Zerelda Amanda Mimms James (July 21, 1845 – November 13, 1900) was the first cousin and wife of Jesse James

Jesse James

Jesse Woodson James was an American outlaw, gang leader, bank robber, train robber, and murderer from the state of Missouri and the most famous member of the James-Younger Gang. He also faked his own death and was known as J.M James. Already a celebrity when he was alive, he became a legendary...

.

Personal life

Zerelda Amanda Mimms was the daughter of Mary James and Pastor

Pastor

The word pastor usually refers to an ordained leader of a Christian congregation. When used as an ecclesiastical styling or title, this role may be abbreviated to "Pr." or often "Ps"....

 John Wilson Mimms. Her mother was a paternal aunt of Jesse James', the sister of his father, Robert S. James.

She and Jesse James married on April 24, 1874, while the James-Younger Gang

James-Younger gang

The James-Younger Gang was a notable 19th-century gang of American outlaws that included Jesse James.The gang was centered in the state of Missouri. Membership fluctuated from robbery to robbery, as the outlaws' raids were usually separated by many months...

 was still in full force. Of the Jameses and Youngers, Jesse was the first to marry. Zerelda and Jesse had two children:

• Jesse Edward "Tim" James
  Jesse E. James
  Jesse Edward James , commonly known as Tim, was the only surviving son of American outlaw Jesse Woodson James. He was born in Nashville, Tennessee during the height of Jesse James' career as an outlaw. His mother was Zerelda, Jesse James' wife and his first cousin.-Personal life:James was named...
  
   (born August 31, 1875 - died March 26, 1951)
• Twins Gould and Montgomery James (born February 28, 1878 and died in infancy)
• Mary Susan James (born June 17, 1879 and died October 11, 1935)

Death

Zerelda Mimms James died November 13, 1900 in Kansas City, Missouri. She was buried at Mount Olivet Cemetery in Kearney, Missouri

Kearney, Missouri

Kearney is a city in Clay County, Missouri, United States. The population was estimated to be 8,599 in 2008. It is most famous for being the birthplace of Jesse James, and there is an annual festival in the third weekend of September to recognize the notorious outlaw.Kearney was unofficially...

. Eighteen months after her death, her husband's body was moved from the James Family Farm to rest next to hers.

Portrayal in films

• 2007: In The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
  The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
  The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford is a 2007 American Western drama film. The film is directed by Andrew Dominik, with Brad Pitt portraying Jesse James and Casey Affleck as his killer, Robert Ford.Filming took place in rural Alberta and Winnipeg, Manitoba...
  
  by Mary-Louise Parker
  Mary-Louise Parker
  Mary-Louise Parker is an American actress, known for her current lead role on Showtime's television series Weeds portraying Nancy Botwin, for which she has received several nominations and the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in 2006...
  
  
• 2001: In American Outlaws
  American Outlaws
  American Outlaws is a 2001 Western film directed by Les Mayfield and starring Colin Farrell, Scott Caan, and Ali Larter.-Plot:The southern army is trying to track down the Yankee army during the civil war...
  
  by Ali Larter
  Ali Larter
  Alison Elizabeth "Ali" Larter is an American actress. She is perhaps best known for playing the dual roles of Niki Sanders and Jessica Sanders on the NBC science fiction drama Heroes as well as her guest roles on several television shows in the 1990s.Larter's screen debut came in the 1999 film...
  
   (heavily fictionalized)
• 1995: In Frank and Jesse
  Frank and Jesse
  -Plot:Frank & Jesse is a 1994 western starring Rob Lowe as Jesse James and Bill Paxton as Jesse's brother Frank James. Following the Civil War the two brothers, along with the Younger brothers - Cole Younger and Bob Younger , Bob Ford and Charles Ford , Clell Miller , and Arch Clements...
  
  by Maria Pitillo
  Maria Pitillo
  Maria Pitillo is an American actress who has starred in several films; most notably as Audrey Timmonds in Godzilla—a role which garnered her a Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Supporting Actress...
  
  
• 1980: In The Long Riders
  The Long Riders
  The Long Riders is a 1980 western film directed by Walter Hill. It was produced by James Keach, Stacy Keach and Tim Zinnemann and featured an original soundtrack by Ry Cooder. Cooder won the Best Music award in 1980 from the Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards for this soundtrack...
  
  by Savannah Smith Boucher
  Savannah Smith Boucher
  Savannah Smith Boucher is an American actress originally from Springhill in Webster Parish in northwestern Louisiana. Her younger sister, Sherry Boucher, is a former actress who was the third wife of the late actor George Peppard....
  
  
• 1949: In I Shot Jesse James
  I Shot Jesse James
  I Shot Jesse James is a film directed by Samuel Fuller about the murder of Jesse James by Robert Ford and Robert Ford's life afterwards...
  
  by Barbara Woodell
• 1953: In The Great Jesse James Raid by Barbara Woodell
• 1939: In Jesse James by Nancy Kelly
  Nancy Kelly
  Nancy Kelly was an American actress, who was a movie leading lady in the 1930s, making 36 movies between 1926 and 1977, including portraying Tyrone Power's love interest in the classic Jesse James , which also featured Henry Fonda, and playing opposite Spencer Tracy in Stanley and Livingstone...
  
  
• 1927: In Jesse James by Nora Lane

External links

• Zerelda Mimms at Find A Grave
  Find A Grave
  Find a Grave is a commercial website providing free access and input to an online database of cemetery records. It was founded in 1998 as a DBA and incorporated in 2000.-History:...