Henry Sturges (novel)

Henry Sturges
Name:	Henry Ogden Sturges
Status:	Alive
Age:	300+ 25 (physically)
Date of birth:	March 2, 1563
Birthplace:	England, United Kingdom
Novels:	1, 2
First novel:	Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter
Last novel:	The Last American Vampire

Henry Sturges is a vampire and vampire hunter who teaches future president Abraham Lincoln in hunting.

Biography

Voyage to America

Henry was one of the many settlers who voyaged to America with his wife. However, their ship had an unfortunate tendency to result in deaths among passengers. The causes were usually unknown, though the passengers and crew merely decide that suicide was the cause. In reality, a vampire was responsible for the deaths.

Roanoke

Henry and his wife settled in the Roanoke colony, and they both witnessed the birth of Virginia Dare. One night, screams from the colonists outside were heard, and Henry investigates, only to find the vampire, Dr. Crowley, slaughtering everyone that lived there. Henry attempted to escape with his wife, but both were caught and attacked. Henry was bitten while his wife was killed. Attempting to warn any that would find the colony, Henry desperately attempted to carve "CROWLEY" onto a tree, but Crowley spots this and cut Henry off, replacing the word with "CROATOAN". Henry became a vampire and never found Crowley since.

Abraham Lincoln

While in America, Henry found a young man attempting to kill a vampire, rather clumsily even. Henry helped drive off the creature before bringing the injured man to his estate, where he nursed him back to health. The man introduces himself as Abraham Lincoln, and was shocked and angry when he found out that Henry was a vampire, though calmed down when his savior did not try to kill him. When asked why he didn't kill him, Henry merely justifies that "some men are just too interesting to die". Henry then agrees to help Abraham in improving his hunting skills.

After training is done, Henry would send Abraham to hunt down vampires via letters. Most of them are difficult, but they eventually get killed by the blade of Lincoln's axe. After the death of Anne Rutledge, Henry helped Lincoln find the culprit, John McNamar (a recently turned vampire), and killed him slowly by burning him alive for several minutes while keeping his head intact.

Abraham married Mary Todd later and decided to retire from hunting altogether, despite the temporary objections made by Sturges. Years later, Henry sent a letter to his old friend, telling him to meet him in New York. Abe goes there and meets Sturges' "Trinity" and Henry reveals to Lincoln that vampires are planning to start a civil war from the South, and the Trinity needs Lincoln and his politcal skills to be elected president to help combat it. Lincoln agrees and Henry and his Trinity ensure Lincoln's sucess. Later, Henry invites Abe on one last hunt, which ends in victory and Abraham retiring, with best wishes from Henry.

Death of Willy Lincoln

A vampire snuck onto the front yard of the White House and did something to Willy Lincoln, Abraham's son. The Trinity failed to stop the man from escaping and Willy was revealed to have been poisoned. The boy died the same way his grandmother did. Henry, remorseful, offers Lincoln to turn his son into a vampire, so he will "live" again. Lincoln, in a fit of sadness and rage, attacks Henry, who almost kills him by biting him but stops before the bite could take effect and leaves.

After the North's victory over the Civil War, Henry congratulated Lincoln and informed him that vampires are retreating back to Europe and Asia.

John Wilkes Booth

Lincoln celebrated the victory by visiting the Ford Theater with his wife and fellow politcians. However, vampiric actor John Wilkes Booth snuck in and shot Lincoln in the head, hoping to inspire other vampires to come back and begin their reign again. However, the others merely tell him that he has gone too far, and Booth was cornered in a barn with soldiers converging onto him. Before Booth could attack the soldiers thus revealing his true form, Henry appears in the barn, and is implied to be the one to avenge Lincoln by killing his assassin.

Henry stood guard over the funeral train carrying Lincoln's body as it passed through the country. After all have left, Henry made a choice and dug up Lincoln's body.

Too Interesting To Die

The 20th century has arrived. So have vampires. The vampires attempt to take over America once again with the World Wars, but Henry and Lincoln were there to combat them. They then visit the infamous Martin Luther King Jr. speech. Henry had made a choice, a choice that decided that "some men are just too interesting to die".

Present

Henry visited struggling author Seth Grahame-Smith's bookstore and gave the writer Lincoln's diary. Reading it, the writer adapts the journal into a best-selling novel.

Abilities

Like all vampires, Henry has incredible strength and agility. At night, he is most likely almost unstoppable given his experience and prolonged vampirism. However, he is still vulnerable to sunlight, though it merely causes illness in his skin instead of actual harm now.

Trivia

• Henry is the only known survivor of the Roanoke disappearance in the book's world.
• Henry is played by actor Dominic Cooper in the film.