The Lincoln-Blair Affair

by Phil Westwood

What connects the current British Prime Ministers family with Abraham Lincoln and his crazed assasin John Wilkes Booth ?

There are many different reasons and motivations to research your family history. Some like finding out family characteristics that have been passed through the generations. Others like making contact with lost and distant cousins. Others are simply curious and want to find out about their Ancestors because they have been before lived, worked, loved and left their mark. The most compelling reason for me is finding out facts you never knew. Through researching your family history you always discover fascinating facts, stories, even secrets that have been hidden for many years. Nearly every Family tree contains either illegitimacy, criminality or madness and quite often all three. Take the British Prime Ministers Family for example...

Tony Blairs Wife Cherie Blair, formerley Booth Great Great Great Grandfathers Brothers Son is John Wilkes Booth the Man who shot US President Abraham Lincoln. John Wilkes Booth was a popular actor although notorious for his drinking and Womanising. He seduced most of his leading ladies one of whom slashed his face when he refused to marry her. He ended his stage career in 1864 to campaign for the pro slavery Confederate cause in the American Civil War. On April 9 1865 the Confederate States surrendered and soon after on April 14 1865 Booth assasinated Abraham Lincoln in a theatre hoping to cause political chaos.

Other Ancestors of Mrs.Blair include her Great Grandfather Sidney Booth jailed in the First World War as a pacifist. Others were also actors including her Father Tony Booth famous for his Womanising and drinking. He has 7 Daughters from two marriages and two other relationships. Being famous does tend to mean that your Family History is well researched. However, there are fascinating connections out there waiting to be found for anyone. Happy researching, you never know what you will find !

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