Category Archives: Family Stories

In-Laws of Our James Know More Than Us Sometimes


Was it not for Ruby Tidwell-Johnson, few of our James family would know about the descendants of John James of Alvarado, his story, & the story of his line. Ruby is the wife of Dennis Lee Johnson, a James family descendant. For years, Ruby meticulously compiled a history of her husband’s family. Ruby not only collected the required genealogy of… (more…)

Randall James attends the Pioneers & Old Settlers Reunion


Randall James is attending the Pioneers & Old Settlers Reunion in Alvarado, Texas this weekend, and shares some pictures with us. Here Randy stands beside the plaque commemorating the Reunion, co-founded by John James of Alvarado. The commemorative plaque tells the story of the founding of the Reunion. From the Facebook page for Alvarado, we obtained this year’s schedule of… (more…)

1st Preview – Jesse James Soul Liberty book jacket


Who doesn’t like getting some new clothes? Here’s the new jacket for Jesse James Soul Liberty. I think the fittings with the tailor went well. Can’t wait to get all dressed up and take my new jacket out in public. linkscolor = “993300″; highlightscolor = “339900″; backgroundcolor = “FFFFFF”; channel = “none”;

Words by Charlie Chaplin & Daniel Lewis James Jr., a cousin of Jesse James


Daniel Lewis James Jr. co-wrote The Great Dictatorr with Charlie Chaplin. Dan James was a cousin of Jesse James. Like most warriors of democracy, Dan James found himself persecuted for his speech. Dan’s story is told in the forthcoming history of the James family, Jesse James’ Soul Liberty, Behind the Family Wall of Stigma & Silence. linkscolor = “993300″; highlightscolor… (more…)

Free Download – Sissy Spacek’s 20,000 Cousins


  One unavoidable thing about dying is, you never know who’s going to come along later and become your cousin. Consider Frank & Jesse James. The Academy Awards weren’t invented yet when the outlaw brothers were alive. They wouldn’t have a clue about how important and celebrated you could be once you owned  a coveted gold plated statuette. So Frank… (more…)

The Physical Art of Rebecca Busselle… plus a side order of bread


The latest video from Rebecca Busselle will make you hungry for bread. Click here and now to view and listen to Becky’s story “For the Love of Bread.” Then read on to learn more about Becky. She’s one of our James family’s most accomplished authors. When I first met Becky, she gave me this description of her girlhood years in… (more…)

James Drury of TV’s The Virginian Plays Jesse James Jr. – Bitter Heritage, Playhouse 90


Relax and enjoy a one hour vintage TV movie from 1958. Among the all-star cast, James Drury plays Jesse James Jr., Franchot Tone plays Frank James, and Eva LaGallienne plays the indomintable Zerelda, mother of Frank & Jesse James. Elizabeth Montgomery also appears in this movie. Montgomery subsequently played Belle Starr in the 1980 movie Belle Starr. linkscolor = “993300″;… (more…)

ASA CASTLE, Tattoo Artist in the James Family


The most amazing thing about Asa Castle is not the fact that Asa is a tattoo artist. It’s the fact that Asa is a single dad, who is raising his son Kannon Van Castle while making a living as an artist. Being both artist and single dad has its challenges.       Asa’s not the only artist in his… (more…)

BELLE STARR appears in JESSE JAMES SOUL LIBERTY


Here are some people you’ll meet when you read Chapter Four of JESSE JAMES SOUL LIBERTY by Eric James. Chapter Four is about John James of Alvarado, Texas… The top row is Myra Belle Shirley, more famously known as Belle Starr. While John James of Alvarado was teaching his school on the Texas prairie in July of 1872, John was… (more…)

Marion and Daniel Ephriam James Chose a Guardian


  In August of 1860, Francis Marion James Sr. and his brother Daniel Ephriam James entered open court at Boyle County Courthouse in Kentucky, to either declare their father Joseph McAlsiter James as their guardian or to declare themselves as independent of their family. They chose to remain with their father. The boys’ mother, Elizabeth Vardeman James had died sometime… (more…)

Indiana Cousins of Zerelda Elizabeth Cole-James Family


Before Lucy Cole of Woodford County, Kentucky married Jonathan Sebastian Cropper, the Cropper family’s ancestry reached back to 1685 and the birth of Ebenezer Cropper in Snow Hill, Worcester County, Maryland. After Lucy Cole Cropper died, Sebastian Cropper married Provey Dorsey of New Castle, in Henry County, KY. Sebastian & Lucy Cole Cropper’s son, Joseph Yates Cropper born in Woodford… (more…)

COUSIN OF JESSE JAMES GRANDCHILDREN BELONGED TO 20 LINEAGE & CHIVALRIC SOCIETIES


On November 20, 2011, Kansas City native Col. Stewart Boone McCarty Jr. died. Like the grandchildren of Jesse James, Col. McCarty was a direct descendant of Kentucky explorer Daniel Boone, making him a cousin to the grandchildren of Jesse James, who also are directly descended from Daniel Boone. (See Pedigree below.) Unlike the outlaw’s grandchildren who suffered under the stigma… (more…)

Ayme James Curlee Pointer – Wonderwoman of the James Family


The James and their descendants certainly can confound expectation. Some say the James are hard to figure out. Others say you don’t know what to expect of the James. Take this James family relation, for example. AYME JAMES CURLEE-POINTER likes to do different things…like flying over the Virginia countryside. Oh yeah…forgot to mention it…Ayme likes to fly in a Search… (more…)

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  • Meet Eric James - the Leaf Blower

  • Meet Eric James - the Leaf Blower

  • Welcome to LEAVES OF GAS, the official blog for the family of Frank & Jesse James & their offical web site Stray Leaves. Under the WELCOME link you will find News & a photo Gallery with biographies of James family members. The CONTENTS page will take you to our main content menu. Click JESSE JAMES for content specifically related to Frank & Jesse James. In the SURNAMES genealogy database, you can explore all the known relatives of the James family. We hope you enjoy our web site & blog. Whatever interests you, be sure to LIKE us, or SHARE the page. Thanks.