Joel Fithian Abraham Lincoln Assassination Account

Processed by D. Tambo
Department of Special Collections
Davidson Library
University of California, Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara, CA 93106
Phone: (805) 893-3062
Fax: (805) 893-5749
Email: special@library.ucsb.edu
URL: http://www.library.ucsb.edu/speccoll/speccoll.html
© 2003
Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved.

Joel Fithian Abraham Lincoln Assassination Account, 1872

Collection number: Wyles SC 949

Department of Special Collections, Davidson Library, University of California, Santa Barbara

Contact Information:

  • Department of Special Collections
  • Davidson Library
  • University of California, Santa Barbara
  • Santa Barbara, CA 93106
  • Phone: (805) 893-3062
  • Fax: (805) 893-5749
  • Email: special@library.ucsb.edu
  • URL: http://www.library.ucsb.edu/speccoll/speccoll.html
    Processed by:
    D. Tambo
    Date Completed:
    16 May 2003
    Encoded by:
    David C. Gartrell
© 2003 Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved.

Descriptive Summary

Title: Joel Fithian Abraham Lincoln Assassination Account,
Date (inclusive): 1872
Collection Number: Wyles SC 949
Creator: Fithian, Joel
Extent: .02 linear feet (1 folder)
Repository: University of California, Santa Barbara. Library. Department of Special Collections
Santa Barbara, California 93106-9010
Physical Location: Vault
Language: English.

Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

None.

Publication Rights

Copyright has not been assigned to the Department of Special Collections, UCSB. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Head of Special Collections. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the Department of Special Collections as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which also must be obtained.

Preferred Citation

Joel Fithian Abraham Lincoln Assassination Account. Wyles SC 949. Department of Special Collections, Davidson Library, University of California, Santa Barbara.

Acquisition Information

Undetermined.

Scope and Content of Collection

Handwritten thirteen-page account by Joel Fithian, entitled "Recollections of Stirring Times," dated April 5, 1872, in which he recounts what he witnessed in Washington at the time of Abraham Lincoln's assassination. Fithian, a major in the U.S. Army, was staying at the National Hotel, where John Wilkes Booth also had been staying. Says he was a speaking acquaintance of Booth's, who always seemed to have plenty of money and was a favorite of the ladies of the hotel. According to Fithian, Booth was particularly fond of the two daughters of Senator Hale of New Hampshire and was to have dined with them at breakfast the morning following the assassination. Fithian notes that Booth was frequently absent from Washington, claiming to be looking after his oil speculations. Also talks about the crowds in the streets following the assassination, the capture of Booth, and stories about his secret burial.

Indexing Terms

The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.
Lincoln, Abraham,--1809-1865


Box

"Recollections of Stirring Times" (handwritten, thirteen pages), April 5, 1872