July 7, 1865 . . . .

Hanging of Mary Surratt and the Lincoln Conspiracy

Surratt, Lewis Powell, David Herold, George Alzerodt

Van Young will present "The Hanging of Mary Surratt and the Lincoln Conspiracy to the Big Walnut Area Historical Society at 7:30 Tuesday, June 11, in the Myers Inn Museum Meeting Room.  This program is free admission to anyone interested in the subject.

 

On July 7, 1865, Mary Surratt was hanged alongside three others convicted of playing a part in the plot to assassinate Abraham Lincoln. Was Mary Elizabeth Jenkins Surratt, a collaborator in the plot to kill the country's 16th president? Or a victim of circumstances? In the talk, we learn about the life of this convicted conspirator, her arrest, and eventual trial. She indeed was the first woman to be executed by the U.S. federal government. Was it justified or a travesty of justice?

 

Van Young was born and raised in northeast Ohio. He has been a resident of Columbus for the last 38 years. One of his retirement goals was to spend time studying and learning about the Civil War, and specifically the social and personal stories of that era. Since his retirement from AT&T in 2012, Van has become active with two Central Ohio civil war organizations and is the current President of the Griswold History Study Group that meets on Monday mornings at the Worthington senior center. It is free of charge and everyone is invited.
 

Van Young

With twenty six American history and current event topics, Van presents to area history groups, senior centers, retirement villages and local colleges. He has four grandchildren, plays pickelball, and looks forward to visiting many of the battlefields and museums associated with the Civil War, and our unique and fascinating American history. As he likes to say, “Remember, we are living history.”

         
Return to Homepage
Return to Local History Index
 

(05/22/2019)

Su