Civil War and widowhood Mary Surratt

john h. surratt, jr. in 1868. mary surratt s son confederate courier.

john surratt collapsed , died on either august 25 or august 26 in 1862 (sources differ date). cause of death stroke. surratt family affairs in serious financial difficulties. john jr. , anna both left school mother run family s remaining farmland , businesses. on september 10, 1862, john jr. appointed postmaster of surrattsville post office. lafayette baker swept through surrattsville again in 1862, , several postmasters dismissed disloyalty, john jr. not 1 of them. in august 1863, sought job in paymaster s department in united states department of war, application caused federal agents suspicious family s loyalties union. on november 17, 1863, dismissed postmaster disloyalty.

the loss of john jr. s job postmaster caused financial crisis surratt family. when john sr. s estate probated in late november 1862, family owned 2 middle-age male slaves. however, 1863, louis j. weichmann, friend of john jr. st. charles college, observed family had 6 or more slaves working on property. 1864, mary surratt found husband s unpaid debts , bad business deals had left many creditors. several of slaves ran away. when not meeting confederate sympathizers in city, son selling vegetables raise cash family. mary tired of running farm, tavern, , other businesses without son s help. in fall of 1864, began considering moving townhouse in city.

on october 1, 1864, took possession of townhouse @ 604 h street nw in washington, d.c. house made of gray brick, 29 feet (8.8 m) wide, 100 feet (30 m) deep, , had 4 stories. first floor, level street, had 2 large rooms, used kitchen , dining room. second floor had front , parlor, room in rear used mary surratt s bedroom. third floor had 3 rooms: 2 in front , larger 1 @ back. fourth floor, considered attic, had 2 large , 1 small room, occupied servant. surratt began moving belongings townhouse month, , on november 1, 1864, anna , john jr. took residence there. mary surratt herself moved home on december 1. same day, leased tavern in surrattsville former washington, d.c., policeman , confederate sympathizer john m. lloyd $500 year. on november 30, december 8, , december 27, mary surratt advertised lodgers in daily evening star newspaper. had said wanted lodgers known or recommended friends, in advertisements, said rooms available 4 gentlemen.

some scholars have raised questions surratt s move city. historians kate larson , roy chamlee have noted although there no definite proof, case can made surratt made move city in furtherance of , son s espionage activities. example, larson , chamlee on september 21, 1864, john surratt wrote louis j. weichmann, observing family s plans move city advancing rapidly on account of events having turned up, perhaps cryptic reference either confederate activities in general or conspiracy kidnap or kill lincoln. larson has observed although move made long-term economic sense surratt, also, in short term, have meant moving expenses , furnishing 10 rooms in townhouse, money did not have.

chamlee, too, found little economic reason move city , concluded have been more profitable rent h street boarding house entirely lodgers. city more dangerous , morally-challenging place daughter, , surratt had striven keep anna away such influences, such husband, years. moreover, surratt still owed money on both tavern , townhouse , take out yet mortgage against townhouse in january 1865.

john jr. transferred title family property mother in january 1865. act may have additional implications. traitor s property seized, , john s knowledge motivation relinquishing title houses , land. mary may have known of motivation or @ least suspected. if did, have possessed @ least de facto knowledge of conspiracy.