James Cooksey Earp | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | (1841-06-28)June 28, 1841 |
| Died | January 25, 1926(1926-01-25) (aged 84) |
| Resting place | Mountain View Cemetery in San Bernardino |
| Occupation(s) | Soldier, saloon-keeper |
| Spouse | Nellie "Bessie" Ketchum |
| Parent(s) | Nicholas Porter Earp and his second wife, Virginia Ann Cooksey |
| Relatives | SiblingsNewton, Mariah Ann, James,Virgil, Martha,Wyatt,Morgan,Warren, Virginia Ann, and Douglas Earp |
| Military Service | |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Service | Union Army |
| Years of service | 1861-63 |
| Rank | Private |
| Unit | 17th Illinois Infantry |
| Battles / wars | American Civil War
|
James Cooksey Earp (June 28, 1841 – January 25, 1926) was a lesser known older brother ofOld West lawmanVirgil Earp and lawman/gamblerWyatt Earp. Unlike his brothers, he was asaloon-keeper and was not present at theGunfight at the O.K. Corral on October 26, 1881.
Earp was born inHartford, Kentucky, and was reared in a tight-knit family environment. In 1861, at 19, he enlisted in theUnionArmy at the outbreak of theAmerican Civil War, joining Company F,17th Illinois Infantry on May 25, 1861.[1][2]
His brothers Virgil andNewton also enlisted. The 17th regiment was organized and armed atAlton, Illinois. On October 31, 1861, the unit foughtMissouri State Guard forces nearFredericktown, Missouri. Over 60 troops were killed or wounded. James was severely wounded in the shoulder and temporarily lost use of his left arm, but he remained in the army for over a year. He was discharged on March 22, 1863, as disabled.[1] Newton and Virgil served until the end of the war.[3]
Following the war, James moved around quite frequently, an Earp family trait. He lived inColton, California,Helena, Montana,Pineswell, Missouri, andNewton, Kansas, before he wed the formerprostitute, Nellie "Bessie" Ketchum, in April 1873.[4]
For some time thereafter, he worked in a saloon inWichita, Kansas, and then in 1876 as a deputy marshal inDodge City, Kansas, under MarshalCharlie Bassett, who had replacedEd Masterson after Masterson's murder.[3] From there he worked in Missouri, Arkansas, and Texas, working in saloons or as stage and wagon driver.[4]
In December 1879, he and his wife moved toTombstone,Arizona Territory, along with his brothers Wyatt and Virgil. Their brothers Warren and Morgan and his wife Louisa joined them there in late 1880. The three younger brothers became involved in law enforcement in Tombstone, while James managed a saloon and worked in gambling houses.[5]
He was not present at theGunfight at the O.K. Corral on October 26, 1881.[3] On December 28, 1881, his brotherVirgil Earp wasambushed, shot two times with a shotgun. He survived, but only two months later on March 18, 1882, his brother Morgan Earp wasassassinated in a billiard parlor.
The New Mexico and Arizona Railroad ended about 25 miles (40 km) away inBenson, Arizona. On Sunday, March 19, Wyatt and James Earp accompanied Morgan's body in a wagon to Benson, where it was loaded onto a freight train for immediate shipping to Colton. Morgan's wife was already in Colton, where she had traveled for safety before her husband was killed. James Earp and two or three close friends accompanied the body to California.[4][6] Virgil and his wife Allie Earp followed the next day on a passenger train.
Wyatt Earp and James' youngest brother,Warren—with gamblerDoc Holliday and gunmenSherman McMaster,"Turkey Creek" Jack Johnson, andTexas Jack Vermillion—then hunted down those they held responsible for the attacks during theEarp Vendetta Ride.[3]
Morgan was buried in Colton, California. James then lived for a short time inShoshone County, Idaho, until settling permanently by 1890 in California. James Earp died of natural causes inSan Bernardino, California, on January 25, 1926. He is interred there at the Mountain View Cemetery.[4]
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