James Earp
| James Cooksey Earp | |
|---|---|
 James C. Earp c. 1880 |
|
| Born | June 28, 1841 Hartford, Kentucky |
| Died | January 25, 1926 (aged 84) San Bernardino, California |
| Occupation | Soldier, saloon-keeper |
| Spouse | Nellie "Bessie" Ketchum |
James Cooksey Earp (June 28, 1841-January 25, 1926) was the little known older brother to old west lawman Virgil Earp and lawman/gambler Wyatt Earp. Unlike his lawmen brothers, he was a saloon-keeper and was not present at the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral.
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[edit] Biography
James Earp was born in Hartford, Kentucky, and was raised in a tight-knit family environment. In 1861, at 19, he enlisted in the Union Army at the outbreak of the American Civil War, joining Company F, 17th Illinois Infantry in May, 1861.[1] His brothers Virgil and Newton Earp also enlisted. His service was cut short when he was wounded in the shoulder, losing use of his left arm, in a battle near Fredericktown, Missouri, on October 31, 1861. He was discharged in March, 1863.[1] Newton and Virgil served until the end of the war.[2]
Following the war, James moved around quite frequently, an Earp family trait. He lived in Colton, California, Helena, Montana, Pineswell, Missouri and Newton, Kansas, before marrying former prostitute Nellie "Bessie" Ketchum in April 1873. For some time after that he worked in a saloon in Wichita, Kansas, then as a deputy marshal in Dodge City, Kansas under Marshal Charlie Bassett, who had replaced Marshal Ed Masterson who had been murdered.[2]
In December 1879, he and his wife moved to Tombstone, Arizona along with his brothers Wyatt and Virgil. His brothers Warren and Morgan and his wife Louisa joined them there in late 1880. The three younger brothers became involved in law enforcement in Tombstone, while James managed a saloon and worked in gambling houses.[3]
He was not present at the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral on October 26, 1881.[2] On December 28, 1881, his brother Virgil Earp was ambushed, shot three times with a shotgun. He survived, but only two months later his brother Morgan was assassinated in a billiard parlor on March 18, 1882. The New Mexico and Arizona Railroad ended about 25 miles (40 km) away in Benson. On Sunday, March 19, Wyatt and James Earp accompanied Morgan's body in a wagon to Benson where it was loaded onto a freight train for immediate shipping to Colton. Morgan's wife was already in Colton, where she had traveled for safety before Morgan was killed. James Earp and two or three close friends accompanied his body to California.[4] Virgil and his wife Addie Earp followed the next day on a passenger train.
Wyatt Earp and James' youngest brother, Warren—with gambler Doc Holiday and gunmen Sherman McMasters, "Turkey Creek" Jack Johnson and Texas Jack Vermillion—then hunted down those they held responsible for the attacks during the Earp Vendetta Ride.[2]
Morgan was buried in Colton, California. James then lived for a short time in Shoshone County, Idaho, until settling permanently in California by 1890. He died of natural causes on January 25, 1926, in California. He is buried at the Mountain View Cemetery in San Bernardino, California.
[edit] See also
[edit] Notes
- ^ a b "The Nicholas Porter Earp Family". International Blacksheep Society of Genealogists (IBSSG). Archived from the original on June 12, 2009. http://replay.web.archive.org/20090211224627/http://ibssg.org/earp/. Retrieved 7 May 2011.
- ^ a b c d "James Earp". http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/WWearpJ.htm.
- ^ "Earp Brothers". http://www.greatfamilycamping.com/earp-brothers.html. Retrieved January 9, 2011.
- ^ "Another Assassination Frank Stilwell Found Dead this Morning Being Another Chapter in the Earp-Clanton Tragedy". Tombstone, Arizona. March 27, 1882. p. 4. http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn84021939/1882-03-27/ed-1/seq-4/.
