Estimated reading time: 6 minutes
In his book, Desperate Measures, Ralph P. Ganis falsely claims a relationship between Frank & Jesse James and the Ku Klux Klan.
The book was debunked by reputable historians as well as by the James Preservation Trust representing the James family. His publisher, Tarheel Press, formerly fell silent and stopped fulfilling orders for the book. Now Mr. Ganis has resurfaced to sell his book again. This time in Stanly County, North Carolina. To refresh interest in his book, Ganis promotes a new falsehood. Ganis now claims he himself is related to Frank & Jesse James.
For the record, Ralph P. Ganis never has produced any documentary evidence to the James family, or to the James Preservation Trust, verifying his claim of family relationship. In his assertion, Mr. Ganis joins a long list of James family claimants, all of whom ultimately share a common destiny as shameless self-promoters and charlatans.
RELATED
Author Discusses James Gang Connections to Stanly County (Text posted below as Comment)
James-Younger Gang Journal Pans Jesse James Hidden Treasure
Jesse James’ Hidden Treasure – Bogus History & Fantasy from the History Channel
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The following book review for Mr. Ganis’ book appeared in the James-Younger Gang Journal, Fall 2007, pp. 4-5.
BOOK REVIEW: Desperate Measures: Jesse James and the Klan Battles of Reconstruction by Ralph P. Ganis with Julie Hampton Ganis, Jerry D. Shouse, Jr. and Matthew C. Bumgartner. Tarheel Press, Hickory, North Carolina 2007 ISBN#; NONE
Review by Nancy B. Samuelson
In spite of the title, this book as a very small amount of information about Jesse James. The book’s real focus is on the Kirk-Holden War in North Carolina during Reconstruction. Before the Civil War, W.W. Holden had been a strong advocate for secession. After the War, Holden became a Radical Republican and was appointed Governor of North Carolina. Holden ran again during the first post-war election but was not elected. A term later he was elected governor of the state. Holden’s administration was very corrupt; he was eventually impeached and removed from office.
The Union and Loyal Leagues became very strong in part of North Carolina and the local population fought back in a number of ways, through the Klan, and other like organizations. The Union/Loyal Leagues were lead by Whites from the North and they organized local Blacks and made sure they voted for Radical Republicans. Some of these Union/Loyal Leagues also encouraged barn-burning and other illegal activities by Blacks. When the white population organized activities to stop these illegal actions by Blacks, Gov. Holden declared a state of insurrection in two counties. Holden then hired one ex-Union officer named George Kirk (a thoroughly unsavoury and brutal character) to form a private army (about 1,000 strong) to retaliate against the local White population.
The authors of this book jump to conclusions that because several families from this section of North Carolina settled in or near Clay County, Missouri, the home of the James boys, that the James boys had some active role in Klan activities in North Carolina and elsewhere.
This would be exciting stuff if the authors had any real evidence to back up their suppositions. Instead, the book uses a lot of oral history and traditional tales that have been handed down through the generations instead of hard evidence. There are many statements that say things like, “It is believed,” “It is documented that,” “It is logical to assume,” “It is possible,” etc., etc. Then there is little or no documentation to back up these statements.
Examples:
1. Jim Cummins (a sometime James Gang member) had a brother-in-law that rode with Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest. (Forrest was widely believed to be the commander of the Klan throughout the entire South.) “This may have relevance of James connection to the Klan.” No supporting documentation is offered to show any connection with the Cummins’ brother-in-law, Gen. Forrest, of the Klan.
2. “James connections to North Carolina are highly significant and extensive.” Again, no evidence for this is presented. Early in the book, the authors mention a statement by Frank James during his trial in 1883. They quote Frank: “My intention was to go into North Carolina and remain there.”
This quote is taken from a summary of Frank’s trial in George Miller, Jr.’s book, “The Trial of Frank James.” The newspapers that reported Frank’s trial do not use this quote. Frank went to North Carolina looking for work. He did not find a job and quickly moved on. Readers are advised to remember also that Frank went to North Carolina after Jesse was killed in 1882. The authors offer no documented evidence that Frank James was anywhere in North Carolina during the Kirk-Holden War or at any other time during the Reconstruction troubles.
3. “North Carolina provided the James boys safe harbor as illustrated by the number of North Carolina families in Clay County, Missouri.” On page 15 the authors provide a list of more than 25 family names in Clay County, Missouri, that supposedly account for significant Klan connections to the James Gang during Reconstruction. I checked these family names against the 1860 census for Clay County. Several of these names do not appear on the 1860 census for Clay County. Several others of these family names have multiple listings that give the birthplaces of the parents in the family in Kentucky, Virginia, Tennessee, Maryland, etc. as well as some in North Carolina. Some of these family names even list the birthplace as another country.
4. The authors also list several names of the supposed Klansmen who fled North Carolina and went to Clay County, Missouri, during the Kirk-Holden War. I have checked these names against the genealogical extracts from the Liberty Tribune from 1868 through 1874. I found no evidence of numerous visits to Clay County by people from North Carolina during this period. In fact, several of these family names were not even listed in the index to these records. Furthermore, thousands of people left North Carolina during Reconstruction. It would not be surprising to find that some of them joined relatives in Missouri. Moving to Missouri, however, is not proof of Klan activities by those who made the move or by the James Gang.
In summary, this book makes a lot of unsupported claims and contains no new material that expands our knowledge of the James Gang. This book does not present any data that supports or proves any Klan activity by any of the James Gang in North Carolina or elsewhere.
UPDATE: April 5, 2018
FRAUDSTERS GO DEEP… After 21 years of monitoring Jesse James fraudsters, con artists, conspiracy fanatics, & alt-historians, one thing has been very clear. They never stop digging the holes they are in.
Now, Ralph P. Ganis has resurfaced again, this time with a new conspiracy theory about JFK.
No need to buy or read this book. Citing the author’s record of producing alt-history that has no basis in fact, our book reviewer for Stray Leaves won’t even review it.
We’re still waiting for an autobiography by Mr. Ganis. We look forward to his explanation of how he paid off the million dollar judgement against him that resulted from his shadow Blackwater-related activities.
Stray Leaves Daily
Daily updates from the family of Frank & Jesse James with stories, photos, & two searchable genealog
VIDEO of the Clay County Board of Commissioners bestowing honor upon our James colleague & friend Charlies Broomfield. Recognition begins at 2:00 min. mark.
Congratulations Charlie!!
We have hints from the Clay County Archives in charge of James Farm in Kearney, Missouri, that a road leading to the farm will be renamed Charles Broomfield Rd. Charlie was a Clay County Commissioner who took an active role in arranging the sale and transfer of James Farm from the James family to Clay County.
Cant say that I understand the significance of this.
Do you have the address of Jesse & Frank James Cabin in Paseo Robles, California?
SLAVE TRADERS AMONG OUR JAMES FAMILY . . . For a decade Stray Leaves has been researching this most distressing discovery. Finally, it’s time to bring this story to light. There’s much to report. The entire story will take time to tell. As we begin, we are also compelled to reconcile what this history means for us. More specifically for those who are now known to descend from these slave traders, whom it can be assumed never knew of this element of their ancestry, but also for the James family as a whole. The resolution will not come easy.
Forks of the Road Slave Market – Violence In Silence
ericjames.org
“Just at the Forks, where the Washington and Kingston, or Palatine roads converge, stood a low squatty frame building used during the winter monthsI ran a DNA test on all the James names I could find in these stories and didn't get 1 DNA match. My DNA is closer to Jesse than that James line is. I am looking into it being through Robert Thomason (step grandfather of Jesse Woodson James) and Julia Ann Singleton (Aunt to Jesse Woodson James).
I am a descendant of Betty G Woodson.
Waterproof, La in Tensas Parish to be more exact.
Tensas Parish. J. G. James and M. Kerrigan.
The King family. Descendants of Viking slayers. archive.org/stream/Kingswood/Kingswood%20reduced_djvu.txt
"In the middle of 1864, Captain Jason W. James was on scouting duty in the southern part of Madison Parish. About eight o'clock one morning he and his company arrived at the Plantation home of Hr. Joshua James on Roundaway Bayou, who also owned the Ione Plantation in Tensas Parish." You will have to read the rest. I am not posting it here. 😲 😲 😲 sites.rootsweb.com/~lamadiso/articles/ward/chap05.htm
And I do believe this James line is connected to Lucille Ball.
And speaking of slave traders. Nicholas Trammell is mixed in with the Carrigans somehow. www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/trammell-nicholas
And I am a descendant of Elizabeth Woodson Thomas. Wife of Captain Edmund King.
I am also showing DNA matches to the James grandparents of Jesse Woodson James and all 8 of his great grandparents. This is what I need help figuring out. All of my James DNA matches will be in the replies to this comment. In this screenshot they are all the white ones
The sons of Colonial Edmund King.
I am a descendant of Mary Joicy who was widow Woodson, mother of Elizabeth Woodson Thomas.
By the way I am not a Kerrigan by DNA. I am a Carrigan. Civil War name change. Descendant of William Michael Carrigan and Nancy Holt. Nancy Holt was the daughter of Michael Holt III and Rachel Rainey. youtu.be/IsK2eSTVW8A
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This content isn't available right now
When this happens, it’s usually because the owner only shared it with a small group of people, changed who can see it or it’s been deleted.Where does Lucille Ball fit?
FIND-A-GRAVE BLUNDERS LEAVE JAMES FAMILY HOWLING . . . Can you spot the errata in this Find a Grave post for the grandfather of Frank & Jesse James? The most glaring deception is the photograph!
History tells us the photograph was invented about the time John M. James was dying. Neither history, nor the administrator of this posting, Charlotte Raley McConaha, can tell us is how photographic technology made its way from France to the distant American frontier to take a photo of John M. James, months before his demise.
Another imprecise miscalculation in this post is the attribution of the middle name “Martin” to John M. James. The name never has been proved by evidence. To guess the name is unreliable and wrong.