Jesse Edwards James

Notes:

BIOGRAPHY: [Broderbund WFT Vol. 15, Ed. 1, Tree #1589
Jesse Jr. supported his mother, sister and himself since the age of eleven. With little money Zerelda auctioned many of her household items. Jesse bought a modest home for his mother and sister and put his sister through school. When Jesse Jr. was small and his father was still living, he used the name Tim Howard. while Jesse Jr. was working, he also played baseball for the Armour Packing Co. with Johnny Kling and Joe Tinker, later to become baseball greats. Jesse Jr. had a cigar and tobacco store. One of his customers was another up and coming youngster, Harry Truman. As his business flourished he could afford to hire a helper freeing him to pursue his ambition: study law. Jesse Jr. proposed to Stella and told her to get used to the name James. Jesse graduated from Law school in 1907. He sold his business and embarked upon a career as an attorney in Kansas City, Mo. In later years he opened a law office in Los Angeles, Calif. Jesse was falsely arrested in 1898 for train robbery, which distressed him, but in 1920 he was asked to make several films about the James Gang. After much deliberation he decided to do it. The adventure was a bust and he and friends had invested. He felt bad for the friends that invested and repaid them. He wound up selling his home. He had 4 daughters and one was ready to enter into college and wouldn't be long for the others. He did not return to his law practice for a year and when he did he had a nervous collapse. Jesse's family eventually moved back to Independence, Mo. The girls finished high school and left college to work. Jesse resumed his law practice for two years even though he was a sick man. He died on 26 March 1951. Jesse Jr. is buried in Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California. Jesse and his wife were married for more than fifty years. There was a movie made in 1958 on "Playhouse 90" about the life of Jesse James, Jr. His wife, daughters and two grandchildren watched in disbelief as they saw all the lies on screen. Stella left to visit her husbands grave and left the details to her grandson, James Ross, a practicing attorney in Los Angeles, who eventually became Superior Court Judge of California in 1989. While watching the film, Stella reminisced in time and remembered how Jesse Jr. had spent his boyhood in Kansas City, Mo. near his grandmother's farm and going fishing and hunting in the quiet countryside. How, during their early years of marriage, Jesse would sit over his law books till the early hours and with few hours of rest would go and open his cigar store. How young Jesse would sit under the big coffee bean tree at his grandmother's home just visiting with the family. How, later he enjoyed visiting with Frank and his wife, Anna, when they lived near the same farm. How both his grandmother and uncle Frank had been so proud of Jesse graduating from law college with the highest honors and passed his bar exam with the highest grade.
As all this passed before my (Stella) eyes I couldn't understand why all these obvious distortions of the facts could not even think of it as an insult to my husbands memory, for there seemed no possible connection between this caricature and the wonderful man who had been such a fine citizen, devoted husband and father.

Jesse married Stella Frances McGowen on 24 Jan 1900 in Stella's Parents' Home, Kansas City, Mo. Stella was born on 27 Feb 1882 in Oak Grove, MO; died on 1 Apr 1971 in Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, CA; was buried after 1 Apr 1971 in Forest Lawn Cemetery, Glendale, CA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

1. Ethel Rose James was born on 10 Jul 1908.
2. Lucille Martha James
3. Josephine Frances James was born on 20 Aug 1902; died on 19 Apr 1956.
4. Jessie Estelle James

Notes:

BIOGRAPHY: [Broderbund WFT Vol. 15, Ed. 1, Tree #1589]
Jesse was murdered by Robert Ford in St. Joseph, Mo. He was buried 29 June 1902 in Mt. Olivet Cem., Kearney, Clay, Mo. after he was moved from St. Joseph, with his wife. The pallbearers for Jesse were men who served with Jesse under Quantrill. Jesse was anxious to surrender and serve time and get out to be with his family but that didn't work. Jesse Jr. looked through the files in Kansas City and found a lot of crimes were charged up to the account of his hunted and outlawed father. One week would be a bold robbery in MO , saying it was the James Gang. Then the next week there would be a robbery in Texas, again the James Gang. Jesse Jr. said to have committed one-fourth of these crimes, his father would have to have been equipped with some means of extra-terrestrial transportation for him to rob a bank in West Virginia on Monday night and hold up a train in Texas three nights later. The very day Jesse was killed there was a bank robbery in Texas that the newspapers attributed to Jesse James Gang.

BIOGRAPHY: [Broderbund WFT Vol. 7, Ed. 1, Tree #4693]
By Russell M. Marshall, Sr., 9357 Bruce Dr., Franklin, Ohio
Jesse James was killed from ambush by Bob Ford. These famous outlaws Frank and Jesse Woodson James roamed and robbed far and wide and their gang had many things attributed to them not done by them. Jesse's middle name is given from a relationship to the Woodson family a branch of my family Anna Arzella Woodson my great grandmother who married Andrew Johnson, their son John my grandmother and dad's mother's family who lived in Rockcastle County, KY where Frank and members rode through there and would hide out reportedly after some of their raids into West Virginia, etc. A would-be hero deputy of Rockcastle County, KY heard they might be coming that way and lay an ambush for Frank and cohorts and one of the gang was wounded but the rest escaped. Another Woodson relative and her niece visited me in 1994 from Independence, MO and told me her grandmother as a small girl as Frank James had stopped over at the Woodson home where they had been fed and kept hidden had bent over off of his horse and given her grandmother a gold coin which she had treasured into her old age. To date I've not uncovered the middle name association of Jesse Woodson James so maybe a future family might because I've not got the health or resources at this present time, 1996. Frank and Jesse's father died during the 49ers Gold Rush in California and Frank lived until 1915 and is buried in the same town as my mother's grandpa in Kearney, Nebraska. [The author may be confusing Kearney, Neb. With Kearney, Mo., but Frank isn't buried there either! He's in Independence, MO] . . .

Died:
gunshot

Jesse married Zerelda Amanda Mimms on 24 Apr 1874 in Wife's Sister's Home, Kearney, Clay County, MO. Zerelda (daughter of John Wilson Mimms and Mary James) was born on 21 Jul 1845 in Logan County, KY; died on 13 Nov 1900 in Kansas City, Jackson County, MO; was buried on 29 Jun 1902 in Mt Olivet Cemetery, Kearney, Clay County, MO. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

BIOGRAPHY: [Broderbund WFT Vol. 15, Ed. 1, Tree #1589
Zee, as called by Jesse was the wife and first cousin of Jesse Woodson James. Zee's mother, Mary, was a sister of the Rev. Robert S. James, the father of Jesse and Frank.
Zee's house in 1900 was described as a neat little cottage standing alone on a wide stretch of ground. It was sparsely furnished with a faded carpet on the floor, a picture of her late husband, a small table with a Bible on it, several chairs and starched, lace curtains.

Jesse Jr. and Stella's wedding was held in the parlor of his mothers home, as she was too sick to attend the wedding.

Zerelda died in 1900. Don't know where she was first buried but on 29 June 1902 she finally rested next to Jesse in Mt. Olivet Cem., Kearney, Clay, Mo. She hadn't sufficient funds to pay her debt. Jesse sold her house for $1300.00 in 1901 to pay the bills. After the estate was settled Jesse received $293.00 and Mary received $75.00.

Other Events and Attributes:

• Residence: 28 Sep 1850, Platte, Clay, Missouri; Census

Notes:

BIOGRAPHY: [Broderbund WFT Vol. 15, Ed. 1, Tree #1589]
After Robert and Mary married they moved to Kentucky and settled near Adairville, Logan County. They bought a 275-acre farm and this is where Jesse was born as well as Susan. Robert graduated from Georgetown College in Kentucky in June 1843 and received a Master of Arts Degree in 1847. He was an ordained Baptist minister in 1839. Two years before he graduated, he met and married Zerelda Cole, who was a student in a Catholic convent in Lexington, Kentucky. Robert worked his farm during the week with seven faithful Negro servants and served God on Sunday as a preacher, but was never paid for preaching. Two of the churches he founded are still inexistence today. They are the Providence Baptist Church in Clay Co. and the Pisgah Baptist Church near Excelsior Springs, Mo. Robert was also one of the founders of the William Jewell College in Liberty, Mo. His wife, Zerelda, told she saw her husband baptize as many as 65 people on one occasion. Jesse was baptized near the same place years later after returning from the Civil War. It was said by Zerelda, that had not Robert gone to the gold fields of California in 1850 to preach to the miners for a year that Frank and Jesse would not have had their violent history. Jesse pleaded with his father not to go. It took four months to get there and just three weeks later Robert died.

BIOGRAPHY: [Broderbund WFT Vol. 5, Ed. 1, Tree #2180]
Graduated from Georgetown College, Kentucky, and became a Baptist preacher. Moved to Clay Co., MO, and became pastor of New Hope Baptist Church there. Was a co-founder and trustee of William Jewell College. Went to California to look for gold in 1850 and died shortly thereafter. Was buried in an unmarked grave in California. (K. G. Lindsay)

Robert married Zerelda Elizabeth Cole on 28 Dec 1841 in Stamping Ground, Scott County, KY. Zerelda (daughter of James Cole and Sallie Lindsay) was born on 29 Jan 1825 in Black Horse Tavern, Woodford County, KY; died on 10 Feb 1911 in Oklahoma City, Cleveland County, OK; was buried after 10 Feb 1911 in Mt Olivet Cemetery, Kearney, Clay County, MO. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

BIOGRAPHY: [Broderbund WFT Vol. 15, Ed. 1, Tree #1589]
After Robert died in 1850 Zerelda Cole James remarried to a Dr. Reuben Samuel. She had four children by Reuben, but before she married Reuben she had married Benjamin Simms.
Zeralda had died while returning from a visit to Frank in Oklahoma. They took her off the train in OK City and later transferred to Kearney.
The James farm is located near Excelsior Springs, Clay, MO.
From this marriage came several notes of interest. Frances Peters Inskeep, niece of Simms, married Coleman Purcell Younger of Clay County and moved to San Jose, California. A nephew, named for the Younger, was the outlaw Cole Younger. Mary, the younger sister of Frances married Martin Ringo and also went to California. Their son, John Peters, was the "Johnny Ringo" of Tombstone, Arizona fame. Zerelda was therefore, by marriage, the great aunt of the Youngers and Ringo and hers sons cousins, but only by marriage. Also, another strange marriage was another distant relationship. Adaline Younger, who married James Lewis Dalton, became the mother of Bob, Grant and Emmett, the core of the famous Dalton Gang, was the half-sister of Coleman Purcell Younger. This made the James boys, the Youngers, Ringo and the Daltons distant cousins. And further coincidence is revealed that Bruce Younger, half-brother of Coleman, married Maybelle Reed, better known as Belle Starr.
Zerelda's hand was blown off and her youngest child (Archie-8 years old)was killed by a bomb that was thrown into her home at night by Pinkerton detectives who were seeking to kill or capture her "outlaw" sons. For this cowardly deed, Zerelda and her family were given a lifetime pass on the railroad. She made good use of the pass. When she couldn't find enough of her family she would "adopt" neighbors as family. They said she had a comic spirit always at hand. She had attended St. Catherine's Academy in Lexington, Kentucky and met Robert James there.

BIOGRAPHY: [Broderbund WFT Vol. 11, Ed. 1, Tree #0789]
At the age of fourteen (1839) Zerelda entered St. Catherine's Academy for women in Lexington, Ky. She met her husband, Robert, at a religious revival. Strong, domineering, outspoken, and fiercely protective of her surviving children (4 of eight), Zerelda had the size to back it up--5'8" and over 200 lbs. She married and buried three husbands to boot!

John married Mary James about 1827 in Logan County, KY. Mary (daughter of John M. James and Mary Poor) was born on 28 Sep 1809 in Kentucky; died on 23 Jul 1877 in Kansas City, Jackson County, MO. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

BIOGRAPHY: [Broderbund WFT Vol. 15, Ed. 1, Tree #1589]
After John and Mary married they moved to Kentucky and settled in Adarville, Logan Co.

John married Mary Poor on 26 Mar 1807 in Goochland County, Virginia, USA. Mary (daughter of Robert Cornet Poor and Elizabeth Woodson Mimms) was born in 1790 in Goochland County, Virginia, USA; died in Feb 1827 in Logan County, KY. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

James married Sallie Lindsay in 1816/1826 in Scott County, KY. Sallie (daughter of III Anthony Lindsay and Alice Cole) was born on 15 Apr 1803 in Scott County, KY; died in 1829/1897 in Clay County, MO. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

BIOGRAPHY: [Broderbund WFT Vol. 5, Ed. 1, Tree #2180
Shortly after her second marriage, to Robert Thomason, the family moved from Woodford Co., Kentucky to Clay Co., MO.

Robert married Lucy Poor on 6 Apr 1788 in Goochland County, Virginia, USA. Lucy (daughter of Abraham Poor and Judith Gardener) was born on 13 Jan 1772; died in 1794/1866. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]