Frederick L. Black papers

The Frederick L. Black papers contain the documents Black collected during his investigation and research into claims that John Wilkes Booth had avoided capture, especially his thorough investigation of the book "The Escape and Suicide of John Wilkes Booth" by Finis Bates (1907). Black assembled these materials in the 1920s and 1930s although some are more recent and may have been added later by William Springer, who took over Black's papers.

The original order in which the collection was organized has been preserved as much as possible. The collection came to Oakland University already organized in labeled folders, most of which were probably created by Fred Black. However, there is evidence that William Springer, to whom Black transferred his papers, added some materials and made some changes. The original labels of the folders have been kept. The order in which the folders were originally grouped has only been slightly modified to make things easier to find. A few files were clearly added by Springer after receiving the collection and have been placed at the end in a clearly identified series. This includes a container inventory that documents the original arrangement of the collection at the time it was acquired by Oakland University.

The Frederick L. Black papers are organized in 8 series: Correspondence; Field notes; Subject files; Books and periodicals; Other research materials; Publications; William Springer additional files; and Graphic materials.

The correspondence series includes letters by or to Black about his investigation and readers’ reactions to his Dearborn Independent articles, but it also contains copies of selected Bates’ correspondence.

The field notes series contains Black’s notes, usually on pencil, which he made in notebooks and on loose leafs. These notes were made during his travels and include addresses, names, book titles, ideas, to do lists….

The subject files correspond to topics identified by Black in the course of his research. Some are about Finis Bates and the “Mummy of Booth”, which consist of correspondence between Black and Mr. and Mrs. Bates, and other documents Black gathered about the mummy story, including copies of Bates’ own archive. Other topics correspond to the titles of the chapters in Black’s book manuscript. These folders contain both secondary and primary sources (mostly copies, although some originals are also present). There are numerous newspaper clippings, and magazine articles. Originals include additional correspondence by Black, pre-Civil War playbills, and a photo of Booth.

The books and periodicals series correspond to the files Black assembled from his research at the Library of Congress and other libraries. These files were left exactly as Black prepared them. They are organized by format (magazines, newspapers, and books) and by magazine title. However, William Springer added some items and folders (those folders originally labeled in Springer's handwriting are marked with an asterisk).

Other research materials are compiled in a fifth series that includes original affidavits and copies obtained by Black. Original affidavits are from Blanche Booth (1922), W. D. Kenzie (1922), and O. H. Oldroyd (1925). Photostatic copies of affidavits and other signed statements deal with two presumed Boothes, John St Helen and David E. George. Black organized them in a binder with a table of contents that describes the identity of each witness and the kind of information they could contribute. A copy of David George’s will is even included. Black compared these statements to Bates’ assertions to point out discrepancies. There are also typescripts of statements from witnesses of the events of 1865, copied from newspapers and other sources. Finally, some folders hold the contents of two scrapbooks entitled “Lincoln scrapbook - typed” and “Bates scrapbook”.

The publications series consists of originals and copies of the Dearborn Independent articles written by Black (1925-1926) and the typed manuscript of his book with penciled corrections.

William Springer's additional files contain some documents added by him in the 1950s after Black donated his papers to him. This includes the text of a speech Black gave that details his research, and a container list that documents the original order in which the papers were given to Springer.

Graphic materials include images documenting Lincoln’s assassination and the ensuing capture and trial of the conspirators, which were originally in a scrapbook, and a set of photographs taken by Black on the sites of Booth’s escape route and of Black’s own investigation into the fake Boothes.