Rev. Robert Sallee James was a native of Kentucky, born on July 17, 1818. He was a college educated, God-fearing, soul saving Baptist minister. Zerelda Elizabeth Cole was born January 29, 1825 in Woodford County, Kentucky and was educated in a Catholic convent. Robert and Elizabeth were married on December 28, 1841 in Stamping Ground, Kentucky. In 1842, they ventured to Missouri and purchased a farm in Kearney, Clay Co, Missouri. The farm consisted of some acreage and a log cabin. Being from the south, they used slave labor to help build and run their farm. Robert and Elizabeth were the parents of four children: Alexander Franklin "Frank" James, Robert R James (who died shortly after birth), Jesse Woodson James and Susan Lavenia James.

Rev. Robert James was a pillar in their growing community, helping to establish two churches in Clay County, one church in Ray County and William Jewell College. Being a minister, he soon felt the calling to go to California and preach the gospel to the gold miners. On April 12, 1850, he departed from his farm, leaving Zerelda in charge, but shortly after reaching California, be was stricken with an ailment and died on August 18, 1850. His body was never returned home and he was buried in an unmarked grave in California.

On September 30, 1852, Zerelda married a neighboring farmer, named Benjamin Simms. He was a widower but was quite a bit older than Zerelda. It wasn’t long before it became evident that the marriage would not last. Benjamin was not very affectionate or patient with Zerelda’s children, often beating them. This would lead to violent outbursts from Zerelda. Before a divorce could be finalized, Benjamin was killed in a horse accident on January 2, 1854.

Zerelda married again on September 25, 1855 to Dr. Reuben Samuel who was born on January 12, 1828 in Owen County, Kentucky. He became the stepfather to Frank, Jesse and Sarah James and this proved to be a good match for Zerelda as Samuel was a loving father to Zerelda’s children. Zerelda and Samuel had four children: Sarah Louisa "Sally" Samuel, John Thomas Samuel, Fannie Quantrell Samuel and Archie Peyton Samuel.

Alexander Franklin "Frank" James was born Jan 10, 1842. When the Civil War broke out, he joined the Missouri State Guard on May 4, 1861 at the age of 18, fighting for the south. He participated in the Southern victory at the Battle of Wilson’s Creek. After being captured a year later by the Union forces, he received a parole and twice violated it before joining with William Clarke Quantrill’s guerillas, making Frank a "wanted man" by the Union Army.

On May 22, 1863 the James/Samuel farm was raided by Union militiamen in an attempt to locate the whereabouts of William Quantrill and his guerillas. They beat and whipped Jesse until he was covered with blood and hung Dr Samuel several times, torturing him to the point of death which resulted in causing permanent damage to his brain. He barely survived the incident and was arrested and jailed. Later, Zerelda and her children are arrested and taken into custody. Zerelda was pregnant at the time and was forced to sign a loyalty oath to the Union in order to be released. These incidents proved to be the last straw for Jesse, and he soon joined Bloody Bill Anderson in riding with the guerillas. Jesse and Frank continued to ride with the guerillas until the close of the war.

After the war, Jesse and some other guerilla soldiers attempted to surrender to Union forces at Lexington, Missouri. They rode into town carrying a white flag and were fired upon. Jesse took a bullet in the chest and was severely wounded. He was taken to Harlem, Missouri to the home of his uncle, John Mimms, and later moved to Nebraska where his mother and the rest of the family had lived since being displaced by the war. Jesse feared he would not survive his injuries and begged to return to the family farm in Kearney, so the James/Samuel family moved back home in October of 1865. Meanwhile, Frank surrendered in Nelson County, Kentucky.-

After the war, for reasons known only to themselves and perhaps fueled by their hatred towards the Union government and the hardships brought on by their guerilla involvement, James and Frank became outlaws. Along with the Younger brothers: Cole, Jim, Bob and John, they took to bank and train robberies and became local legends. Some regarded them as heroes, comparing them to "Robin Hood" because often times they robbed from the rich and gave to the poor. The Pinkerton Detective Agency heavily pursued them and rewards were placed on their heads. It is unknown how many robberies that Jesse and Frank actually participated in because they were blamed for most all robberies in that time period, even when it would have been physically impossible for them to be near two places at the same time. Jesse and Frank continued their life of crime, successfully dodging the law.

On April 24, 1874 Jesse married his first cousin, Zerelda Zee Mimms in Kearney and on June 6, 1875 Frank married Anna Ralston in Omaha, Nebraska.-

Allen Pinkerton desperately wanted Frank and Jesse James. Their continued success at alluding capture by his detectives was an embarrassment to him. On January 25, 1875, Pinkerton detectives surrounded the James house and threw a bomb through a window. Upon seeing the burning instrument, Dr Samuel mistook it for a turpentine ball and kicked it into the fireplace. The bomb exploded, causing fatal injuries to his son Archie and severely damaging Zerelda’s right arm. Archie died the following day and Zerelda’s arm was amputated up to her elbow. This incident fueled the anger of the local people and added to the sympathy for the James family. The Pinkerton Detective Agency was charged with the crime, but the charges were dismissed.

Frank and Jesse James became legend outlaws with many stories told about their escapades, some true and some not. This article was written with the purpose of pointing out the many sufferings endured by the James family and the probable causes behind their lives of crime. Details of the James post-war escapades can be found in many published books and movies.

On August 31, 1875, Zerilda "Zee" James gave birth to Jesse’s first child. They named him Jesse Edward James. A robbery in Minnesota that same year went bad and Frank and Jesse barely escaped. Their partners in crime, the Younger brothers, are not so fortunate and were wounded and captured. During their trial, they pleaded guilty and received life sentences. The James brothers remained free but were then forced to live under alias names.

In August 1877, Jesse and his family were living in Waverly, Tennessee under the name of Thomas Howard. Frank and Anna arrived in Nashville using the names of B.J. and Fannie Woodson. In February of 1878, Zee gave birth to twins, Gould and Montgomery and Anna gave birth to a son, Robert Franklin James. The twins died soon after birth and Jesse was devastated. He and Zee soon moved to Nashville. After contacting malaria, Jesse and Zee moved in with Frank and Anna in 1879. A daughter, Mary Susan James, was born in Nashville to Jesse and Zee on July 17, 1879. Frank and Jesse were trying to settle down to married life and raising their families and their robbery escapades became less frequent.

By 1882, Jesse had returned to Missouri and bought a house under the name of Thomas Howard in St Joseph, Missouri. As the story is told, Jesse was planning another robbery with Charlie and Bob Ford and while they were there discussing the plans, Robert Ford shot Jesse in the back of the head when he turned his back to dust off a picture, killing him instantly. Robert Ford committed the murder because he wanted to collect the reward money being offered for Jesse’s capture. At first, Jesse’s mother denied the body as being that of Jesse’s, but later changed her statement stating that she did not want the Ford’s to collect the reward. Zerelda James Samuel took Jesse’s body and buried it near the cabin in Kearney, Missouri in which he was born on September 5, 1847. The grave was later moved into Kearney’s Mt. Olivet Cemetery in 1902 beside his wife who died on November 13, 1900. Charlie and Robert were tried for the murder of Jesse James and were found guilty and sentenced to hang. They were pardoned by Governor Crittenden and set free.

On October 5, 1882 Frank James publicly surrendered to Governor Crittenden and faced murder charges in Missouri, Minnesota and Alabama. All charges were soon dismissed or he was acquitted due to lack of evidence. Frank James remained a free man for the rest of his life, earning money by working various jobs and offering tours of the James homestead. Frank died at his home on the James farm on February 18, 1914 and his body was cremated. His ashes were stored in a safety deposit box until Anna’s death on July 6, 1944. She was also cremated and both were laid to rest in the Hill Cemetery in Independence after her death.

On March 1, 1909, Dr Reuben Samuel died at the St Joseph, Missouri Mental Institution and Zerelda James Samuel died of heart ailment on February 10, 1911 while returning on a train from visiting Frank and Anna in Oklahoma. Both Reuben and Zerelda James Samuel were buried in Mt Olivet Cemetery in Kearney.

Many imposters appeared later, claiming to be Jesse James and rumors abounded that Jesse staged his death in order to obtain complete freedom from the law. Most of the imposters where quickly proven as such, except for one man who went by the name of J. Frank Dalton. Researchers today, claim that J. Frank Dalton was actually the real Jesse James and photo comparisons strongly suggest the possibility. J. Frank Dalton died in Grandbury, Texas in 1951  the name Jesse Woodson James was placed on his tombstone.

On July 15, 1995, a group of scientists exhumed the body buried under the name of Jesse James from Mt Olivet Cemetery and preformed DNA testing, comparing the results of those tests with DNA tests taken from known descendants. According to the information they released, the body buried in Mt Olivet Cemetery is that of the real Jesse James. Jesse was reburied with a Confederate service and honors. Some skeptics still dispute the results of the DNA testing and believe that the real Jesse is the one buried in Grandbury, Texas. So the legend continues……..

William T "Bloody Bill" Anderson (Guerilla leader)