History tells us that John Wilkes Booth, Abraham Lincoln’s assassin, was killed by Union troops on April, 26, 1865. He was supposedly found hiding in a barn in Virginia and shot.
Rumors have circulated ever since that the person shot wasn’t Booth and that Booth escaped and lived for many more years.
Science now seems to confirm that.
I’ll let you read the article.
If the man alleged to be Booth left any descendants, it may be possible to use DNA to confirm the story.
According to one source, John St. Helen, claimed that Vice President Andrew Johnson was behind the assassination plot. If St. Helen really was Booth, history may have to be rewritten on multiple levels.
Perhaps there are hair samples or that sort of thing.
Descendants of known close relatives of Booth and descendants of St. Helen could also confirm a link. Researchers did something similar to confirm Thomas Jefferson’s paternity of Sally Hemmings’ children.
According to the article I posted, Booth, St. Helen and David George are all the same person. David George’s mummy is still in existence.
If known Booth DNA exists, then the connection can be proven.
I just read that the David George mummy disappeared in the late 1970s. It’s believed it is in the hands of a private collector.
As far as is known, neither St. Helen or George had offspring.
The facial recognition software may be the best evidence possible.