John J. Booth was the first born of six children to Rolley and Matilda Booth. He was born April 4, 1842 at Proctor, Wetzel County, (West) Virginia. He enlisted for three years in the 12 th. (West) Virginia Vol. Inf. Reg., Co "B" at Moundsville, (West) Virginia on August 13, 1862. On June 13, 1863 he was serving under Capt. John C. Roberts of Gen. R.H. Milroy's command when he was wounded in action in the lower right leg. The foot/ankle was amputated at Winchester on the night of June 13. In the early morning hours of June 14, 1863, Private John B. Booth was taken prisoner and held by the Confederacy as a POW ( for approximately 10 months) until April 3, 1864. He was placed in a hospital at Cumberland, Maryland from April 1864 to January 1865 when he was transferred to a hospital in Wheeling, West Virginia. From the Wheeling Hospital, Private Booth as transferred to the Elm Street (or Washington Park) Hospital in Cincinnati, Ohio where he was Honorably Discharged with Total Disability on May 15, 1865.
On Sept. 24, 1868 John J. Booth married Miss Hannah Himmelrick. John and Hannah had nine children, six sons and three daughters. Despite the loss of his right leg (from the upper thigh), John returned to his life as a farmer. He died at Hundred, (Wetzel Co.) West Virginia, March 3, 1923 at age 80 years, 10 mo., 29 days. His wife, Hannah, died Jan. 6, 1929 at age 79 years, 3 days. John J. Booth was buried on March 5, 1923 in the Sancho Cemetery in Wetzel Co. West Virginia. The Sancho Cemetery is 0.3 miles east of Hundred, West Virginia on Route 70 to Route 11: thence 1.3 miles east on Route 11. The cemetery is 500 feet north of the highway. His grave was identified by a G.A.R. upright Emblem marked as follows: Booth, John J., 1842-1923, Private Co. B. 12th W. VA. Vol Inf.
