Jesse James ~ A Potpourri

This weekend Pineville Missouri is celebrating Jesse James Days, August 6-9 on the square in Pineville. Come down and enjoy all that they offer and visit with Tyrone Power, Jr. 

Last year when I researched the life of Jesse James & his gang, I read several books and used my local McDonald County Historical Society to gather information. What a treat I had in historical research. Here's a photo cover of Cindi Myers' book "The Woman Who Loved Jesse James" ~ 

What a great read ~ I enjoyed Cindi's writing and recommend you reading it! 

When I learned that Jesse & some of his men rode with Bushwhackers, that led me to read other books about the Kansas and Missouri Border Wars...

"Gray Ghosts of the Confederacy: Guerrilla Warfare in the West: 1861-1865" by Richard S. Brownlee is a great book about the Civil War & the making of the Bushwackers, I highly recommend it. 

There are other wonderfully written books about the Civil War in Missouri, the James Gang and the Border Wars...check them out! 

Here's the story that I wrote for our Historical Society newsletter. I enjoyed finding the tidbits from all of my research and decided to write about those little gems that are interesting, because there has been so much has been written about Jesse James.

Outlaw, Missouri Bandit, and Hero: 75 Years of Jesse James

By

Karen Utter Jennings

           

            Outlaw, notorious Missouri bandit, and hero; Jesse James was all that and more. Folks formed their own opinion about the young man, born in Northern Missouri and who rode through the country making history by robbing banks and trains, terrorizing the Union Forces and blazing a name for himself. Some say he was a criminal and worthless, while others call him a hero and idolize his name.

            75 years ago, during August and September in 1938, Hollywood came to McDonald County because of Jesse Woodson James. This caused one of the biggest sensations McDonald County will ever see. As I read about the filming of “Jesse James,” I found fascinating facts that I offer here in my article. These tidbits come from various newspapers, oral history from area residents and photographs.

            Henry King, movie director for 20^th Century Fox Productions, chose Pineville and the outlying area as the principal location to shoot the moving picture because Pineville resembled the town of Liberty, Missouri and the courthouse that stands in the center of Pineville’s public square was crucial to the film’s storyline.

            Pineville’s mayor, F.T. Drumm, worked closely with the motion picture director and received a telegram from Henry King on August 10, 1938: “Dear Mayor: At our executive meeting yesterday the decision was rendered in favor of doing the picture at Pineville for which I am very happy. Mr. Bowman and the Art Director and staff are leaving for Pineville, August 11. The company will arrive on or about the 20^th. You can acquaint those in the vicinity of Pineville with these facts but I prefer to continue this information to that locality as much as possible. Kindest regards, Henry King.”

            It was official. Hollywood descended on McDonald County.

            Stars of the movie were Tyrone Power who played the part of Jesse James; Henry Fonda was Frank James; Nancy Kelly portrayed Zee James; Randolph Scott was the U.S. Marshal; Jane Darwell played the part of Jesse’s mother; Lon Chaney, Jr. was a member of the James Gang.

            The movie company made their headquarters at Noel, where more than 150 movie people arrived there on a Sunday morning. Several private homes, cottages and tourist cabins were readied for the movie actors and members of the company. Marx Cheney, owner of the Shadow Lake Resort of Noel commented, “About the only air-conditioning we can offer is a cool Ozark Breeze.”

            Henry Fonda invented his own air conditioning by placing large cakes of dry ice outside his cabin window. He used an electric fan to blow across the ice and his cabin was cool when he ended the day’s movie shootings.

            Shadow Lake was a favorite hangout for dinner and after hour’s entertainment for the movie crew and actors. The resort town boomed when tourists arrived by the hundreds to see the movie stars and possibly get their autographs.

            The Pineville square was transformed to represent Liberty, Missouri. This was done by covering the paved streets with 400 loads of dirt and gravel, hiding the concrete walks with old-fashioned board walks, building false store fronts, adding hitching rails and water troughs, and erecting several buildings such as the U.S. Marshall’s office, a newspaper office representing the “Weekly Gazette” and building the Dixie Belle Hotel.

            Twentieth-Century Fox spent $25,000 to make those changes in Pineville.

            On August 16, 1938, more than 200 local people were hired as extras for the motion picture. Men grew their beards and women gathered the appropriate attire to “look the part.” Men, women, and children were excited to be a part of such a huge production.

            Initial scenes were filmed at the log cabin home of Albert Barnes, a Pineville barber. The Highway Patrol was stationed along the main road to stop traffic and request that motorists shut off their engines because the noise ruined the scenes.

            Mrs. Florence Crowder received $3,000 for the use of her farm that was used as Jesse and Frank James’ mother’s home. Mrs. Crowder became distressed when she had to stay away while the filming took over a month to complete. She received an extra $100 because the crowds excited her guinea hens and they made such a racket that it interfered with the sound recordings. Director King bought the guineas and had them served on the menu to the movie crew.

            Mrs. Crowder died on September 22, 1938, just days after the film’s completion. Physicians said her death was partially due to the excitement of the movie filming, not being able to live in her home while the filming took place, and being outdoors in the hot sun.

            The Southwest city train station was the scene of Union soldiers coming to court martial the county seat where Jesse and Frank were held as prisoners.  A special old model train was rebuilt with engine and cars at Ft. Smith, Arkansas, for the big scene when Jesse and his gang staged the robbery. Thousands came to watch the filming of the train hold up. Movie producers used a section of the Frisco tracks for the shooting and they employed about 250 McDonald and Newton County people as extras for the train robbery scene.

            In Pineville, one Friday night in August 1938, three men robbed the Tavern and took $300. Pineville Sheriff Bone said, “Somebody is taking this James business too seriously.” 

            Carl Mayfield of Anderson supplied 100 horses for the movie and the other horses used were Hollywood trick horses.  A photo postcard depicts a scene where Zee meets Jesse and Frank in a cave. Jesse holds the reins of a horse named Sally.

            An estimate of 10,000 people crowded into Noel and Pineville, causing traffic jams along the highway that connected the towns. People form 48 states visited McDonald County and the crowds swelled to 5,000 daily. Labor Day, 1938, the crowd topped 15,000 people. Highway Patrolmen directed the traffic flow.

             Mrs. E.J. Cookerly, Joplin, furnished over 300 zinnias and marigold flowers from her home garden for the filming of Jesse’s funeral scene. 

            Finally, after two months of filming, Hollywood departed from McDonald County.  

            When “Jesse James” hit the big screen in January 1939, Joplin’s Fox Theatre’s box office praised the movie as “the most exciting picture you’ve ever seen…acclaimed by everyone as TERRIFIC.” Opening day saw 5,000 people walk through box office. Adult tickets sold for 30 cents until 2 pm, 40 cents plus tax afterward, with children 10 cents.

            Ten days after the movie hit the big screen, people wrote to Hollywood criticizing Twentieth Century-Fox for their portrayal of Jesse James’ life in the movie. Hundreds of letters pointed out discrepancies and inaccuracies of the real life of the gang. The letters of criticism got no response from the Twentieth Century-Fox, however, for they knew controversy leads to interest and interest leads to success.

            And successful it was! Each year Pineville celebrates Jesse James Days with activities around the square. Residents gather to watch the movie to try to get a glimpse of a family member who was an “extra” in the film.

             During the summer of 1973, Director Henry King came back to Pineville to attend the annual Jesse James Days Celebration; he stayed at the Ginger Blue Lodge. During a dinner in King’s honor, Pineville Mayor Orlin Armstrong represented the people of Pineville and presented him with a plaque for outstanding service and dedication to the movie industry. Director King praised the local community the folks who helped in every way and said the movie was a success due to their cooperation and hard work.

            At the 1973 celebration, Buel Buzzard, pastor of the Christian Church, performed the marriage of Penny Harmon and Gary Pogue at an old time brush arbor wedding.

            Today Pineville continues to celebrate Jesse James Days. Visit the Historical Courthouse Museum on the square where the Jesse James Room highlights memorabilia. Folks round here still talk about the bandit and the Hollywood filming of the movie in their county.

            My father recalled stories told to him about the filming of the movie; he told me that his great-grandfather, Thomas “Bud” Johnson, was riding in the train when the movie was being filmed. He also said they had to put a wagon load of hay in front of a corner gas station to hide the gas pumps and they could not get the horse to jump off the bluff into the hole of water so they had to build a ramp and covered the ramp with branches. The horse fell off the ramp and that is why he went off bottom first into the water.

            Mr. John Wright to the McDonald County Historical Society donated the old Washington hand printing press. The hand press was used in the Jesse James movie in the Weekly Gazette Newspaper Office and printing shop. The printing press is now housed inside the Historic Courthouse Museum. 

            I have formed my opinion about Jesse James and his family. Where do your sympathies lie? If you are curious and want more information, visit the Historical Courthouse on the Pineville square museum. Because 75 years later, Jesse James’ life story lives on. 

Jesse James Is Coming to Pineville, MO!

In 1938, Hollywood descended on McDonald County, Missouri to film the movie Jesse James. It debuted in January, 1939 and since then, Pineville celebrates this momentous event every year with Jesse James Days. This year it is scheduled for August 6-9, 2014 and Tyrone Power, Jr is a special guest. He will attend a Meet & Greet on Friday, August 8 at 5 pm at the Pineville Community Center and sign autographs on Saturday at 5:30 pm at the Historic Courthouse on the Pineville square.

If you or a family member was an "extra" in the movie, join us on Friday evening as a special guest at the Meet & Greet occasion and sit on a panel of people to tell your story about Jesse James movie making.

Don't forget the grand old courthouse museum on the square! Shown below is the entrance to the Jesse James room. Funding for the room was provided in part by Leon & Carol Klein, McDonald County Historical Society members. The room represents the Dixie Belle Saloon that was in the movie. 

 

Below is a wall display in the JJ room ~ 

One more wall display ~ 

We look forward to you attending our grand event; there are many activities planned for the 4 days. 

Come see the Historic Courthouse at Pineville & get your history on! 

My Genealogy Journey ~

The McDonald County Historical Society's first summer Research 101 workshop was yesterday. We had a great time and lots of information about researching your family history was presented. Attendees enjoyed learning about all that is involved in family history research and genealogy. 

Gayle Foster is lecturing about internet research.....

Our Society President, Raylene Lamb, talks about a variety of topics about family history research....

Dorothy Beauchamp presents research tips to the group....

Karen Jennings presented "Writing About and Documenting your Family Heirlooms" and "Writing Your Memories" in the afternoon. The workshop was a hit and a great success!  Participants left with some homework to do and prepare for July's workshop. 

Don't miss July 19th's workshop when the gals will present topics about Going Beyond Your Basic Research, Gathering Oral Histories, and Cemetery History & Research. The workshop is $20 and will be held in Pineville at the Historic Sheriff's House just south of the square, 10am to 2pm. 

The Yonce Sisters of McDonald County

By Karen Utter Jennings

            Today I want to honor our women of McDonald County by writing about the Yonce women. While reading about our county, especially the books written by James Reed who writes books using his great-grandfather’s old Pineville Herald newspapers, the name Yonce is prevalent, especially Lucy Yonce. My curiosity was peeked and I had to know more about who Miss Lucy Yonce was and what she did in McDonald County.

           

            James Edward Yonce married Elizabeth Ann Phillips in 1852 in Iowa and had eight daughters between 1853 and 1872. James and Elizabeth brought their daughters to Missouri in 1870, settling in the Powell area. James established the Powell Post Office in 1871. Elizabeth took charge of the post office for a while after her husband’s death in September 1872 and she owned the first store there. That store was blown away in the 1884 cyclone.

            James and Elizabeth’s eighth daughter was born in June 1872, two months before James died. Sometime after James’ death, Elizabeth and her daughters moved to Pineville where they became prominent citizens. Elizabeth was a strong member in the Pineville Women’s Christian Temperance Union, also. Here are short sketches of the Yonce girls.

            Louisa Virginia Yonce was born in Iowa in 1853. She married a Claypoole man but by 1880, she was widowed and living with her mother and sisters. There has not been any other information found on her at this time.

            Caroline Marie “Carrie” Yonce was born July 4, 1855 in Iowa. She married R.H. Seamster in 1875 in Pineville, but later he died and Carrie married John Love Montgomery of Rocky Comfort. The Montgomery men were well-known businessmen of Rocky. John died in 1924 and Carrie died Dec 24, 1928. They are both buried at Rocky Comfort.

            Laura Victoria Yonce was born April 2, 1857 in Iowa. Laura married Albert White Chenoweth in January 1881. Dr. Chenoweth was a Civil War doctor and was a beloved doctor in McDonald County. Laura and Albert had two sons, Wallace Carroll Chenoweth and Henry “Harry” Edward Chenoweth. Dr. Chenoweth was a Temperance worker around Pineville and tragedy struck on September 12, 1883 when Garland A. Mann shot and killed him. You can read more about the murder in James Reed’s 1883 A Unique Little History of McDonald County Missouri, Vol. 1.  Laura married Henry P. (H.P.) Lamberson in 1894. Laura and H.P. had Morris, Herbert and Earl Lamberson. The Lambersons were Methodist Church members and Henry was a merchant while Laura was an active member in the W.C.T.U.; at one time Lora S. LaMance wrote a letter about Laura’s service to the Cause. The Lamberson family was well known in the Rocky Comfort and Wheaton area. H.P. died in 1923 and Laura died in 1933; both are buried at Rocky Comfort Cemetery.

            Ida E. Yonce was born in May 1859 in Iowa. She married John Horace Buttram in 1881 and they lived in Benton County, Arkansas where Ida died in 1936. Horace married Ida’s sister, Alice Brown Yonce Pepper July 13, 1939 in Benton County, Arkansas.

            Alice “Allie” Brown Yonce was born 1862 in Iowa. Allie married Benjamin F. Pepper in 1888 in Pineville and they went to Kansas to settle on a Wichita farm. They had three children. Later, Allie married John Horace Buttram in 1939, who had been married to Allie’s sister, Ida. Allie was very social around Pineville and had many friends. She served several years on the Pineville Christmas Tree committee, helping with the decorations, entertainment and she was a member of the Pineville ME Church South where she enjoyed raising money for church benefits. Allie and her friends were was when she and two friends, Fannie Duval and Sallie Edwards brought wildflower bouquets to the Pineville Herald office. Allie died in 1947 in Kansas City.

Lucy Jane Yonce was born July 2, 1865 in Iowa. Before she married, Lucy went to school and became a schoolteacher. She enjoyed participating in debates in the Pineville Normal Seminary School in 1885 of which she served as treasurer. Lucy served on the Pineville Christmas Tree Committee many times for music and recitations. In 1890, she clerked at Walter’s Store in Pineville and served on the School Commission. She taught school at White Rock, Galbraith’s Mill, Rocky Comfort, Pineville and Harper. Lucy made the headlines of the local Pineville Herald in 1891 when she went on a trip unattended!  Lucy married William Columbus Christian in 1897 in Pineville and they had one daughter and one son. W.C. Christian was a prominent farmer in the Rocky Comfort area.  W.C. died in 1921, Lucy died July 31, 1931 and she is buried at Rocky Comfort. 

Lucy and her husband's headstone at Rocky Comfort, MO cemetery. 

Photo by Karen Utter Jennings

            Minnie Josephine Yonce was born in 1869 in Iowa. She attended school and tested for the high school course at the Pineville Normal School in 1885. She later became a schoolteacher and taught at Honey Lake in 1895 and Rocky Comfort several years. She joined her sisters in serving on the Pineville Christmas Tree committees where she was chosen to assist Santa Claus in distributing the presents to everyone. Minnie finally married Albert P. Tiner in 1906 and they had one son. Albert died in 1925 and Minnie died in February 1942. Both are buried in Rogers, Arkansas.

            Grace “Gracie” Arabell Yonce was the eighth daughter of James and Elizabeth and she was born in Pineville, Missouri, two months before her father died. In 1892, Grace worked as an assistant in the Pineville Recorders Office and assisted Judge Smith in the Probate Court.  In 1894, Grave went to the Quapaw Agency in the position of matron of the Quapaw Schools. During the years before she married, Grace traveled a great deal visiting family and friends. April 18, 1897, Grace married Adair Weaver “A.W.” Noel in Pineville. They had seven children. A.W. served as clerk and bookkeeper for M.N. LaMance until he could afford to start his own hardware business. He was also in charge of the Pineville Post Office, by appointment of President Cleveland. Grace died October 13, 1923 in Pineville. Her obituary was a fine tribute to the woman she was, speaking of her work in the Methodist Church and the Missionary Society and her love of flowers. A.W. Noel died in 1942. They are both buried in the Pineville Cemetery.

Grace Yonce Noel obituary, courtesy of McDonald County Historical Society obituary files

            The Yonce sisters made the news frequently and they loved visiting family, friends, and being social in the community, contributing much to society.

            

Don't miss the 2nd annual History Live! Event at Pineville Courthouse Square this Saturday, May 24, 2014!

McDonald County Missouri HISTORY LIVE! event

Hills and Hollows Granny Women

                                              HILLS AND HOLLOWS GRANNY WOMEN

By Karen Utter Jennings 

            Disclaimer: In writing this article, I make no claims to persuade folks to choose folk remedies over a medical doctor should a person have an illness. I merely write historical articles about interesting topics, and especially enjoy researching women and history. So with that in mind, I give you information about midwifery in Southwest Missouri. 

            Women have always been the backbone of families. They served in many capacities and their duties included caring for their children, their husband, and many times their elderly parents, siblings, as well as neighbors and friends. Homemakers did not need a job outside of the home, for homemaking included everything from making soap and doing the laundry, caring for the needy and the ill, to helping tend the farm work when need be.  

            In days long gone, Ozarks women learned from their own mothers and grandmothers how to care for the sick and how to help bring babies into the world. Their medicine came from the earth; the plants, flowers and trees provided remedies to cure the sick and afflicted.

            The most knowledgeable and experienced of these women were healers and midwifes, often-called Granny Women. They were known far and wide for their giving service and helping hands. Folks depended upon the woman to come when the need arose and they relied on the Granny Woman’s special knowledge of herbs, roots, and concoctions. Those women had skills and the wisdom to use the native plants for healing purposes.

            In early days, doctors were few and far between. Sometimes the great distance a doctor had to travel was a hindrance for those who were gravely ill. Before the turn of the century, many doctors were not trained in the knowledge of germs. The states lacked standardized licensing requirements, the quality of their education varied, and so their medical practices were handled with crude effectiveness. 

            Many rural Ozarkian women preferred the familiar Granny Woman to treat them with their mild herbal remedies and to deliver their babies. Traditional midwives met the concern for modesty during the birthing process, an important consideration in areas where the use of male doctors might offend an entire community.

            Some midwives carried a “midwife’s book” to reference when complicated childbirth procedures arose. Sometimes they used superstitious rituals to give mothers psychological relief such as having the mother hold something that belonged to her husband to symbolically bring him into the delivery room. Their use of herbal remedies and teas helped speed the birth along; but they might also use morphine tablets or quinine when the pain became unbearable, if the medicine was available.

            After the birth of a baby, the Granny Woman might stay for a week or longer to help about the house and allow the new mother time in bed to heal. Caring for the new mother, the new baby, and doing housework and household chores was of great importance to keep the woman from hemorrhaging or having other childbirth complications.

            Many times Granny Woman was not paid with money. Rather, they accepted whatever offering the family could provide at the time, possibly giving her meat or chickens, vegetables from the garden or enough material to make a dress. If the family had nothing, that was all right, too.

            As midwives became certified within their home state, they were able to charge to attend births. The going rate in 1906 was $3.00 her birth attendance.

            Granny Women knew how to prepare herbs, roots, tree bark and other native plants and flowers to make healing ointments, teas, poultices, and concoctions. Most native roots had to be gathered before the sap began to rise because they lost their value after that. And, some plants became poisonous at certain points in their growth cycle.

            For example, Southwest Missouri midwives surely combined sage, peppermint, black walnut, slippery elm bark, pokeroot, horseradish, elderberries, dill weed, with honey, black strap molasses, lard, onions, vinegar and whiskey to make tonics, potions, plasters, poultices, and teas. And many a child with an earache had tobacco smoke blown into their ears as a cure.

            The Missouri Medical College was originally organized in 1840 as the Medical Department of Kemper College. It was the first medical school established west of the Mississippi river. In 1845, it became the Medical Department of the University of Missouri. There are a few women midwives listed on the Missouri History Program website, all of whom lived in St. Louis, Missouri for the years of 1888-1892.

            The American Medical Association was founded in 1847. Eventually doctors began to resent midwives. They looked upon the granny women as competition for business. The medical profession was growing and insisted upon education, standard examination procedures, and licensing requirements for all practicing physicians. Throughout the nation, doctors waged a campaign to run midwives out of business. They portrayed the women as being ignorant of medical procedures and lacking cleanliness.

            Midwives practiced cleanliness by scrubbing and cleaning their homes on a daily basis. After attending deliveries, they cleaned up the bed and the new mother and infant. Sterile environments did not come along until years later when hospitals flourished.

            Even though European countries were establishing schools of midwifery, American doctors were refusing to admit women to medical schools. When the American Medical Association demanded that all people practicing medicine be trained and then licensed, that was the demise of  midwifery.  

            However, in the isolated hills and hollows of the Ozarks Mountains in southern Missouri and northern Arkansas, as well as other isolated parts of the United States, Granny Women continued to serve their communities with their skills into the twentieth century. Ozarks folklorists have collected information about these women and their healing practices.

            Until the New Deal programs and World War II changed the region’s financial system and transportation, bad roads and the lack of money forced most Ozarkians to rely on native remedies prepared by the womenfolk of the family.

            Eventually, pregnant women began to enter hospitals to give birth and Granny Women went by the wayside. The science of medicine scoffed at the nurturing and holistic care that midwives had provided their family, friends and neighbors.

            The era of the women’s healing art of domestic medicine is now history. But if we look closely into our own family history, we would surely find Granny Women.  

            My great, great-grandmother Nancy Smith Johnson practiced midwifery and the healing arts in the hills and hollows of McDonald County, Missouri. Although I have not found any legal certificates providing that information, it is noted in her obituary. Taken from her obituary, it reads: “The nights were never too dark nor the times too hard for Nancy Johnson to willingly lend a helping hand in time of need. She could count by the dozens the babies she helped into the world and the lives she practically saved. Her cheerful disposition and pleasant smile made her most enjoyable to all around her.”

            My family photographs of Nancy Johnson show her as short and petite, with black hair and a thin face with a sharp jutting chin and high cheekbones. She bore five children in her lifetime and passed away in 1949 at Rocky Comfort, Missouri.

            Among the acquisitions at the McDonald County Historical Museum, we found Delpha Laughlin’s midwife certificate. Issued on October 20^th, 1884, at the State Board of Health in Hannibal, Missouri, it certifies that Laughlin had practiced midwifery for a period of ten years and was therefore legally authorized to practice in the state. Laughlin received her certificate at Powell, Missouri, on January 1, 1885.

            Today midwifery is an internationally recognized profession. The American College of Nurse-Midwives includes the primary health care of women and their newborn children. A Certified Nurse-Midwife (CNM) is a woman who is educated in nursing and midwifery, who possesses certification according to the requirements of the American College of Nurse-Midwives.

            The Nurse-Midwifery practice manages women’s health care, focusing on pregnancy, childbirth, the postpartum period, care of the newborn, and the family planning and gynecological needs of women. The Certified Nurse-Midwife practices within a health care system that provides for consultation, collaborative management or referral as indicated by the health status of the client.

            Despite the evolution of medicine, Ozarks women continued to practice the healing arts that had been handed down from mother to daughter. Instilled in the women, they did whatever was necessary to care for their family and friends, in sickness and in health.

            The herb garden was grown right alongside the vegetable garden. In the fields and woods native plants, trees, and flowers grew in abundance offering their healing properties for those who gathered and gleaned.

            In this modern world, there are those who scoff at and become quite angry with the thought of people seeking holistic health and “folk,” “home,” or “natural” remedies. And of course, after doctors spend countless years of study and pay for it all, they do not want to hear of someone seeking backwoods cures.

            Today herbs are a big industry. Herbal stores and natural food stores run a brisk business. Women have always known how to care for their own. I remember my grandmothers using herbs and plants to put a meal on the table and to heal what ailed us. And I am certainly proud to have found a Granny Woman in my family history and to have the certificate for Delpha Laughlin at the McDonald County Historical Society.

* * *

References for this article come from online sources: Missouri History Museum: Genealogy and Local History Index; Missouri Medical College (http://digitalcommons.wustl.edu/missouri); an online workshop, “Herbal Lore and The Historic Medicinal Uses of Herbs”; a copy of Delpha Laughlin’s Midwife Certificate; and from the obituary of Nancy Johnson from the Wheaton Journal on DVD, courtesy of the MO Historical Society.