Your Scrapbook is currently empty. The Jameses were slaveholders and hardscrabble farmers. In 1854, Congress had passed the Kansas-Nebraska Act, which opened the Kansas Territory to settlement. It is documented he fell into a deep depression following James death and also had the terminal illness of tuberculosis, and a debilitating morphine addiction. The jail in Independence where Frank was held for six months and treated more like a celebrity guest than an outlaw still stands and the cell has been restored to the condition it was when occupied. Shortly afterward, Frank took part with Quantrills company in the August 21, 1863 Lawrence Massacre where approximately 200 mostly unarmed civilians were killed. A nineteen-year college student was shot dead in the street following the robbery, as the bandits celebrated. As a child, James showed interest in his late fathers sizable library, especially the works of William Shakespeare. Additional data from member contributors. He shares a modest tombstone with his wife, but you would never know it was his grave unless you were somebody like me who had gone looking for it for his own wistful reasons. Frank James who preyed on banks and railroads and robbed and murdered innocent civilians walked freely into a new life. Cole Younger/Place of burial, Kearney, Missouri, United States Please contact Find a Grave at [emailprotected] if you need help resetting your password. Year should not be greater than current year. In his final years, James returned to the James Farm, giving tours for the sum of 25 cents. It was just five months after Jesse was killed that Franks surrendered to the Governor while on a train headed to Jefferson City, Missouri. Out of these tumultuous times rode Missouris most notorious outlaws. Each cell had one window covered with grated iron. In his declining years he did join Cole Younger in a traveling wild west show using their outlaw fame to draw spectators. While Frank was a part of this company they were involved with the Lawrence Massacre of August 21, 1863 where about 200 people were killed. Frank James "merchandised" his past right up until the time he died. Frank James was tried for murder in Missouri and found not guilty, tried for train robbery in Alabama and found not guilty, and finally tried for armed robbery in Missouri and again released. Frank James, Jesse's brother's real name was Alexandr. Flipboard Gina Dimuro The grave was marked by a ragged chunk of granite the size of a bowling ball, all that was left of a once-towering tombstone that had been chipped away by souvenir hunters. In 1978, Clay County purchased the home and restoration work was completed. Try again later. His life of crime after the end of the Reconstruction. Although James body was identified and buried in Kearney, Missouri, alternative accounts persist that he somehow faked his death and moved to Texas. Frank was self-taught after developing an interest in his late father's sizeable library. As I stood listening, it occurred to me that this must have been the place where my grandfather, a century ago, had met Zerelda. Please reset your password. Did the James brothers go to Walnut Grove? We walked through the parlor, whose walls were decorated with James family photos, among them one of a youthful Jesse, supposedly made when he was near death from a bullet wound, a characteristically forbidding image of Zerelda and a photo of Franks lamented horse Dan. In 1902, former Missourian Sam Hildreth, a leading thoroughbred horse trainer and owner, hired James as the betting commissioner at the Fair Grounds Race Track in New Orleans. The result was an insurgent war against the pro-Union provisional government, a conflict that deteriorated to personal score settling between gangs of bushwhackers and rampaging militias. Jesse's mother had his body buried outside the family home so she could keep a watchful eye on her son, but it was later reinterred at Kearney's Mount Olivet Cemetery. Save to an Ancestry Tree, a virtual cemetery, your clipboard for pasting or Print. He also sold shoes and worked as a doorman at a burlesque theater, as a race starter at the fairgrounds and even as an actor (a very poor one, apparently) in several plays, though he stipulated that I will not have anything to do with a performance that idealizes law-breaking. In the end, he tried to have it both ways, forming a Wild West show with old friend Cole Youngernow paroled from prisonand cheekily playing the role of a passenger held up in a stagecoach. Learn more about managing a memorial . I thought you might like to see a memorial for Frank James I found on Findagrave.com. Frank's outlawry came to end after the death of his brother Jesse, shot in the back, by a member of his own gang for the reward money. For just over two decades my mother, Betty Dorsett Duke; had researched her family story in an effort to determine whether or not her great grandfather was truly the Old West outlaw, Jesse Woodson James; who faked his death and lived to the age of 97 in Blevins, Texas under the alias James Lafayette Courtney. We were standing at the grave of Jesse James in the Mt. (Probably, I thought, my grandfather had met Dan as well.) If you notice a problem with the translation, please send a message to [emailprotected] and include a link to the page and details about the problem. Accompanying Article. Frank James was born Alexander Franklin James in Kearney, Missouri, to Baptist minister Reverend Robert Sallee James and his wife Zerelda (Cole) James, who had moved from Kentucky. The bank in Liberty, Missouri which is claimed to be the first bank robbery committed by the James gang. Frank James grew up on a Missouri farm in Kearney. Then learn about Ned Kelly, Australia's armored outlaw turned folk hero. The Independence, Missouri jail consisted of six upstairs and six downstairs cells, with two-foot thick walls of limestone blocks. For a long time I stood in front of a portrait of the outlaw at age 55. Did Cole Younger wear a bulletproof vest? Throughout the jails are a lot of interesting story placards, prisoner information, photos, and artifacts. After the brothers murdered two innocent men during an 1881 train robbery, though, the state of Missouri came to its senses and offered a reward of $5,000 each for the capture of Jesse and Frank. She was cremated and the couple was interred in Hill Park Cemetery which is located in the upper part of Hill Park, Independence and consists of a small stone wall enclosure of graves. Born on 21 Mar 1877. However, he did travel extensively, taking a number of jobs . At the time, his family were neighbors with John M. James, Betty's 4th great-grandfather. The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. My grandfather went on to explain that when he was a kid in Excelsior Springs, 10 miles away, he had often talked to Frank James, who was by then a man in late middle age with nothing much better to do than while away afternoons on city benches entertaining children with stories of how Pinkerton detectives had blown off his mothers right arm in a botched raid on the James family farm. Frank James' grave is located in Hill Park in Independence, Missouri. In August of 1951, a member of Granbury's Sam Rash family contacted Ben Estes who owned the Estes Funeral Home on Bridge Street. Sorting through a box of old family letters recently, I came across a striking postcard that my grandparents sent back to Oklahoma during a visit to Missouri in the early 1940s. Thank you for reading! He was the brother of Bob Ford, an outlaw, and member of the James Gang. My grandfather, born in 1895, would have been 16 when Frank and Jesses mother died in 1911, and 20 when Frank died in 1915. with Jesse's name buried among dozens of other, lesser, James's. A great blow fell on the Turillis in 1995, when Jesse's supposed remains were dug out of their 1882 grave and subjected to DNA tests. Subscribe to receive our weekly newsletter with top stories from master historians. Please check your email and click on the link to activate your account. Frank's mother Zerelda would remarry two more times before her death resulting in four more children. James fell ill and was left behind when the Confederate forces later retreated. From 1860 to 1882, the James Gang was the most feared band of outlaws in American history. Commentdocument.getElementById("comment").setAttribute( "id", "a62d409088de5a4f6ed3589416232c9e" );document.getElementById("a163b6d9c9").setAttribute( "id", "comment" ); Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. The movie is an interesting psychological drama with amazing period detail but the historical accuracy does not live up to the hype. The surname James is carved at the top, but on Franks side of the stone the name inscribed is technically correct but pointedly evasive: Alexander F.. Finally James was acquitted and went to Oklahoma to live with his mother. He was acquitted in both Missouri and Alabama. Sorry! This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. He made a point of making friends with prominent citizens and officers of the law, banking their good opinion against a time when his identity might be exposed. From Robert Sallee James both sons appear to have inherited a degree of dash, and perhaps that is one reason Frank made sure to end his outlaw career with a chivalric flourish, unbuckling his gun belt and declaring to the governor, I want to hand over to you that which no living man except myself has been permitted to touch since 1861, and to say that I am your prisoner.. One of the most famous was that of Northfield, Minnesota. Photo of Frank James grave from Find-a-Grave . English In contrast to his brother's bloody demise, Frank James passed away peacefully on his family's Missouri farm at the ripe old age of 72. The James family was from the heavily Confederate western portion of the state. Jesse James is an iconic name across the world, but did you know he actually has ties to right here in southwest Oklahoma. Weve updated the security on the site. There are several suspects, bodies, dates, and locations to investigate. Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors. There is 1 volunteer for this cemetery. Accounts say that Frank James surrendered with the understanding that he would not be extradited to Northfield, Minnesota. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. He left instructions for his remains to be cremated and kept safe in a bank vault until his wifes death, when they would be buried with hers. Frank was cremated as he feared graverobbers. The long, black sleeve of her dress covers the stump of her right arm; she lost her . People Buried Here. Frank James had led a life of crime for almost two decades yet stood trial only twice and other then time in jail, which was considerable, he did no prison time. There was an error deleting this problem. He was a Confederate guerilla in the U.S. Civil War. From time to time, Ive even wondered if he made it up to impress two young boys at a time when Jesse James fervor was at one of its periodic heights. Your account has been locked for 30 minutes due to too many failed sign in attempts. Olivet Cemetery in Kearney, and again in 1995 for DNA testing to confirm that the remains were actually those of Jesse James. He was born Alexander Franklin James in Kearney, Missouri to a Baptist minister, he was the first of four children.Frank James. Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features. Oops, we were unable to send the email. He robbed banks, stagecoaches and trains across the Midwest. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford is a 2007 American epic revisionist Western film written and directed by Andrew Dominik. He stated that after being hunted for more than twenty years he was tired of the vigil and handed his gun over. (Frank managed to escape.). It was founded in 1995 by Salt Lake City resident, Jim Tipton. On the front is a hand-colored photo of a white-bearded old man wearing a suit and bowler hat, standing in front of a farm gate. He was the oldest of three children. He grew up in the town of Kearney in Clay County, Missouri which is just under an hour from Kansas City. Stephen Harrigans latest book is Remember Ben Clayton, a World War Iera novel. Try again later. Jesses band of merry men clearly valued cash over loyalty and the outlaw was brutally shot down by Robert Ford, a member of his own gang. In the episode of Little House on the Prairie titled "The Aftermath" (aired November 7, 1977), Jesse (Dennis Rucker) and Frank James (John Bennett Perry) took refuge in Walnut Grove after a failed . Their string of bank hold-ups, which began in 1866possibly with a daylight assault on the bank in Liberty, only a few miles from the James farmwere often marked by lethal shootouts with citizens and sometimes by cold-blooded executions of bank employees. Frank and Jesse James were both legends in their own time, though Jesse is better remembered today . Travel with us as we explore the best Missouri day trips, travel ideas and places to visit! Jesses death six years laterat the hands of his own gang memberswas sordid and sad, but it ended his story on a clarion note of treachery that helped seal his legend. Several members of the gang are written out of the screenplay, a key trial is ignored, and only one robbery is presented, which seems odd for a film about a famous bank robber. A rock formation near Cement called Buzzard's Roost is what many people. Western Outlaw. After his surrender James was taken to Independence, Mo., where he was held in jail three weeks, and later to Gallatin, where he remained in jail a year awaiting trial. Six months after Wilsons Creek, Frank was captured and allowed to return home under condition he not take up arms against the Union, but he brushed that obligation aside and joined up with freebooting guerrillas led by the opportunistic William Clarke Quantrill, who Frank later recalled was full of life and a jolly fellow. It was in Quantrills gang that Frank met a fellow bushwhacker named Cole Younger. 39K views 3 years ago Jesse was one of the most notorious old west outlaws around. From 14 to 42 years old, women in the above document were jailed for streetwalking, disrupting the peace to crimes such as grand larceny and running a brothel. I feel a positive conviction, Phillips said, that the troublous, tragic life that befell him was neither of his liking or inclination.. Alexander Franklin "Frank" James (January 10, 1843 - February 18, 1915) was a famous American outlaw. Did the James brothers go to Walnut Grove? While others had little to nothing in their cell, because of his celebrity, Frank James cell was furnished with a Brussels carpet, fine furniture and paintings. In early 1876, the James brothers and 10 of their brethren attacked a detail of Mexican guardsmen driving 18 burros transporting gold bullion. His ashes were kept in a bank vault until his wifes death at age 91 in 1944. You need a Find a Grave account to continue. The simple tombstone and grave of Dan Blocker, better known as Hoss Cartwright on the Bonanza television series. 68. born 9.6.1899, d. 1.8.1973" [Andrew Simpson 1 Mar 2023] Early life[edit] Reuben was the son of Fielding and Louisa Samuel, and was born and raised in Kentucky in 1828. While James was charged by other courts, he was acquitted for every charge brought against him. View Frank James's memorial on Fold3. Zee, as she was more familiarly called, was actually named for . The raid was personal for Pinkerton; an agent he had sent to apprehend the James brothers the year before was found with a note pinned to his corpse that read This to all detectives.. Frank James, who died in 1915, couldn't find the money in Lost City when he returned after the turn of the 20th century and headed to the Lawton area to search there. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. His father died in 1851 and his mother remarried Benjamin Simms in 1852. Share this memorial using social media sites or email. Its quite interesting to see firsthand how Frank James was treated to his own fancy cell while common criminals would be crammed as many as 10 to the same size cell. ?1915 cemeteries found in Independence, Jackson County, Missouri, USA will be saved to your photo volunteer list. We are excited to share with you our list of 20+ unique Missouri accommodations that are worthy of a vacation! This memorial has been copied to your clipboard. [cat totalposts=21 offset=0 category=1657 excerpt=true order=desc orderby=post_date]. Try again later. . Born as Bobby Dan Davis Blocker in De Kalb, Texas on December 10, 1928, he is reported to . I learned about Franks beloved horse Dan, who was buried on the farm and whose grave was included in the tours that he used to give curiosity seekers. Unrivaled Mac notes apps for fuss-free note-taking, 6 Actionable Tips for Improving Your Websites SEO, Copyright 2023 | WordPress Theme by MH Themes. Shortly after he began robbing trains, Frank married Annie Ralston, the daughter of a prosperous local farmer, a graduate of Independence Female College and, according to one childhood friend, an excellent pistol shot. Transcript: "Pvt Francis James Crowe (Frank) N244532 5th Australian Ordinance Dept. Trivia The outlaw brothers stole gold what is equivalent to 1 billion dollars today, gave some in charity while the rest of that loot is buried all over Missouri . As the twelve, new, limestone jail cells were opened, hostilities between free state and pro-slavery forces were reaching a boiling point in this area of Midwestern United States. The Jesse James Birthplace Museum in Kearney features the most extensive collection of James family artifacts as well as Jesse's original gravesite. Robert Ford shot and killed Jesse James in St. Joseph, Missouri. Frank was always the ego to Jesses id, the Dr. Watson to his Sherlock Holmes. Frank James was tried for only two of the robberies/murders one in Gallatin, Missouri for the July 15, 1881 robbery of the Rock Island Line train at Winston, Missouri, in which the train engineer and a passenger were killed, and the other in Huntsville, Alabama for the March 11, 1881 robbery of a United States Army Corps of Engineers payroll at Muscle Shoals, Alabama. Use Escape keyboard button or the Close button to close the carousel. What are various methods available for deploying a Windows application? On October 5, 1882 surrendered to Missouri governor Thomas Crittenden in Jefferson City, Missouri. Western Outlaw. The skinny, big-eared, weather-beaten man of 39 seemed to herald some new development in human physiognomy. Frank was cremated as he feared graverobbers. Our guide pointed out samples of Annies tatting displayed on the walls, the business degree from Jones Commercial College acquired by Frank and Annies son, Robert F. James, who later built a three-hole golf course on the property. Whereas Franks story just went quietly on. QUICK FACTS Name: James Birth Year: 1847 Birth date: September 5, 1847 Birth State: Missouri Birth City: Kearney Birth Country: United States Gender: Male Best Known For: Jesse James was a bank. Western Outlaw. The building has been restored and is opened daily to tourists. Add to your scrapbook. Three years before Judge Ross died . I joined in as a James Farm guide led a small group from the museum along a boardwalk to a white clapboard farmhouse in a clearing a few yards beyond two commanding shade trees. Allegedly, there is a report that after his parole, that in Brandenburg, Kentucky Frank was involved in a gunfight with four soldiers which resulted in two soldiers killed, one soldier wounded, and Frank wounded in the hip. History reports as definitive fact that Jesse James was shot dead by Bob Ford on April 3, 1882 and buried in Kearney, Missouri. If you have questions, please contact [emailprotected]. In the last thirty years of his life, James worked a variety of jobs, including as a shoe salesman and then as a Burlesque theater ticket taker in St. Louis. Daddy attended his funeral." Now you know why Jesse James came to Granbury---and why he staged his own death. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. His new life, after some wandering years and sputtering career steps, ultimately brought Alexander Franklin James back home to the farm in northwestern Missouri where he was born in 1843. Jesse and his gang, which numbered anywhere from two to a dozen, robbed their first bank at Liberty, Missouri, in 1866. His ashes were kept in a bank vault until his wifes death at age 91 in 1944. Please try again later. A few researchers went to investigate the outlaw's remains, but they were disappointed. Buried Here. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". Missouri accepted legal jurisdiction over him for other charges, but they never came to trial. Who played drums on Nightmare Avenged Sevenfold? Astonishingly, this lethal characterwho had been among the most remorseless partisans in the Missouri border wars, and who afterward preyed on banks and railroads and express companies and robbed and murdered innocent civilianswalked freely into a new life, the beneficiary of various dropped charges and two sensational murder trials that ended in acquittal. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". Five months after Jesse was killed, Frank took a calculated risk and surrendered to Missouri governor Thomas Crittenden on October 5, 1882. What better relief than to take a day trip to visit the cabin that Frank & Jesse James occupied during their visit with their uncle Drury Woodson James between 1868 and 1869. Turn right onto N Main St. Plan about 1 hour to tour the museum and house. Where did Frank James go after he surrendered? The parlor was considered the formal sitting room and where they would read books and play instruments. The various actors who played FrankBill Paxton, Stacy Keach, Sam Shepard, even Johnny Cashhad a natural air of horse sense and moral weariness, in contrast to the spell of mercurial menace cast by stars like Robert Duvall or Brad Pitt in the role of Jesse. GREAT NEWS! Saint Joseph, MO Jesse James/Place of death. But until Frank cleverly slipped into retirement, his notoriety was never less than his brothers. Resend Activation Email. The guerillas viciously mutilated many of their victims corpses. Zerelda, a widowed mother of three who had lost much of her furniture and farm equipment to her late husbands creditors, would have been alarmed by the abolitionists who were flooding into neighboring Kansas in order to swing it into the free state column and further undermine her precarious solvency. We will review the memorials and decide if they should be merged. A telephone Frank installed in 1911 still hung near the entranceway to the kitchen. After learning about Frank James, read about the Robert Ford, the man who killed Jesse James. After his death she married a third time to Dr. Reuben Samuel in 1855 when Frank was 13 years old. He put together a quarrelsome new gang and briefly enticed Frank back into the outlaw life. One of the theaters spins to attract patrons was their use of the phrase Come get your ticket punched by the legendary Frank James. He also served as an AT&T telegraph operator in St. Joseph, Missouri.