one for the time period. Though she did not marry and certainly had a prolonged period of loneliness after the death of her mother, descriptions of her as having perpetual “neurotic moodiness” or of being mentally inept, do not appear to be justified. In the light of family letters and memoirs, Rosalie is shown to be a devoted and caring soul. While she never achieved the fame (or infamy) of her parents and siblings, she clearly supported and loved them dearly. She was a witness to the darkest times in the Booth family, of which they had more than their fair share, but she was also a participant in some of the happiest moments in their lives. Though often forgotten or ignored today, Rosalie was a Booth and, therefore, an influential figure in American history. I have written a book about Izola. I know many people will disagree with some parts of the book, but everyone reading the book should come away with the feeling that Izola was a good person. John also had his reason to keep their marriage a secret. He wanted to be known as an eligible bachelor of the theater. He believed being single helped with his stardom. Being eligible for marriage helped keep women interested in him. For some nights past she [Mary Ann] insisted that Rose should sleep in the same bed with her – she felt too nervous to be alone, & Rose was asleep beside her, when the nurse woke her & informed her of Mother’s death.”Wilkes Booth Came to Washington: The Story of the Confederate Intrigues that Sent Booth to Murder Abraham Lincoln--and the Government's Century-old Cover-up, by Larry Starkey, 1976 Had she been born into any other family, her life may have been considered a normal one. However, when your father and brothers are world renowned actors, one of whom later assassinates President Abraham Lincoln, it’s impossible to be judged by the standard of “normalcy”. So was the case of Rosalie Ann Booth, the eldest daughter of theatrical genius Junius Brutus Booth and his “wife” Mary Ann Holmes. John and I had a farm near Harpers Ferry. Two weeks after John shot Lincoln, he returned to our farm. I took care of him while his leg healed. Later, I helped him leave the country. Sure enough, widows of all shapes and sizes came out of the woodwork. Edwin would later write that he was besieged by about “twenty [widows] that wrote to me just after John’s death.” While Edwin ignored and denied them all, at least one crafty “widow” discovered and successfully preyed upon Rose. Documentation and the recollections of Martha Lizola's granddaughter, which she included in a book, This One Mad Act, agree. Her parents were Abraham Standish and Izola Maria (Mendosa) Mills. Abraham was the owner and captain of a trading schooner in the China Trade. He met his wife in Spain. According to Martha's granddaughter, Izola Maria died giving birth to her only daughter on board ship off the coast of Martha's Vineyard, during a storm. Martha Lizola was primarily raised by her aunt, Abraham's sister, Fanny (Mills) D'Arcy.

God bless you, dear brother. I have warned Mother about Sharpers [swindlers] who wish to get money – see that she holds no communication with weeping imposters.” BoothieBarn biography of John Wilkes Booth's sister, Rosalie, contains information about Ogarita's mother's claims of Booth paternity.

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Of course this statement in itself is not a proof (to others)- just another step in the direction in the search for and revelation of a continuing series of objective proofs. Perhaps you will think now I am obssessed with John Booth but I will also say that if you are a descendant then surely you would not be dis-interested in knowing that others do not see Booth as an evil assassin. A True History of the Assassination of Abraham Lincoln and of the Conspiracy of 1865, by Louis J. Weichmann, 1975

Below you will see an advertisement for the Floy Crowell troupe from April 5th 1892. Although Rita and her husband Al Henderson are not mentioned, they were among the 19 players in the production of revolving plays that promised, “NO DULL MOMENTS.”Everywhere I went, danger seemed to follow me. Don’t get me wrong; people weren’t trying to hurt me. I never gave anyone a reason to dislike me. But I needed to keep some things about me hidden. If people knew the truth, I would have been sent to prison.