Pictured below are three pages from my great-grandfather's original 1871 diary, which is now part of my copyrighted (C) Betty Dorsett Duke Collection. He signed his diary “J. James” and “James L. Courtney”. Jesse W. James was his real name and James L. Courtney was his alias.
He wrote the entire diary in pencil, just as he did in a six
page letter he wrote to Dr. Reuben Samuel, his step-father. I wasn’t aware of this letter until Michigander,
Matt Hamlin, sent the following link to me:
The letter, along with its complete transcription, may also
be viewed at this site:
Both Jesse James and Dr. Reuben Samuel are pictured in the
eBay photo of the James and Jackson families (with friends) at http://www.jessejamesintexas.com/
.
Matt Hamlin pointed out that the T's in both samples are
identical. The same applies for some of
the other letters of the alphabet. While
reading his diary I noticed that he sometimes made his J's fancy like this:
Jesse James AKA James L. Courtney signed his 1871
diary "J. James”.
And other times he made his J’s plain – like he did in his
signature on the Christie's letter pictured on the right below. The slant, writing style, and spelling is
also the same in both handwriting samples.
A page from Jesse W.
James AKA James L. Courtney’s original 1871 diary (June 28, 29, & 30) is on
the left, and the last page of the six page letter signed Jesse W. James, which
was auctioned by Christies for $175, 000, is on the right.
Transcription follows:
June 1871
28 Wensday
for book .50
for wagon grease .25
29 Thirsday morning
for
milk .25
at Decatur in camp back of the tin shop and remained there all
day and in the evening went ahunting with H Pratt and Edward Sunderland and
the tavern keep, and I killed a deer.
30 Friday morning in camp back of the tin shop and rized up for
to start south
for corn 1/2 lb
.75
for caps for
gun .75”
 |
Another
page from Jesse W. James AKA James L. Courtney’s original 1871 diary is
pictured on the left. The last page of the
letter auctioned by Christies is on the right.
Transcription follows:
“James L. Courtney
his book bought June 28/ 1871
at
Decatur Texas price 50 cts
if the
oner should be found ded his uncle lives in cass co mo. his address is as
folows E. L. Andrass Brosley po cass co mo
if the
oner should be found dead the person he [maybe who?] finds this will please
rite immediately to E. L. Andruss Brosley po cass co mo”
Another
page (cropped) from Jesse W. James AKA James L. Courtney’s original 1871 diary
(scanned in black and white) pictured top left.
The same last page of the letter signed Jesse W. James letter (auctioned
by Christie’s) is pictured again top right for comparison purposes. Another excerpt from a letter signed Jesse W.
James is pictured on the right below.
Compare the way Jesse James AKA James L. Courtney wrote the word “to”, (the
first word in the third line from the top), is almost exactly like he wrote it
in the letter. Also check out the W’s,
H’s, and T’s. There are examples of my
great-grandfather underling words on other pages of his diary:
Transcription
of letter on bottom right:
"do
& if we were free men we would do all in our power to put it down [illegible]
Allen of Liberty made similar remarks about us to [illegible] [illegible] a few days ago to but
he will probably regret it. if you value
your life you had better retract your slander"
Jesse W.
James"
Transcription
of the diary page pictured top left above:
“W. M. Roberts
branded on the left hip B
to [two?] marks [?] [illegible] [illegible] to
under half crop
and the other under cut [?] in the rite & and [illegible] half
crop in the left.
John Hitson & Bill [John & Bill Hittson]
Palapinto co & Teresa [?]”
For more
information on E. L. Andruss and a robbery attributed to the James Gang in Coldwater,
Brosley County, Missouri click on the following links:
More
information about the Brosley, Cass Co., MO robberies - courtesy of Daniel
Duke.
National
Republican article:
The
State Journal article (Jefferson City, MO):
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