Legacy Tree Logo
Contáctenos
  • Español
    • Auto
    • Inglés
    • Portugués, Brasil
    • Sueco
    • Danés
    • Bokmål
    • Ruso
Contáctenos
  • Destacados
    • Español
      • Auto
      • Inglés
      • Portugués, Brasil
      • Sueco
      • Danés
      • Bokmål
      • Ruso

Was Your Ancestor a Outlaw in the Wild West?

mayo 27, 2021 by Melissa - Legacy Tree Genealogists Researcher 2 Comments

Legacy Tree researcher Melissa Finlay takes you back to the old west to find your «Most Wanted» ancestors to determine if they were outlaws, bandits, or rustlers. Did your ancestors ride with notorious outlaws or did they obey the law of the land in the old west?

Jesse James, Wild Bill Hickok, Calamity Jane, Doc Holliday, Billy the Kid. You may have heard about some of these famous outlaws of the Wild Western United States. But have you ever wondered if your ancestor was a criminal in the Wild West? Or perhaps they were a victim of a crime or a lawman fighting for law and order in the Wild West? There are records available to find out if your ancestor was involved!

Fort Smith, Arkansas, U.S. Federal District Court

Topographical Map of Fort Smith
USGS topographical map of Fort Smith, 1887. Courtesy of the University of Texas Libraries, The University of Texas at Austin, public domain. (http://legacy.lib.utexas.edu/maps/topo/arkansas/txu-pclmaps-topo-ar-fort_smith-1887.jpg)

Men and women living in western Arkansas, the Indian Territory, or any part of the 74,000 square miles covered by the United States District Court for the Western District of Arkansas were tried for their crimes at Fort Smith, Arkansas.[1] The fort sat just across the Arkansas River from Indian Territory. The court did not try crimes between native peoples but tried all federal crimes involving non-natives, from larceny to cattle rustling, forgery, murder, and everything in between.

Until 1889, the court's say was final; one could not appeal to any other court—the only chance for a reprieve after a conviction was a pardon by the President of the United States.

Over the years, the court's case files were moved to several repositories, shuffled and reorganized, and a fair number – destroyed. The files that remain paint a colorful picture of the actual frontier and wild west during the period.

 

U.S. Jail Fort Smith
Fort Smith, Arkansas, U.S. Jail, circa 1890. Courtesy National Park Service, Fort Smith National Historic Site, public domain. (https://www.nps.gov/fosm/learn/historyculture/courthouse-jail-building-c-1890s.htm)

 

The National Archives provides a detailed online finding aid explaining how the case files were created, organized, and interpreted. Although the original filing system was complex, modern digital databases make access easier.

  • Find the general research guide here:
    https://www.archives.gov/fort-worth/finding-aids/fort-smith-case-files 
  • Ancestry.com ($) houses a digital index for the case files:
    https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/3119/
  • Many of the full case files can be found digitally on Ancestry.com as well:
    https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/2117/ 

Although the case documents were filed under the name of the alleged criminal, many court papers named victims. A victims' index is available on the National Archives finding aid to assist in finding your ancestor who may have been the victim of a crime instead of a perpetrator.  https://www.archives.gov/fort-worth/finding-aids/fort-smith-case-files#victimindex

Fort Smith, Arkansas, newspapers were filled with daily court notices and stories about the most sensational crimes during this time period. Several websites offer digital copies of the newspapers, including the Fort Smith Elevator, the Fort Smith Weekly Herald, and more.

Search for the newspapers articles about the court case your ancestor was involved in with one of these newspaper sites: 

  • Fort Smith Public Library Digital Archive (FREE)
    http://fortsmithlibrary.advantage-preservation.com/
  • GenealogyBank ($)
    https://www.genealogybank.com/explore/newspapers/all/usa/arkansas/fort-smith
  • Newspapers ($)
    https://www.newspapers.com/papers/#containing=fort%20smith 

A Counterfeiter

Fort Smith Criminal Case File
Fort Smith, Arkansas, U.S., Criminal Case Files, 1866-1900 (image and transcription), case file for J.W. Shook, 1897, jacket no. 400, Fort Smith, Arkansas, https://ancestry.com, subscription database, accessed April 2021.

All the resources together combine to create an interesting story of the outlaws and criminals, lawmen, and victims of the true Wild West our ancestors lived in. One such story involved counterfeit silver dollars.

On 13 January 1897, J.W. Shook and L.W. Partridge were charged with possessing and knowingly spending counterfeit silver dollars in Yell County, Arkansas. The U.S. Marshals were sent to apprehend the men.

Counterfeiters Arrested
«Counterfeiters Arrested,» Fort Smith Elevator (Fort Smith, Arkansas), 22 January 1897, p. 5, http://fortsmithlibrary.advantage-preservation.com/, accessed April 2021.

During the trial, J.W. Shook volunteered the name of the actual counterfeiter, Tom Rauhong of Pope County, Arkansas, who was also arrested after the counterfeiting materials were found in his home.

Researching your ancestors can be exciting whether your ancestors were famous or infamous! If you want to know if there are outlaws in your family tree, consider hiring a professional. Contact us today for a free quote!

References

[1] «The Good, The Bad, and The Legend of the Fort Smith Federal Courthouse,» Ultimate History Project, http://ultimatehistoryproject.com/fort-smith-and-belle-starr.html, accessed February 2021; and,

«Research Guide to the Criminal Case Files of Fort Smith, Arkansas, 1860-1896,» Archives.gov, https://www.archives.gov/fort-worth/finding-aids/fort-smith-case-files, accessed February 2021. 

 

Filed Under: Genealogy Records and Resources, Genealogy Tips & Best Practices, United States

About the Author

blank
Melissa - Legacy Tree Genealogists Researcher
Melissa gained a passion for genealogy research at a young age, asking for rides to the Idaho State Archives before she even had a driver’s license. She earned her Bachelor's degree in Family History-Genealogy and is an Accredited Genealogist(R) professional in the U.S Mid-South region through ICAPGen. Melissa's research focus is in the southern region of the United States, Native American, and African American heritage.

Deja una respuesta Cancelar la respuesta

Tu dirección de correo electrónico no será publicada. Los campos obligatorios están marcados con *

REQUEST A FREE QUOTE

    Popular Posts

    CATEGORIES

    SEARCH

    NEWSLETTER

    • Destacados
    • Contacto
    How to Hire a Professional Genealogist
    Terms of Use Privacy Policy

    © 2004 - 2025 Legacy Tree Genealogists. All rights reserved.

    Cookie Consent

    This site uses cookies to enhance your experience. Consent allows us to track browsing data. Opting out may affect functionality.

    Functional Siempre activo
    Storage or access necessary for enabling the use of services requested by the user, or for the sole purpose of communication over an electronic network.
    Preferences
    Storage or access necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the user.
    Statistics
    Storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
    Marketing
    Storage or access required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
    Administrar opciones Gestionar los servicios Gestionar {vendor_count} proveedores Leer más sobre estos propósitos
    Preferences
    {title} {title} {title}
    Cookie Consent

    This site uses cookies to enhance your experience. Consent allows us to track browsing data. Opting out may affect functionality.

    Functional Siempre activo
    Storage or access necessary for enabling the use of services requested by the user, or for the sole purpose of communication over an electronic network.
    Preferences
    Storage or access necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the user.
    Statistics
    Storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
    Marketing
    Storage or access required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
    Administrar opciones Gestionar los servicios Gestionar {vendor_count} proveedores Leer más sobre estos propósitos
    Preferences
    {title} {title} {title}