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Born
Born in Clay County, MO -
Father's Death
Robert James joins a Gold Rush Expedition to California, where he dies. -
Mother Remarries
Zeredla James marries Dr. Reuben Samuel -
Civil War
Frank James, Jesse's brother, fights the Confederacy in the Battle of Wilson's Creek as the Civil War erupts in Missouri. -
Samuel Farm Raid
Pro-Union militia men raid the Samuel farm, beating Jesse James and torturing his stepfather. -
"Bloody Bill"
Jesse James joins "Bloody Bill" Anderson's guerrilla unit; loses a fingertip and suffers a severe chest wound in the summer. -
Banishment
The Samuel family is banished to Rulo, Nebraska -
Jesse James Rides
Jesse James rides to Lexington, Missouri, to surrender; is shot and badly wounded by Federal cavalrymen and makes his way back to his family in Nebraska. -
Zerelda Mimms
Jesse James's mother takes him Harlem, Missouri, where his cousin Zerelda Mimms nurses him back to health; Jesse and Zerelda become engaged. -
Clay County Savings Bank
A band of former guerrillas robs the Clay County Savings Bank in Liberty, Missouri. Jesse and Frank James are suspected. -
Striking Again!
The same gang robs the bank in Richmond, Missouri; several if the bandits are lynched by mobs in the months that follow. -
Daviess County Savings Bank
Jesse and Frank James rob the Daviess County Savings Bank in Gallatin, Missouri, and murder Captain John W. Sheets. -
The Chivalry of Crime
Jesse James, Cole, and John Younger rob the Kansas City Fair; the next day Major John Newman Edwards publishes an editorial on the robbery, "The Chivalry of Crime," comparing the bandits to the Knights of the Round Table. -
The First Train
The James-Younger gang robs its first train, the Chicago, Rock Island, and Pacific Railroad, at Council Bluffs, Iowa. -
Death of John Younger
Jesse James and the Younger brothers kill three Pinkerton detectives; John Younger is shot dead. -
Married
Married to Zerelda Mimms; they move the Texas briefly, then return to line in Kansas City, Missouri. -
Bomb in the Samuel House
The Pinkerton detectives bomb the Samuel home, killing Jesse James's half brother and maiming his mother. -
Attempt to Rob a Bank
The James-Younger Gang attempted a raid on the first National Bank of Northfield, Minnesota. After the attempt only Frank and Jesse James were alive and free. -
Jesse James Returns
Jesse James returns to banditry when he robs a train at Glendale. Missouri, with a new gang that includes Bill Ryan, -
Inauguration
Thomas T. Crittenden is inaugurated as Missouri governor; William Wallace takes over as Jackson County prosecutor after denouncing the James brothers in his campaign. -
Bill Ryan Arrested and Jesse James Flees
Bill Ryan is arrested near Nashville and is taken back to Missouri to stand trail; Jesse James flees with his family to Kentucky, then Kansas City, and finally to St. Joseph, Missouri. -
Death of a Conductor
Jesse and Frank James and their gang rob the Chicago, Rock Island, and Pacific Railroad at Winston, Missouri; Jesse kills conductor William Westfall. -
Governor Crittenden
Governor Crittenden meets with the state's railroad executives in St. Louis; the railroads agree to provide reward money for the capture of the James brothers; two days later, the governor issues a proclamation offering $10,000 each for the arrest and conviction of Frank and Jesse James. -
Bob Ford Joins Jesse's Gang
Bill Ryan stands trial and is convicted because of the testimony of Tucker Bassham, a former gang member; Bob Ford joins his brother Charlie as a member of Jesse James' s gang. -
Bob Ford and Governor Crittenden
Bob Ford meets with Governor Crittenden and agrees to assassinate Jesse James. -
Assassination
At age 34, he was assassinated with a gun by Bob Ford. Bob Ford had shot Jesse James in the back of the head while Jesse was straightening a picture in his house.
