Famous Earps Virtual Cache

Gravesite of James C. Earp and Adelia Earp, and family

James Cooksey Earp is often the "forgotten" Earp, because his injuries in the Civil War he had lost his use of one arm, he as not on the "front lines" when his brothers were involved in skirmishes. He was running the Oriental Saloon in Tombstone Arizona Territory, when Virgil, Morgan and Wyatt, with John Holliday faced down the "Cowboys" and the legends were made well known.

James was a Saloon and Gambling housekeeper for most of his life, he and Wyatt were frequently traveling together, and James was the "support team" for the Earps in times of trouble. James was the more family "settled" of the brothers and, married NELLIE "BESSIE" BARTLETT, April 18, 1873, Monmouth, Illinois, and attempted to settle down, but being one of the Earps, he often had to deal with the overflow.

Born Hartford, Kentucky, June 28, 1841
Relocated to: Monmouth, Illinois c.1843
Relocated to: Pella, Iowa c.1848
Enlisted Union army: May 25, 1861 (Company F, 7th Illinois, infantry)
Wounded left shoulder @ Frederickstown, Missouri, October 8, 1862.
Medical discharge: in Pella Iowa, March 22, 1863. (No use of left arm)
Left Iowa in 1864 with his father's wagon train, but left the train at Austin, Nevada.
Moved to Montana in 1866, became a Gambler.
James moved to Lamar, Missouri and rejoined family in 1870.
Married April 18, 1873 to Nellie Bartlett Ketchum.(Illinois?)
Nellie had two children Frank and Hattie Ketchum from a previous marriage.
1877 Family moved to Temescal, California (near present Lake Elsinore), Wyatt and James moved to Wichita and then Dodge City, Kansas.
"Jim" was a bartender and Wyatt was a policeman.
In 1879 they were invited to Tombstone, Az. Territory, where Virgil Earp, who had been appointed U. S. Deputy Marshal for the Arizona Territory, was residing.
Brother Morgan also came from Montana.
Jim worked in "Vogan's Bowling Alley" and later at the saloon called "Sampling Room".
Jim later opened "The Oriental Saloon" and had Wyatt working as a faro dealer, the attraction was Doc Holliday, who was an accomplished gambler.

October 26, 1881, James' three brothers, Wyatt, Morgan and Virgil, with John H. "Doc" Holliday, a dentist, and Gambler, had a shootout near the OK Corral with the "Cowboy gang" consisting of Tom and Frank Laury, Ike and Billy Clanton, and Billy Claiborne. Billy Clanton, and Tom and Frank Laury were killed, and Virgil, Morgan, and "Doc" Holliday were wounded.

The Earp family left Tombstone the following year, after the murder of Morgan.
Jim went to Shone County Idaho with Wyatt. (Feb 1, 1884),
1884 to Eagle City, for mining, and opened the "White Elephant Saloon". After Sept. 1884 they were gone, eventually ending up in San Bernardino, Ca. where Jim drove a "Hack". He then opened the "Club Exchange Saloon" in San Bernardino,which was located on Court Street near the present Bank of America.
January 22, 1887, Nellie Bartlett Earp passes away.
Jim leaves for Missoula and Helena Montana, and later San Francisco, as a Gambler. He is in San Francisco when Wyatt refereed a famous Boxing match.
He returned to San Bernardino, during the early 1900s,with Wyatt.
Ill health debilitated him and he died in Los Angeles, January 25, 1926, and is buried in Mountain View Cemetery, in San Bernardino.

BURIAL AND REMOVAL PERMITS (San Bernardino County Archives)

Earp, James C. 1/25/1926 BOOK: 21 PAGE: 384
Los Angeles AGE: 84
CAUSE OF DEATH: Cerebral apoplexy

James C. Earp twice applied for Pension increases: wrote from Ft. Worth, Texas. on June 18, 1878 and again filed application to increase pension on May 12, 1912.

Adelia Earp

ADELIA DOUGLAS9 EARP (NICHOLAS PORTER8, WALTER7, PHILIP6, WILLIAM5, JOSHUA4, JOHN3, THOMAS2, THOMAS1) was born June 16, 1861 in Pella, Marion, Iowa, USA, and died January 16, 1941 in San Bernardino, Ca., USA. She married WILLIAM THOMAS EDWARDS. He was born 1856 in Kansas, and died 1921 in San Bernardino, Ca., USA. Children of ADELIA EARP and WILLIAM EDWARDS are:
i. ESTELLE JOSEPHINE10 EDWARDS, m. WILLIAM MILLER.
ii. FLORENCE EDWARDS, m. BESSANT.
iii. MURL EDWARDS, m. SULLIVAN.
iv. NICHOLAS EDWARDS.
v. MARY VIRGINIA EDWARDS, b. 1880; d. 1935. vi. RAYMOND T. EDWARDS, b. 1898; d. 1917, San Bernardino, Ca., USA.
vii. GEORGE STAPP EDWARDS, b. 1904; d. 1974, San Bernardino, Ca., USA.

Adelia, James' sister is buried just north of James. Alvira, Virgil's wife is buried in the same grave as Adelia. The Edwards family graves in this plot were Adelia's husband and son.

VERIFICATION:

ADDITIONAL NOTE: The white mausoleum standing near the entrance is the grave of Randy Rhodes, guitarist for Ozzie Osbourne.

Caches in this Tour:

Virginia Cooksey

Virgil and Allie Earp's Home
Morgan's Rest
Famous Earps
Come see where...