Recently, I finished reading a fascinating book called Backstage at the Lincoln Assassination, by Thomas A. Bogar. It tells the long-ignored story of the numerous actors, managers, and crew members who were working at Ford's Theater the evening President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated.
As is my nature, I began looking for more information about these people online, beginning with Wikitree. To my dismay (or perhaps my joy?) I discovered that almost none of these intriguing individuals had a Wikitree profile. Thus, the WikiTree Our American Cousin Mini-Project was born!
Our American Cousin, of course, was the production being presented at Ford's theater the evening President Lincoln was shot. The Our American Cousin Free Spage Page includes links to the newly-created profiles of every cast member, crew member, and manager associated with the performance that night. It also includes a list of "possible" orchestra members which was not included in Boger's book.
Almost none of these individuals are currently connected to the Big Tree. Most have only the most minimal of biographies, and almost all need sourcing beyond Boger's book. If you are interested in this era of American history, especially in regard to theater people, please consider heading over to the project page and giving me a hand. These people deserve to have their stories told and preserved.
