Jesse James and The James – Younger Gang. Tragic Life Of A Notorious
Outlaw. The Legend Lives.
Donna Harrell, WWHA Board Member and descendent of the Younger family, tells the story of the notorious James – Younger gang and the Tragic Life Of Notorious Outlaw Jesse James. Jesse and Frank James – sons of a Baptist minister and successful farmer with a Master’s degree. Cole, Jim, John and Bob Younger – sons of a politically active, land and business owner. These young men with promising futures became outlaws as a result of their family’s experiences during an extremely violent Border War between Kansas and Missouri in the 1850’s, thru the Civil War and the resulting Reconstruction era that lasted into the 1870’s. From the February, 1866 first daylight peacetime bank robbery in Liberty, Missouri to the September, 1881 Blue Cut, Missouri train robbery, the James – Younger gang robbed banks, trains and stages from Virginia to Kansas, Minnesota to Texas. They were accused of many other robberies all across the country. Jesse James’ 1882 murder by gang member Bob Ford was reported around the country. There were lying-in-state events in St. Joseph and Kearney, Missouri. Thousands of people (family, friends and enemies) viewed his body. No one questioned that it was Jesse but people didn’t believe their hero could be killed so easily. For years a few old men claimed that they were the “real” Jesse. Even today there are many families who claim their ancestor was the “real” Jesse James and that history is wrong. Movies, books, songs, and rivers of newspaper ink tell the story of these men. The last surviving gang member died in 1916, but their legend will never die.