Izola Martha Mills

By Troy Cowan

“Izola Martha Mills” is a true story about an orphan girl’s struggle to survive in the 1850s.

Izola’s life from her birth to her death remains controversial even today. Some doubt she was born. Few know she was married to John Wilkes Booth. Almost all reject the unpopular fact that she helped John Wilkes Booth escape capture. Neither John Wilkes Booth nor Izola could tell their story while they were alive. Their survival depended on deception.
We know of Izola’s misfortunes and pain because she kept a journal all her life. In her journal, she describes the pain of losing a child and the misery of having an unfaithful lover. All she ever wanted was a loving husband and children. This is the incredible true story of the woman that desired to be the only love interest of her unfaithful lover John Wilkes Booth.

“Izola Martha Mills” is a shortened version of “Izola.” It was reduced and written in the first person to turn it into an audiobook.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Troy Cowan
• Release date: Aug 6, 2020
• ISBN: 9781005879273

Troy Cowan

My aunt’s grandfather called Jefferson Davis—cousin. Jefferson Davis wanted to go into politics and could not let any voter know that he was once married to an Indian girl. That Indian girl died giving birth to Jefferson's baby boy. The boy lived, grew up, married an Indian girl and they had a baby. Unfortunately, they both died before their baby could talk. Jefferson Davis could not take this girl into his house where visitors could learn that the Indian girl was his granddaughter, so he gave the girl to my aunt’s grandfather to raise. John Riley Davis raised Jefferson Davis’ granddaughter, a half-breed named Novella.I grew up, went into education, and retired with her stories in my head. I had time on my hands after retirement and I began doing research to learn if those stories were true. I did find support for everything she said. While doing research for "Lincoln's Family" and "They wanted Lincoln Dead"—I learned about Izola. Her story was so interesting and compelling that I wrote Izola.

Book preview

Chapter 1

Everywhere I went, danger seemed to follow me. Don’t get me wrong; people weren’t trying to hurt me. I never gave anyone a reason to dislike me. But I needed to keep some things about me hidden. If people knew the truth, I would have been sent to prison.

The most wonderful bright spot of my existence was that I was married to the best looking, most talented man on the planet. He mastered the art of conversion and had the manners of a true gentleman. I never heard him cuss or use bad language. Every word he spoke flowed like music to my ears.

Let me introduce myself. My name is Izola. I married John Wilkes Booth.

John was a matinee idol. Women adored him. After our marriage, he wanted women to continue thinking of him as an eligible bachelor. He told no one about our marriage. Women kept dreaming he would be their lover.

After John shot Lincoln, I continued to keep our marriage concealed.

John and I had a farm near Harpers Ferry. Two weeks after John shot Lincoln, he returned to our farm. I took care of him while his leg healed. Later, I helped him leave the country.

It has been over one-hundred-and-fifty years since I became an accessory after the fact, and no one can hurt me now. There is no reason to keep my life a secret any longer. This will be the first time I tell my story.

I have used Izola as my first name for most of my life, but my mother named me Martha. I never got to know her. My mother died when I was three.

My father was a sailor, and he was at sea most of the time. I would get to see him for one or two days a year. I hungered for and treasured the time I could spend with him. Yes, I adored him, but now, when I think about it, he was a stranger to me.

Two years before I was born, when my father was sixteen, he joined the merchant marines. Abram could be at sea for a year or more. When his ship returned to Massachusetts for its annual maintenance, he was able to pursue women until the vessel was seaworthy again.

On a warm August day in 1836, seventeen-year-old Abram proposed to Mary A. Whitney. The excited sixteen-year-old girl accepted his proposal. After a week of marital bliss, Abram’s ship was ready to set sail.

Mary went with Abram to the dock. They kissed and said their goodbyes. He went aboard, and from the deck railing, he waved farewell to his new bride. Abram’s ship headed for the Mediterranean. It would be a year before Mary would see him again.

Spain was the ship’s first port of call. While docked at Malaga, Abram met Izola Maria Mendoza. They spent a pleasant afternoon together. Abram fell in love with Izola and she with him. After a day of romance, Abram escorted Izola home, and then he hurried back to his ship to report in.

Three years later, Abram’s ship returned to Malaga. He was hoping to see Izola and went looking for her. When he found her, she had a two-year-old baby girl with her. That baby was me! My name is Martha Lizola Mendoza. Abram was surprised to learn about me; he had no idea he was a father.

According to her neighbors, my mother committed one of the greatest crimes against the church. She had a child out of wedlock. The priests believed the only greater sin was murder.

The church elders expected my mother to give me up. Defying them, she kept me. The church and her neighbors turned against my mother and said she was an immoral woman.

Abram felt guilty about bringing this disgrace to my mother. He believed he could set things straight by marrying her and giving us his name. He asked Izola to marry him, and she answered with an enthusiastic, Yes.

After she married Abram, mother and I had a new name. Mother became Izola Mills, and I became Martha Lizola Mills. Mother was relieved and believed we were now respectable, but the church and my mother’s neighbors could not forgive her for giving birth to me.

Abram wanted to take my mother away from her unforgiving neighbors. He decided to take his new wife and baby to Massachusetts. Mother was afraid