Life span: 09/05/1847 to 04/03/1882TabsLife SummaryFull name: Jesse Woodson JamesPlace of Birth: Clay County, MOBirth Date Certainty: ExactDeath Date Certainty: ExactGender: MaleRace: WhiteSectional choice: SouthOrigins: Slave StateNo. of Spouses: 1No. of Children: 2Family: Zerelda Mimms (wife)Occupation: Farmer or PlanterRelation to Slavery: SlaveholderChurch or Religious Denomination: BaptistMilitary: Confederate Army Note Cards Jesse Woodson James (American National Biography) ScholarshipRaised in a rural Missouri county by slave-owning parents, Jesse James grew up experiencing at close hand the violent conflicts between antislavery elements in nearby Kansas and proslavery groups in Missouri before the outbreak of the Civil War. The Civil War intensified these conflicts, as the region experienced numerous atrocities carried out by rival guerrilla bands. After his parents were abused by Union soldiers and his mother imprisoned, James at seventeen joined his brother Frank James and several future criminal associates in "Bloody Bill" Anderson's Confederate guerrilla outfit and participated in several battles, earning a reputation for courage and skill. What happened to Jesse James immediately following the war is uncertain. Widely accepted is the story that he was shot and left for dead when he surrendered to Union troops, giving rise to the belief that he became an outlaw because he was not granted amnesty. Many Confederate guerrillas, some more infamous at the time than James, did make the postwar transition to law-abiding citizen, making the tale seem more a convenient fiction than a historical fact. Paul G. Kooistra, "James, Jesse," American National Biography Online, February 2000, http://www.anb.org/articles/20/20-00510.html. Events Date span begin Life span End Event 02/13/1866 02/13/1866 The probable first ever peacetime daylight bank robbery in American history takes place in Liberty, Missouri Documents Images Jesse Woodson James Jesse Woodson James, detail Bibliography
Jesse Woodson James (American National Biography) ScholarshipRaised in a rural Missouri county by slave-owning parents, Jesse James grew up experiencing at close hand the violent conflicts between antislavery elements in nearby Kansas and proslavery groups in Missouri before the outbreak of the Civil War. The Civil War intensified these conflicts, as the region experienced numerous atrocities carried out by rival guerrilla bands. After his parents were abused by Union soldiers and his mother imprisoned, James at seventeen joined his brother Frank James and several future criminal associates in "Bloody Bill" Anderson's Confederate guerrilla outfit and participated in several battles, earning a reputation for courage and skill. What happened to Jesse James immediately following the war is uncertain. Widely accepted is the story that he was shot and left for dead when he surrendered to Union troops, giving rise to the belief that he became an outlaw because he was not granted amnesty. Many Confederate guerrillas, some more infamous at the time than James, did make the postwar transition to law-abiding citizen, making the tale seem more a convenient fiction than a historical fact. Paul G. Kooistra, "James, Jesse," American National Biography Online, February 2000, http://www.anb.org/articles/20/20-00510.html.