WASHINGTON COUNTY
RESIDENT HAS CONNECTION TO
MISSOURI'S FAMOUS OUTLAW JESSE JAMES
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Researched &
Written By: |
Jesse James and his brother Frank
(sons of a Baptist minister) were well known Missouri outlaws. Their life of crime
began at an early age when they joined the notorious Confederate Civil War guerilla band
of William Clarke Quantrill which terrorized the Kansas-Missouri border zone. After
the war the James brothers continued robbing banks, trains, and stages from 1866 to 1881
with more than twenty-five raids in and around Missouri amounting to a take of about a
half a million dollars.
Missouri produced many outlaws after the Civil War but it is basically the James gang that
is credited for Missouri being nicknamed "The Outlaw State". Some people
thought of Jesse as a sort of Robin Hood who robbed the rich and gave to the poor.
Others described him as a lawless, merciless, murdering robber who terrorized the
countryside from Missouri to Texas. Rewards of up to $5,000.00 were offered for
Jesse and his gang - DEAD OR ALIVE. Pursuers were warned to take no chances and to
shoot to kill as these were the most desperate men in America.
Strong evidence indicates that the "James Gang" committed the first Missouri
train robbery which took place on the Iron Mountain Railroad at a small, remote flag
station called Gads Hill in Wayne County (approx. an hour south of Washington County) on
Saturday, January 31, 1874. The robbers held the citizens of the tiny town prisoner
while waiting for the little Rock Express which would be coming from St. Louis. A
red flag was put out to assure that the train would stop. When the train arrived at
Gads Hill at 4:45 p.m. the unsuspecting conductor stepped off to greet his new passengers
but instead had a six-shooter stuck in his face and was told, "..........stand still
or I'll blow the top of your head off!"
The train was then boldly robbed by five large masked men (over six feet tall) heavily
armed with navy revolvers and double barreled shotguns. The passengers were
threatened and told to "shell out" or have their "brains blown
out." They were then robbed of their cash, watches and jewelry. A man
suspected of being a Pinkerton detective was taken to another part of the train and
striped naked. As the robbers were carrying money, mail and packages from the train
Mr. Wilson the express agent commented to one of them, "I have always been in the
habit of having people sign a receipt when I deliver them packages."
The outlaw replied, "O, well, just hand me your book and
I'll sign." He took the book and wrote in the back, "ROBBED"!
The robbery lasted about 40 minutes. When the robbers were through they shook hands
with the engineer and then galloped away into the woods with over $4,000.00 worth of
loot. It was suspected that the gang consisted of Jesse and Frank James, Arthur
McCoy, and Cole and Bud Younger. The incident created ".......a hell of an
excitement in this part of the country!"
The next day a posse of approximately twenty-five men was organized and left in pursuit of
the outlaws. One version of the story states that they went in a northwest direction
through Texas and Wright counties and toward Laclede County. However, according to
the legend of Meramec Caverns which is in Franklin County near the Washington County line
the James Gang was tracked to the Caverns (at that time called Saltpeter Cave). The
posse waited outside the entrance of the cave for three days. When the outlaws
didn't come out the posse went in, but all they found were horses wandering around in the
dark. The outlaws had managed to escape from the cave by a secret route and were not
apprehended.
Gene Carroll who is an eighteen year resident of Potosi, Washington County, Missouri has
ties to the James family.
Jesse James' great grandmother was Mary Hines and Gene Carroll's great, great, great
grandmother was Margaret Elizabeth Hines. Also Gene's great, great aunt Margaret
Carroll of Cooper and Miller counties, Missouri was married to Jame M. James, a cousin of
Jesse and Frank James. Frank visited Margaret and her husband often. One time
when Frank and Jesse spent a week with Margaret Carroll James there was a big bank robbery
- Jesse James strikes again! After that Margaret swore Jesse didn't do half he was
credited with.
The information regarding
Margaret Carroll &
James M. James was provided by cousin Malinda James.
Gene & I went to Jackson, Missouri back
in 1988 & rode on the old train that they use there for tourists. 
They re-enacted
the Gads Hill robbery. It was really fun!!! They had some guy dressed up as
"Jesse James" & he robbed the train! Really - as he stole my purse! He came
down through the aisle of the train, snatched up my purse & took it up to the engine
compartment. I didn't know what to think at first! Then later towards the end of the ride
he brought it back only he didn't give it back to me until he rifled through it in front
of all the passengers. When he did this he pulled a bra & pantyhose out of my purse
& everyone thought they were mine except that they weren't - the people in the engine
compartment had put them in my purse as a joke! We all had a real good laugh!! Then when
he finally left the train he rode his horse along side the train & peeked in all of
the windows making funny faces at the passengers! Everyone had a great time! Anyone who
has not rode this train yet I would highly recommend it - you'll have a lot of fun!!!!
JAMES LINKS: |
CARROLL - HUGHES GENEALOGY
JOHN W. CARROLL was born in 1815 in Tennessee & died in Miller County, Missouri in 1875. He was married in Cooper County, Missouri in 1837 to Susannah HUGHES. They became the parents of eight children:
Mary E.born 1839
Sarah A. born 1840
Susan Frances born 1844
John Hughes* born 1849
Cornelia K. born 1852
Nancy B. born 1854
William M. born 1857
JOHN HUGHES CARROLL was born in Morgan County, Missouri in 1849 and was the son of Susannah Hughes and John W. Carroll. John H. is believed to have died circa 1910 in Brocket, Arkansas. John Hughes married Laura Ann Armstrong Dutcher. Laura Ann had three children by her previous marriage to William B. DUTCHER:
Levi DUTCHER: born circa 1868
Sarah Jane DUTCHER: born 1869
George Monroe DUTCHER: born 1872
Children of Laura Ann Armstrong Dutcher & John Hughes CARROLL:
William Jackson* born 1874 Bagnel, Miller Co., Mo., d: 5 Oct. 1952 Eldon, Miller, Mo. buried: Hopewell Cem., Morgan Co., Mo. m: Cora Alice CONNER on 21 Oct. 1908
Laura Ann Armstrong Dutcher Carroll died circa 1875 and John H. remarried to Sarah Jane ROBINSON or ROBERTSON or ROBINETT:
Edith Clementine
James Monroe -
Myrtle C.
John Hughes - disappeared
Finis E.
WILLIAM JACKSON CARROLL was born in 1874 in Miller County, Missouri and was the son of Laura Ann Armstrong and John Hughes Carroll. He died 1952 in Miller County, Missouri and is buried in Hopewell Cemetery, Morgan County. In 1908 he married Cora Alice Conner and they became the parents of fifteen children:
Orena Clementine born 1909
William Thomas born & died 1910
Willard Wyate* born 1912
Walter Jackson born 1913
John Murriel born 1915
Flora Alice born 1916
twins:
George Monroe Franklin 1917
Rosa Lee Frances born 1917Lela May born 1919
James Orville born 1921
Robert Conner born 1923
Phinus Edward born 1925
Frieda Myrtle born & died 1927
Mary Elizabeth born & died 1929
Charley Clinton born 1931 (died at age 3)
(I was once told by other family members that Cora Alice had several miscarriages too & that if she wouldn't have lost those babies she would have had a total of 22 or 23 children. Also with her daughter Flora - late in life it was discovered that her 2 twins were still in her abdomen & had turned into large tumors. Had this not happened she would have been one of triplets & that was 2 more children for Cora Alice.)
Left: William Carroll & Cora Conner, their wedding picture.
Right: Cora & William in old age.
GENE CARROLL was born in St. Louis County, Missouri in 1941 and is the grandson of Cora Alice Conner and William Jackson Carroll. In 1969 Gene married Esther Mae Ziock in St. Louis County, Missouri.
Most of the Carroll family information was
provided by:
Martha Carroll Fenimore
CARROLL FAMILY REUNION ENJOYED
Published in the Independent Journal
8 November 1984
During the second
week of October, 1984, Esther and Gene Carroll, Potosi, Mo. had a very enjoyable reunion
with Mr. Carroll's family.
After an overnight stay at Deer Ridge Lake (Lewis Co., Mo.) and a
short side trip to the stte of Iowa the Carrolls proceeded on to Miller Co., Mo. where
they visited with Mr. Carroll's aunt and uncle, Elizabeth and James Carroll, whom he had
not seen in many years.
The next day they spent the afternoon having a very pleasant visit
with another aunt and uncle, Flora Carroll Sidebottom an Robert Sidebottom.
The Carrolls then had a safe and pleasant journey home and are
looking forward to their next visit.
SUSANNAH HUGES: b: 1817 in Tennessee. Married John W. Carroll in Cooper Co., Mo. 3 Aug. 1837 & they became the parents of eight children. They moved to Morgan County & then to Miller County, Missouri. Living in Miller Co., Mo. in 1860, 1870, 1880.