John T. Ford manuscript collection

This collection consists of material collected by John T. Ford and his family relating to the Lincoln Assassination and Ford’s Theatre. The collection is arranged chronologically, with the majority of items collected by John T. Ford. Ford maintained a lifelong interest in the Lincoln assassination, collecting correspondence, articles, and other items until his death in 1894. There is also material collected by Ford’s children following his death, primarily newspaper and magazine clippings. See the Container list for a detailed description of each item.

Of particular interest, are Ford’s handwritten notes and recollections on the assassination, the conspiracy surrounding it, the trial, his incarceration in Carroll prison, and his attempts to acquire compensation from the Government following the seizure of Ford’s Theatre. Ford penned an essay on the conspiracy as well. There is also a statement by alleged conspirator Edmund Spangler regarding the assassination. These materials are found in Folders 6, 9, 10, 14, 25, 26, 32, 33 and 42.

Much of the collection is comprised of correspondence relating to the assassination, the trial, Ford’s attempts to reopen the theater and acquire compensation from the government, and Ford’s theatrical ventures. This includes Ford’s correspondence with various publications relating to Mary Surratt, correspondence with the Booth Family regarding theatrical productions, and letters between Maryland Congressman Henry Winter Davis and Secretary of War Edwin Stanton regarding compensation from the government for the seizure of Ford’s Theatere. Ford kept an interest in his lost theater for the remainder of his life. After some floors collapsed in 1893 killing some government workers, Ford wrote a letter to the Evening Star newspaper indignantly pointing out the faulty parts of the structure were added after the government took over the theater.

(Note: The newspaper clipping found in Folder 56 does not appear to have any relevance to this collection; it may not have been part of the items donated).