Think you know Jesse James ? Wait until you meet his family
Read chapter previews of Jesse James Soul Liberty now
Jesse James Soul Liberty, Vol. I
Chapter 1 - Some Kind of Outsider
Chapter 2 - Talented but Erratic
Chapter 3 - Goodland
Chapter 4 - An Independent Free Man
Chapter 5 - The Highest Mental Culture
Chapter 6 - Only a Large Soul Can Do This
Chapter 7 - Breaking Barriers
Chapter 8 - Underrated Men & Unleashed Feminists
Chapter 9 - All for the Underdog
Chapter 10 - Useful Unto the lord
Chapter 11 - No One in Our Family Backs Down
Chapter 12 - Destiny on the Run
Afterward - Unto the Third Generation
Authorized historical biography of the family of Frank & Jesse James. The first of five volumes, drawn from primary family sources. Includes family photos, letters, documents, memoirs, interviews, genealogy, with source citations, notes, bibliography, & index.
Published in the USA by Cashel Cadence House, 2012. ISBN 978-0-8957469-0-2. Hardcover, $36.95
“Eric James knows more about the Jesse James family than anyone in America.”
– Charles Broomfield, former Clay County (MO) Commissioner, responsible for the transfer of James Farm in Kearney, Missouri from the Jesse James family to Clay County.
Most longtime outlaw-lawman aficionados have probably read a number of books about Jesse and Frank James. Those books probably included Background of a Bandit by Joan M. Beamis and William E. Pullen and Jesse and Frank James: The Family History by Phillip W. Steele. Chances are you think you know a lot about the family of America’s most famous bandits. However, if you think this– think again– you have seen only the tip of the iceberg.
Jesse James fanatics are going to be delighted with all the new material and serious historians are going to wonder how they have missed so much for so long…
In summary, this is one of the best books I have read in a long time. I did not want to put the book down. It reads a lot like the family sagas written by Howard Fast and John Jakes. However, this is all fact, not fiction.
If you have any interest in the James gang and their history this book is a “must read”. And do not skip the notes; there is a wealth of material to be found in the notes and the bibliography is a gold mine. Four more volumes of James family history are to follow this book. I eagerly anticipate all of them.
REVIEW: Western Writers Association of America
The extended family of the James outlaws has unjustly been ignored by historians. The abundance of the accomplishments of the James family is more than enough to mitigate any stigma attached because of the outlaws. This family has led the way for social justice in many fields. They have been leaders in law, business, church, education and the arts…
The research and writing is outstanding and there is awealth of photos. There are excellent notes, bibliography and family charts. The book is very highly recommended.
You've read about our Harmon family cousins in Jesse James Soul Liberty. Now, experience their latest adventure. One of our highlights from 2020 was watching the progress of the Harmon family global home school. James Milton "Jamie" Harmon and his wife Ashley Hubbard took their children on an around the world tour, making every worldwide location where they stopped a schoolhouse for their children. Jamie is a 3rd great-grandson of Thomas Martin "T.M." James. Now, the Harmons have published a website of their travels. The highlight of this outstanding website is the inclusion of daughter Hazel Harmon's first published book. Hazel is 9 years old! Have a look at our James family cousins, and enjoy. ... See MoreSee Less
Moulton J. Green has died at the age of 93 from Covid19. Moult is the husband of Jean McGreevy, the second great-granddaughter of Thomas Martin "T.M." James. Jean appears on pages 221-222 of JJSL. Read Moult's obituary here: legacy.com/us/obituaries/kansascity/name/moulton-green-obituary?n=moulton-green&pid=197474427 ... See MoreSee Less
EXCERPT from Jesse James Soul Liberty, Volume I, “All for the Underdog”. . .
Daniel Lewis James Sr. was educated as a “business aesthete, who painted.” He preferred being addressed simply as “D.L.” Thelma Duncan Barr, the wife of Jesse James grandson Laurence Barr, wrote that she met D.L. once, but didn’t like him. He appeared “too aloof” for her country taste. Even inside his own family, D.L. was regarded somewhat as a snob. But D.L. James was not without dash. He was a Kansas City tennis champion. He took on Bill Tilden, the world’s number one tennis player for seven years. D.L. could do a no-hands flip, and he often dressed in white tie and tails.
D.L.’s granddaughter, Barbara James, recalled him from her childhood. “D.L. and [his wife] Lillie visited us in Hollywood, staying at the Garden of Allah which was diagonally across Havenhurst St. from our house. I was playing on the steps of the hotel’s famous kidney-shaped pool. For some reason, I decided to walk to the bottom of the steps, which was over my head, and proceeded to drown. D.L. was coming out of their room to go to dinner as I disappeared. Without hesitation, he jumped into the deep end of the pool, struggled to the shallow end, and pulled me out. He was in full white tie and tails, and he couldn’t swim.” ... See MoreSee Less
Vol, III of Jesse James Soul Liberty will tell the story of the Forks of Road Slave Market in Natchez, MS. The market was operated by the brothers David Daniel, Thomas Green, and John Duke James. Presently, the Land & Water Conservation Fund of the National Park Service has issued the following funding for the acquisition of properties that threaten the existing site. "Natchez National Historical Park, Mississippi: $900,000 to acquire four to seven tracts at the Forks of the Road slave market site, which faces multiple threats of urban intrusion to both the site itself and its immediate viewshed. The site and its potential archaeological resources have been under pressure from urban development; protecting the small area that remains is vital to preserving and interpreting this part of the nation's history. The park has also been working in partnership with the City of Natchez and other nonprofit groups for over a decade to develop downtown walking trails, with interpretive signage, that would extend to the Forks of the Road site." www.nationalparkstraveler.org/2020/11/millions-lwcf-dollars-targeted-parks... See MoreSee Less
Millions of dollars of Land and Water Conservation Fund revenues are targeted to be spent this fiscal year on key land acquisitions in units of the National Park System from Alaska to Florida under pl...
Judge James R. Ross, a great-grandson of Jesse James, suffered from the poliovirus when he was a child. As an adult, he distinctly recalled his lengthy confinement in an iron lung, a kind of a ventilator. The vaccine invented by Dr. Jonas Salk eventually eliminated polio. Judge Ross expressed gratitude for its arrival. Into his seventh decade, Judge Ross was an avid water skier. The activity was his continuing fight and victory against the virus that infected his spine and crippled part of his childhood. ... See MoreSee Less