James Earp
Encyclopedia
James Cooksey Earp 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
.
, 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. 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. Newton and Virgil served until the end of the war.
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.
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.
He was not present at the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral
on October 26, 1881. On December 28, 1881, his brother Virgil Earp
was ambush
ed, 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 (40.2 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. 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
.
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
.
Virgil Earp
Virgil Walter Earp fought in the Civil War. He was U.S. Deputy Marshal for south-eastern Arizona and Tombstone City Marshal at the time of the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral in the Arizona Territory. Two months after the shootout in Tombstone, outlaw Cowboys ambushed Virgil on the streets of...
and lawman/gambler Wyatt Earp
Wyatt Earp
Wyatt Berry Stapp Earp was an American gambler, investor, and law enforcement officer who served in several Western frontier towns. He was also at different times a farmer, teamster, bouncer, saloon-keeper, miner and boxing referee. However, he was never a drover or cowboy. He is most well known...
. Unlike his lawmen brothers, he was a saloon-keeper and was not present at the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral
Gunfight at the O.K. Corral
The Gunfight at the O.K. Corral was a roughly 30-second gunfight that took place at about 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday, October 26, 1881, in Tombstone, Cochise County, Arizona Territory, of the United States. Outlaw Cowboys Ike Clanton and Billy Claiborne ran from the fight, unharmed, but Ike's brother...
.
Biography
James Earp was born in Hartford, KentuckyHartford, Kentucky
Hartford is a city in Ohio County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 2,571 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Ohio County. It is believed to be named for a deer crossing on the nearby Rough River....
, and was raised in a tight-knit family environment. In 1861, at 19, he enlisted in the Union
Union (American Civil War)
During the American Civil War, the Union was a name used to refer to the federal government of the United States, which was supported by the twenty free states and five border slave states. It was opposed by 11 southern slave states that had declared a secession to join together to form the...
Army
Union Army
The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
at the outbreak of the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, joining Company F, 17th Illinois Infantry
17th Illinois Volunteer Infantry Regiment
The 17th Regiment Illinois Volunteer Infantry was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War.-Service:The 17th Illinois Infantry was organized at Peoria, Illinois and mustered into Federal service on May 24, 1861 for three years service.The regiment was...
in May, 1861. His brothers Virgil and Newton Earp
Newton Earp
Newton Jasper Earp was the eldest child of Nicholas Porter Earp, patriarch of the famous Earp family. While he was the little known half-brother of Old West lawmen Wyatt, Virgil, and Morgan Earp, Newton remained close to his father and half-siblings, residing in Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, California,...
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
Fredericktown, Missouri
Fredericktown is a city in and the county seat of Madison County, Missouri, United States, in the northeastern foothills of the Ozark Mountains. The population was 3,928 at the 2000 census...
, on October 31, 1861. He was discharged in March, 1863. Newton and Virgil served until the end of the war.
Following the war, James moved around quite frequently, an Earp family trait. He lived in Colton, California
Colton, California
Colton is a city in San Bernardino County, California, United States. The city is located in the Inland Empire region of the state and is approximately 57 miles east of Los Angeles. The population of Colton is 52,154 according to the 2010 census, up from 47,662 at the 2000 census.Colton is the...
, Helena, Montana
Helena, Montana
Helena is the capital city of the U.S. state of Montana and the county seat of Lewis and Clark County. The 2010 census put the population at 28,180. The local daily newspaper is the Independent Record. The Helena Brewers minor league baseball and Helena Bighorns minor league hockey team call the...
, Pineswell, Missouri and Newton, Kansas
Newton, Kansas
Newton is a city in and the county seat of Harvey County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 19,132. Newton is located north of Wichita and is included in the Wichita metropolitan statistical area...
, before marrying former prostitute Nellie "Bessie" Ketchum in April 1873. For some time after that he worked in a saloon in Wichita, Kansas
Wichita, Kansas
Wichita is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas.As of the 2010 census, the city population was 382,368. Located in south-central Kansas on the Arkansas River, Wichita is the county seat of Sedgwick County and the principal city of the Wichita metropolitan area...
, then as a deputy marshal in Dodge City, Kansas
Dodge City, Kansas
Dodge City is a city in, and the county seat of, Ford County, Kansas, United States. Named after nearby Fort Dodge, the city is famous in American culture for its history as a wild frontier town of the Old West. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 27,340.-History:The first settlement of...
under Marshal Charlie Bassett
Charlie Bassett (lawman)
Charles Bassett was a lawman and saloon keeper associated with the early days of Dodge City in the American Old West.Charles E. Bassett was born in New Bedford, Massachusetts, on October 30, 1847 to the parents of Benjamin Bassett and Julia Bassett. -Early life, career as a lawman:Bassett was...
, who had replaced Marshal Ed Masterson
Ed Masterson
Ed Masterson was a lawman and the brother of the American West gunfighters Bat Masterson and James Masterson.-Lawman career:...
who had been murdered.
In December 1879, he and his wife moved to Tombstone, Arizona
Tombstone, Arizona
Tombstone is a city in Cochise County, Arizona, United States, founded in 1879 by Ed Schieffelin in what was then Pima County, Arizona Territory. It was one of the last wide-open frontier boomtowns in the American Old West. From about 1877 to 1890, the town's mines produced USD $40 to $85 million...
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.
He was not present at the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral
Gunfight at the O.K. Corral
The Gunfight at the O.K. Corral was a roughly 30-second gunfight that took place at about 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday, October 26, 1881, in Tombstone, Cochise County, Arizona Territory, of the United States. Outlaw Cowboys Ike Clanton and Billy Claiborne ran from the fight, unharmed, but Ike's brother...
on October 26, 1881. On December 28, 1881, his brother Virgil Earp
Virgil Earp
Virgil Walter Earp fought in the Civil War. He was U.S. Deputy Marshal for south-eastern Arizona and Tombstone City Marshal at the time of the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral in the Arizona Territory. Two months after the shootout in Tombstone, outlaw Cowboys ambushed Virgil on the streets of...
was ambush
Ambush
An ambush is a long-established military tactic, in which the aggressors take advantage of concealment and the element of surprise to attack an unsuspecting enemy from concealed positions, such as among dense underbrush or behind hilltops...
ed, shot three times with a shotgun. He survived, but only two months later his brother Morgan
Morgan Earp
Morgan Seth Earp was the younger brother of Deputy U.S. Marshals Virgil and Wyatt Earp. Morgan was a deputy of Virgil's and all three men were the target of repeated death threats made by outlaw Cowboys who were upset by the Earps' interference in their illegal activities. This conflict eventually...
was assassinated in a billiard parlor on March 18, 1882. The New Mexico and Arizona Railroad ended about 25 miles (40.2 km) away in Benson
Benson, Arizona
-Transportation:Benson Airport is located 3 miles north west of the city.Benson is served by Interstate 10 to the north, which travels directly to downtown Tucson....
. 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. Virgil and his wife Addie Earp followed the next day on a passenger train.
Wyatt Earp and James' youngest brother, Warren
Warren Earp
Baxter Warren Earp was the youngest brother of Wyatt, Morgan, Virgil, James, and Newton Earp. He was not present during the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral. After Virgil was maimed in an ambush, he joined Wyatt and was in town when Morgan was assassinated. He helped Wyatt in the hunt for the outlaw...
—with gambler Doc Holiday and gunmen Sherman McMasters
Sherman McMasters
Sherman McMaster was an outlaw turned lawman, who was one of the six men involved in the Earp vendetta ride.-Early life:Sherman W. McMaster was born in 1853 in Rock Island, Illinois, the son of Sylvester W. McMaster. Not much is known of his life before heading out west, but he was believed to...
, "Turkey Creek" Jack Johnson
Jack Johnson (gunfighter)
"Turkey Creek" Jack Johnson was one of Wyatt Earp's possemen during his infamous "vendetta ride".-Early life:Jack Johnson was thought to be a former bookkeeper and lawyer, coming from Missouri. Wyatt Earp believed that Johnson's real name was John Blunt, but there is no evidence to support this...
and Texas Jack Vermillion
Texas Jack Vermillion
John Wilson Vermillion , alias "Texas Jack" and later as "Shoot-Your-Eye-Out" Vermillion, was a gunfighter of the Old West known for his participation in the Earp vendetta ride and his later association with Soapy Smith.- Early life :...
—then hunted down those they held responsible for the attacks during the Earp Vendetta Ride
Earp vendetta ride
The Earp Vendetta Ride, lasting from March 20 to April 15, 1882, was a manhunt for outlaw Cowboys led by newly appointed Deputy U.S. Marshal Wyatt Earp. He was searching for men he held responsible for maiming his brother Virgil, the Tombstone Marshal and Deputy U.S. Marshal, and assassinating his...
.
Morgan was buried in Colton, California. James then lived for a short time in Shoshone County, Idaho
Shoshone County, Idaho
Shoshone County is a county located in the U.S. state of Idaho. The county was established in 1864, named for the Native American Shoshone tribe. The population was 12,765 at the 2010 census. Shoshone County is commonly referred to as the Silver Valley, due to its century-old mining history...
, until settling permanently in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
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
San Bernardino, California
San Bernardino is a city located in the Riverside-San Bernardino metropolitan area , and serves as the county seat of San Bernardino County, California, United States...
.