Last Updated : 5 May 2016

Thomas Booth set-up as a corn merchant soon after arriving in Liverpool in 1767. His son Henry Booth was born in Liverpool on the 4th of April in 1788 and died in the city on the 28th of March 1869. Henry became a railway promoter and manager who played an important role in the Liverpool and Manchester Railway, the worlds first inter-city railway.

Junius Brutus Booth was a popular actor in Liverpool who emigrated to America in 1821 where he continued his acting career.  His son John Wilkes Booth was the person who assassinated President Lincoln at Ford's Theatre, Washington in 1865. John Wilks' brother was Edwin Booth, another actor who's statue is in Gramercy Park in New York where there is also a theatre named after him. Junius Brutus' brother was Algernon Booth who is also the great great grandfather of Liverpool born actor Anthony Booth who is famous for his role in the TV sitcom "Till Death Do Us Part".   Anthony is in turn is the father of Cherie Booth, wife of former Prime Minister Tony Blair.

Alfred Booth was born in Liverpool on the 3rd of September 1834. He lived at 46 Ullet Road. He was an apprentice to Lamport & Holt from 1850 and in 1860 he formed a company to export leather from Liverpool to the USA. Charles Booth was born in Liverpool on the 30th of March 1840 and was the younger brother of Alfred, in this wealthy ship-owning family, he was a philantropist and social researcher. Charles was the brother-in-law of Alfred Holt and set-up the Booth Steamship Company in 1866 with voyages from Liverpool to South America. He also set-up "Alfred Booth & Company" in both Liverpool and New York using his fathers inheritance money.

Lewis W Booth was born in Liverpool, the son of a car dealer and obtained his engineering degree at the University of Liverpool before joining British Leyland. He went on to become the Executive Vice President of Ford Motor Company and Chairman of Ford of Europe.

From the Ellis Island records of arrivals, we can see that between 1890 and 1900, 26 Booths, who were resident in Liverpool, made the journey from Liverpool to New York.