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James Gang stayed at Green Acres? From Marilyn Phelps My husband was born and raised in Russell Springs and we have beenin the area many times. We've done a lot of genealogical research on thePHELPS, FOLEY, ACRE, DEENER etc. lines. Our ACRE and DEENERS actuallyhad a farm right off the Old Columbia Road called Green Acresand was supposedly the site of a nights stay by the Jesse James gang whenthey robbed the Columbia Bank. Over the years, we have been down to Russell /Adair Co. and been to the old farm. The last time we went, it was hysterical. Years ago we went there -- I'm a city girl and you have to understand that the gravesites are on the hill in what is now a cow pasture. There is a beautiful big tree and the graves were around the tree, and if I remember correctly, there was a small pickett fence surrounding them. At that time there were quite a few graves -- some I knew and some I didn't. My husband's Uncle was with us and he knew who they all were, but there was Sally Acre, her father James Acre, her mother Nancy Amos Acre, John Jacob Deener, Green Acree, Nancy Carter Acree , William T. Acree (civil war stone) and many more. Pretty much, all the Acre/Acree men who stayed on in Green/Adair/Russell Co., KY were buried there. There was a second pasture down below which was farmed I believe. At any rate, it was many years before we got back there and it had changed a lot, but there were still graves, some standing up against the tree by now and some leaning over. The last time we went, like I said it was hysterical. The farm is owned now by the Boyce Stapp family (or at least it was a couple of years ago). It is situated, best of my memory, on Providence Church Road just off the Old Columbia Road, just passed the Church. We drove up the farm house and asked permission to go to the site. Now, it was pasture and lots of cows and at least one mean looking black bull. Mrs. Stapp was very gracious and walked us up through the cows and the bull who didn't want to move, curious who we were, and then wouldn't move so we could get out. Mrs. Stapp had forgotten to pick up a stick to make him move. So we waited for a while. Unfortunately there is only one stone leaning over and that is the stone for William T. Acree, Civil War veteran. The rest are broken off and sunk or trodden into the ground by that mean old bull and his girlfriends. It's such a shame to see that beautiful site go to ruin and you can't expect people to keep it up just because they own the land. Mrs. Stapp told us that the Acre/Acree property used to go way back beyond where the current farm is now. Jesse James at Columbia, KY Just the other day, were were talking back and forth about different James Brothers stories. Someone mentioned the Bank Robbery at the Bank in Columbia, KY. They were telling the story about the late 1870's the James Gang robbed a bank in Columbia, Adair, Co. One of the men,assumed to be Frank James, shot the teller at a bank there, and not being satisifed with the monies the teller had given him, dragged the teller, dying, back to the safe and forced him to open the safe before the teller died.The teller's name, who was also in local politics, is always shown as R. A. T. Martin. My own little story/tale/folklore is: Not very long ago (actually October 1999, we were visiting the Acre/Acree homeplace just off the Old Columbia Road in Russell Co., KY, just about the Adair Co. line and talked to the current owner about the Acre/Acree family, the graveyard and the old homestead that was at one time in a sort of hollow on the property. Now, I had heard this before and I have no idea how true it is, but she reiterated it to me, "the night before the James Gang robbed the bank at Columbia they came to the Acre/Acree property asking for a place to stay and fresh horses, they were kind and gracious to their hosts and much to the Acre/Acree families surprise they found out who they were the next day after the robbery. I suppose half the homes in Adair/Russell Co., Ky have that tale in their family lore. The following includes notes from an email conversation with a Jesse James researcher. The gentleman who answered my query was Phil Stewart.---- The above story was posed to Eric James of "Stray Leaves, A James Family in America ", http://www.ericjames.org/html/surnames.htm and here is the reply back to me.... My name is Phil Stewart. I am sort of the "Answer Man" on the Jesse James subject, and Eric has passed your message on to me for a reply. I'll do my best. The Columbia bank robbery took place on the morning of April 29, 1872. It is generally believed that those who committed the robbery were Jesse and Frank James, Cole Younger, and Clell Miller. I checked a few sources and found the following on the cashier: All indications are that his first name was Robert. There is a Robert A. C. Martin listed in the 1870 Kentucky census in Adair County, Columbia District, on page 52. He is listed under ID# KY013125373. I find it difficult to believe that there were two R.A.C. Martins in the same town at the same time, but I guess it is possible. Martin was shot almost immediately. As the bandits drew their pistols, he and a patron (a Judge James Garrett) began yelling "Bank Robbers!". The judge was shot in the hand. Martin was shot in the chest area. Here we come to a little bit of confusion. Most reports stated that Martin's "body" was dragged toward the vault. But they also say that he was "killed instantly". The gang never gained access to the vault. So why did they drag him over there? I don't know. Perhaps he wasn't quite dead and they wanted him to open it, as you suggested. Or maybe they were HOPING he wasn't dead. I honestly don't know. But like I said, if he WAS still alive, he either refused to open the vault or died before doing so. I have never found anything that stated which of the robbers shot Mr.Martin. In regards to your Acre/Acree story about the gang staying there the night before the robbery: The best information indicates that, on the night before the robbery, the gang stayed at a place called "Green Acres" (believe it or not!) which was just a few miles outside of Columbia. I don't know who owned the property or its exact location, but just the fact that your story's family name is "Acre" is interesting. I can't say that it is the same, but its possible. My note to Phil: One of the Acre descendants was a Green Acre who is buried on that farm. He was born about 1817 in Wayne Co., KY and died and is buried on the farm. I believe he died after 1870 as he is in the 1870 census. I haven't really done any research on him, but think the coincidence is amazing. His son William T. Acre b: 1841 and a Civil War Veteran has the only standing stone left in the family graveyard. The rest have been trampled by cows. Next time I am in that area, I'm going to check with some older folks and see if that was ever called Green Acres. A lot of other Acre and Acree folks are buried there including our great great grandfather, James E. Acre and his daughter Sally's husband, John Jacob Crittendon Deener. His response: It sounds like you're probably on the right track. It has been more than 125 years, and it is no stretch of the imagination to think that the original "farm of Green Acre" became known as the "Green Acres farm". I agree that the coincidence is just to amazing time . If a reporter had asked at that time "Where did they stay?" and someone said "Over at Green Acre's ",it could easily be taken as Green Acres farm. You know what I mean.? 'Phil' Contributed by Marilyn Phelps, wife of Leo J. Phelps, grandson of Lera E. Deener, gr grandson of James Acre and gr gr grandson of Sarah Acre all who lived in Adair and Russell. They were originally from Maryland, North Carolina and came into Wayne Co., in the very early 1800's. Best we can tell they came to Adair/Russell sometime in the 1830's after the patriarch and his son (their father) died. This story was posted on 2004-07-04 18:39:12
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