Frank and Jesse James were notorious outlaws who ravaged Missouri and Kansas in the name of the Confederate Army and various guerrilla leaders. Missouri was a divided state with the territories near the southern border being pro-slavery, and the James family were slave owners. After the Civil War was over, the guerrilla fighters turned to robbing banks, stage coaches, and trains, allegedly focusing on enterprises owned by former Union interests. Some legends show Jesse James to be a bandit, and others equate him with Robin Hood for standing up for small farmers against infringing corporations. Regardless of the truth behind Frank and Jesse James, their mother was certainly no Maid Marian.
Zerelda Elizabeth Cole was born in Kentucky in 1825. After marrying Robert James, she moved to Missouri where her husband was a slave-owning hemp farmer and a Baptist minister. Robert died while preaching to gold miners in California, and Zerelda soon married a neighbor to help her get back on her feet. He died as well, and a year later Zerelda married a third time. Her new husband, Dr. Samuel, was a quiet and passive man, perfect for the six-foot-tall Zerelda because she was outspoken and used to having her commands followed. A relative described her by saying, "Zerelda had always given orders, but she had never taken any."
The doctor was a staunch Union supporter, and Zerelda was an outspoken supporter of the Confederacy. From day one, there was trouble in the Samuel-James house. Before the family was forced out of Missouri, their farm was often raided by the Union army looking for information about the James brothers and their gang, and Zerelda was anything but demure. She was proud of her sons and vocal about what she saw as their bravery and righteous action. Finally, the Union provost of Missouri recommended the whole family be removed, saying of the matriarch that she was "one of the worst women in the state."
After the war, the family was allowed back on their farm in Missouri. One night in 1875, it was raided by the Pinkerton detective agency, and an incendiary device was thrown into the house. It exploded and injured Zerelda so that she had to have her arm amputated the next day.
Throughout her sons' escapades, she would give interviews to the press and insist on their innocence while occasionally providing alibis and making threats to anyone who might provide witness against them. The James brothers became famous through exaggerated and even fabricated exploits told in dime novels. When Jesse died and was buried on the family farm, tourists would stop by to see the grave. Zerelda, never one to miss an opportunity for profit, would charge them a dollar for a tour of the farm and the grave and an extra 25¢ to take an "authentic" stone from the pile that covered it. As the stone pile decreased, she would haul up more from a nearby stream and sell them as well.
Zerelda Elizabeth Cole may not have fought and robbed and terrorized alongside her bandit sons as some legends suggest. She may not have specifically instructed them in the art of massacring towns people and unarmed soldiers. But she applauded them all the way, saying "No mother had better sons." It's always encouraging to have a supportive mother.
Zerelda Elizabeth Cole was born in Kentucky in 1825. After marrying Robert James, she moved to Missouri where her husband was a slave-owning hemp farmer and a Baptist minister. Robert died while preaching to gold miners in California, and Zerelda soon married a neighbor to help her get back on her feet. He died as well, and a year later Zerelda married a third time. Her new husband, Dr. Samuel, was a quiet and passive man, perfect for the six-foot-tall Zerelda because she was outspoken and used to having her commands followed. A relative described her by saying, "Zerelda had always given orders, but she had never taken any."The doctor was a staunch Union supporter, and Zerelda was an outspoken supporter of the Confederacy. From day one, there was trouble in the Samuel-James house. Before the family was forced out of Missouri, their farm was often raided by the Union army looking for information about the James brothers and their gang, and Zerelda was anything but demure. She was proud of her sons and vocal about what she saw as their bravery and righteous action. Finally, the Union provost of Missouri recommended the whole family be removed, saying of the matriarch that she was "one of the worst women in the state."
After the war, the family was allowed back on their farm in Missouri. One night in 1875, it was raided by the Pinkerton detective agency, and an incendiary device was thrown into the house. It exploded and injured Zerelda so that she had to have her arm amputated the next day.
Throughout her sons' escapades, she would give interviews to the press and insist on their innocence while occasionally providing alibis and making threats to anyone who might provide witness against them. The James brothers became famous through exaggerated and even fabricated exploits told in dime novels. When Jesse died and was buried on the family farm, tourists would stop by to see the grave. Zerelda, never one to miss an opportunity for profit, would charge them a dollar for a tour of the farm and the grave and an extra 25¢ to take an "authentic" stone from the pile that covered it. As the stone pile decreased, she would haul up more from a nearby stream and sell them as well.
Zerelda Elizabeth Cole may not have fought and robbed and terrorized alongside her bandit sons as some legends suggest. She may not have specifically instructed them in the art of massacring towns people and unarmed soldiers. But she applauded them all the way, saying "No mother had better sons." It's always encouraging to have a supportive mother.
Comments
It is true that behind every great (or at least infamous in this case) man stands a really scary woman.
I love these stories. they're real eye-openers.
More, please.
I should have known there was a powerful woman involved somewhere.
When we were little, i recall my brother used to 'be' Jesse James when playing with his friends. Being a girl, i'd just watch, fascinated, while brushing my doll's hair or knitting. He seemed to be some sort of hero for sure.