About
Historical figure who claimed to have witnessed the assassination of president Abraham Lincoln at age 5 at Ford's Theater. This would have made him the oldest and last surviving person to have done so. Additionally, in the year 1956 he appeared on a television show called I've Got a Secret, making him the oldest person to appear on television at that point in history.
Before Fame
He grew up on a farm in Maryland and worked as a carpenter and contractor.
Trivia
Skepticism about his claim of witnessing the assassination arose because he did not share the memory until the old age of 94. During his time on I've Got a Secret, Seymour was first questioned by panelist Bill Cullen, who quickly surmised from Seymour's age that his secret was somehow connected with the American Civil War, and he then correctly guessed that it had political significance and involved a political figure.
Family Life
He married Mary Rebecca Twilley and the couple had five children and later 35 grandchildren.
Associated With
In his recounting of the assassination, he remembers feeling concerned for John Wilkes Booth after witnessing him break his leg from a fall in Ford's Theater.
