August - Mid-Continent Public Library

Volume 7, Issue 8
August 2011
Famous Missourian:
Jesse James
WHAT’S INSIDE
Jolene Clark
Reference Assistant
Jesse Woodson James was born on September 5, 1847 in Kearney,
Missouri. He was the third of four children born to Robert and Zerelda
Cole James. Robert and Zerelda had four children, Frank, Robert who died
as an infant, Jesse, and Susan. Although Jesse James is a famous Missourian
best known for his career as an outlaw, I wanted to follow his life through
genealogical records.
Census Records:
I went through the Mid-Continent Library’s genealogy databases to
AncestryLibrary.com to trace the James family through census records. In
the 1850 census, the family, Robert, Zerelda (spelled Sarelda), Franklin,
Jesse, and Susan, was living in Platte, Clay County, Missouri. Jesse’s father,
Robert went to preach to the gold miners in California, but died in
California in 1850. His mother married Benjamin Simms and then, in
1855, Reuben Samuel. By the1860 census, Jesse was living with his
mother, Zerelda Samuel, and his step-father, Reuben Samuel, as well as
Alexander James, Susan James, and Sarah Samuel. I couldn’t find Jesse in
census records after that time, but then I began to wonder if you were an
outlaw would you give the census taker your real name? After some
research on the internet, I found that in 1880, Jesse was living under an
assumed name in Davidson County, Tennessee with his brother Frank.
Under the alias, I found them listed as: J. Woodson (Frank James) and Geo.
D. Howard (Jesse James). Jesse’s wife, Zee, is listed as Josie Howard and
their children are listed as Charles Howard (Jesse Edward James) and Mary
Howard (Mary James).
Military Records:
Because the James family had southern ties and owned slaves, they
supported the Confederacy during the Civil War. In 1863 Union soldiers
came to the James home looking for information about Confederate
guerilla bands. The soldiers injured Jesse and threatened his family. Soon
after this incident, Jesse joined his brother Frank in a guerilla band led by
William Anderson, also known as “Bloody Bill” Anderson. Knowing this
information, I searched Ancestry for Civil War records and found that Jesse
James fought on the side of the Confederacy in the state of Missouri. He
enlisted as a Private in Company C, 4th Infantry Regiment Missouri. The
Midwest Genealogy Center has many Civil War records available on
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Jesse James
American Passage Review
News Bytes Websites
Periodically Speaking
Class Calendar
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American Passage: The
History of Ellis Island
Suzanne Vinduska
Reference Assisant
American Passage: The History
of Ellis Island by Vincent J.
Cannato is quite unusual in its
retelling of the story of that
iconic landmark. Ellis Island is
part of our nation’s founding
mythology as the place where
many of our ancestors first
touched American soil.
Most Americans have a
romanticized version of Ellis
Island. We picture our “tired,
poor,
huddled
masses
yearning to be free” standing
in long lines awaiting the
fateful words of acceptance.
How that acceptance, and the
changing standards behind it,
occurred is a story all by itself.
While that picture has some
truth in it, this volume unveils
the real story behind our
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(Continued from page 1)
microfilm. For more information on searching for military and
pension records see our website (http://www.mymcpl.org/
_uploaded_resources/MGC-guidemilitary.pdf).
Marriage Records:
On April 24, 1874, Jesse married Zerelda Mimms, his own
first cousin, in Kearney, Missouri after a nine-year courtship. She
was named after Jessie’s mother, but went by Zee for short. They
had four children, Jesse, Gould and Montgomery (twins who died
as infants), and Mary. Jesse and Zerelda’s marriage record can be
found on Ancestry. Missouri did not keep marriage records on the
state level that early, so you would need to look in Clay County
records to find Jesse and Zerelda’s marriage. The library has
many other county records from Missouri on microfilm.
Newspapers:
Jesse James name first appeared in newspapers after his
gang robbed the Davies County Savings Bank in Gallatin, Missouri
in 1869. Jesse shot and killed a man whom he thought had killed
“Bloody Bill” Anderson. Jesse James also wrote letters to the
“Kansas City Star” to try to justify his actions. You could look up
some of the articles about Jesse James in the microfilmed copies of
the “Kansas City Star” located in the library. The library has many
newspapers on microfilm (see our website for the list) or you can
order copies of newspapers on microfilm.
Cemetery Records:
Governor Thomas T. Crittenden of Missouri issued a
proclamation for the arrest of the James brothers in 1881. Robert
Ford, a member of the James gang, wanted the reward money and
on April 3, 1882 he shot Jesse James in the back of the head and
killed him. He was originally buried at the family fram in Kearney,
Missouri
and
that
monument
can
be
found
at
www.findagrave.com. He has a unique tombstone inscription that
reads “DEVOTED HUSBAND AND FATHER JESSE WOODSON
JAMES SEPT. 5, 1847 MURDERED APR. 3, 1882 BY A TRAITOR
AND A COWARD WHOSE NAME IS NOT WORTHY TO APPEAR
HERE.” Later, he was buried in Mount Olivet Cemetery.
Although much is written about famous people like Jesse James,
you can find information about your own ancestors by looking at
similar types of records.
References:
Ancestry.com. United States Federal Census [database on-line].
Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com
Operations, Inc., 2009.
"Jesse James (1847 - 1882) - Famous Missourians." The State
Historical Society of Missouri.
Web. 11 Apr. 2011. <http://shs.umsystem.edu/
famousmissourians/folklegends/james/>.
"Jesse Woodson James." Find A Grave - Millions of Cemetery
Records. Web. 11 Apr. 2011.
<http://www.findagrave.com/>.
(Continued from page 1)
mind’s pictures.
It was fascinating to read about the
anti-immigrant sentiments held by
government officials, both state and
federal, as Ellis Island was coming into
being. “Newspaper headlines in 1891
screamed: “Lunatics and Idiots Shipped
from Europe” and “The World’s Dumping
Ground.” There was a constant barrage
of criticism that bedeviled Ellis Island
throughout its existence. The author
does a nice job of explaining the
problems of those who “took the heat”
while running the Island. We are able to
read about the responsibilities and
burdens of the doctors, inspectors and
baggage handlers. The superintendents
were constantly under scrutiny, and
while many of them deserved the
intense oversight, the management of
the facility suffered.
The parallels with today’s immigration
problems give this book both historical
and current importance.
You can find American Passage: the
History of Ellis Island at MGC under the
call number 325.73 C164
Join the Midwest
Genealogy
Center’s Email List
Do you want to get News Bytes by email?
Or how about updates on classes and events
here at the Midwest Genealogy Center?
Well, now you can! All you have to do is
sign up at the Information Desk at MGC or
email [email protected] and put “News
Bytes Subscription” in the Subject Line!
Questions? You can email us or call (816)
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on library happenings.
News Bytes Websites
Websites for August:
Twila Rider
Reference Assistant
By George! And the Colonies
The MGC is hosting “Roots of a Nation,” an exhibit (July
9 – August 21) to take you back to historical colonial
times. In celebration of this exciting affair, let us turn to
George Washington and sites for searching this era of
time.
Before or after your visit, you might like to bone up on
George’s own family history. Check this web site:
The Ancestry of George Washington, First United
States President
www.suite101.com/content/the-ancestry-of-georgewashington-first-united-states-president-a346698
The American Colonist’s Library: A Treasury of Primary
Documents
freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1294965/
posts#comment
This is a very comprehensive chronological list of all
kinds of digitized documents that were instrumental in
the forming of ideas that led up to and during the
formation of our nation. Caution: some links are bad,
but you may be able to Google search on the link title to
find it.
AmericanRevolution.org
With over 2500 links contained here, there is much to
see--especially note Genealogy Links in the left column.
Archiving Early America: Primary Source Material
from 18th Century America
earlyamerica.com/
Get a feel for colonial times and people and documents.
Colonial Ancestors - colonialancestors.com/
Herein is a Colonial Ancestors Database, timelines, links
to Revolutionary War & soldiers’ information, links to
more specific information about the original 13 states,
and more.
The two lineage societies listed below now have search
capabilities to find basic information about
Revolutionary War soldiers, including their birth and
death dates (if known), home state and town, and place
of burial.
DAR Genealogical Research System (Daughters of the
American Revolution)
services.dar.org/Public/DAR_Research/Search/
Patriot Grave Search (National Society of the Sons of
the American Revolution)
https://memberinfo.sar.org/patriotsearch/search.aspx
Periodically Speaking
Bill Tresenriter
Reference Assistant
When a person asks if there are any genealogies on their family we check to see if the library has any family
genealogy books on their ancestor’s surname. We may also advise them to check various genealogical sites,
such as Ancestry.com to check World Tree, or FamilySearch.org to check their family trees, or
GenCircles.com, etc. for information on their ancestor. This would require that the person know enough
about an ancestor to make a connection in one of these medias. There is another source that people forget
about, Periodicals. There are many family association periodicals that are available at the Midwest Genealogy
Center. These periodicals can give great family information and genealogies that sometimes can only be found
in their publication. There is a book, Directory of Family Associations, by Elizabeth Petty Bentley and Deborah
Ann Carl (929.1 D6282) that is available at this library that lists not only family associations, but also the name
of their periodical if one is published.
CLASS CALENDAR
SEPTEMBER 2011
To register, please call 816-252-7228.
September 1, 2011, Thursday at 7:00 PM
Beginning Genealogy with Kathy Pierce
This class focuses on procedures, skills, and techniques
needed for beginning a search of your family genealogy.
September 17, 2011, Saturday at 1:00 PM
Miracle of Philadelphia
On 17 September 1787, our Constitution was completed
and signed by many of our Founding Fathers, at
Independence Hall in Philadelphia. John Jay, our first Chief
Justice of the Supreme Court, said that we as citizens should
regularly study and review our Constitution so that we
would have the knowledge of our personal rights and to be
able to defend those rights against abuse. George
Washington, our first President, said, "A primary object
should be the education of our youth in the science of
government communicating it to those who are to be the
future guardians of the liberties of the country." On the
244th Anniversary of the signing, the facts will be addressed
in "The Miracle of Philadelphia." David A. Nitzche will recall
the statesmanship, wisdom, and leadership of the men who
served at that time.
September 10, 2011, Saturday at 9:30 AM
American Civil War
More information to come. At only one time in our history
did our country fracture at the seams as id did in the Civil
War. Because of the issues of states' rights, competing
cultures, and the seminal issue of slavery did families, towns,
and states turn on each other to the point of death. What
role did my family play? Which side of the debate did we
support? Did we lose family members? Civil War genealogy
take us back in time to see how our family helped forge this
pivotal moment in history which changed the course of our
country forever. Discover research tools among the
soldiers' records that will give rich meaning and texture to
your family history.
September 20, 2011, Tuesday at 10:00 AM
Beginning Genealogy with Henry Tharp
September 13, 2011, Tuesday at 10:00 AM
This class looks at the fundamentals of beginning genealogy.
Using ILL Without Getting a Headache
Where to look, what to look for, how to document it,
Mid-Continent Public Library doesn't have everything you organize it, record it, and build on it, and the vital
want? Unbelievable!! Use InterLibrary Loan to expand the importance of record keeping will be covered. This class is
walls of your library and encompass a world of information. designed for the beginner, but experienced researchers may
Come learn how to order microfilmed newspapers from find it a useful review and reminder of things forgotten and/
across the country, books from other libraries and films or neglected.
from the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, UT.
Angela McComas covers Internet sources and archival September 22, 2011, Thursday at 7:00 PM
research.
How to Use the Genealogy Library
This tour of the Genealogy and Local History Branch is
September 13, 2011, Tuesday at 2:00 PM
conducted by a member of the Genealogy staff. The
September 20, 2011, Tuesday at 2:00 PM
participant will learn about the genealogy databases on the
September 27, 2011, Tuesday at 2:00 PM
library computer, and about the microfilm and microfiche
October 4, 2011, Tuesday at 2:00 PM
collections found in the library.
October 11, 2011, Tuesday at 2:00 PM
October 18, 2011, Tuesday at 2:00 PM
September 27, 2011, Tuesday at 10:00 AM
Building a Life Story
Writer's Block
Leave your descendants more than dates and pictures! This You've gathered records, stories, and pictures. You've
interactive reading and writing workshop teaches you to talked to every living relative and a few dead ones. What's
turn life events into interesting, readable narratives. This is a next? PUBLISH!!! This group will discuss the writing and
six-week course.
publishing process with guest speakers and each other. Time
will be set aside at each meeting to share your writing with
September 15, 2011, Thursday at 7:00 PM
other struggling authors. One-and-one-half hours.
See You on Sunday: Church Records
We will work on determining a denomination and September 30, 2011, Friday at 9:30 AM
recognizing records in this class about researching in church Beginning Census Records with Ellen Miller
archives.
Come time travel with Ellen! We'll explore the Federal
Census from 1790 to 1930, learning exactly what our
government thought was important about our ancestors,
and how we can apply that information to our genealogy
research.