Jesse James, Frank James, and Bill Samuels Junior: How the Maker's Mark Founding Family is Connected to the Most Famous Outlaws in the West
Yet Another Mark in History:
I recently wrote about the intersection of historical events and attempted to prove just how little we, as human beings (who are in possession of limited comprehension), actually understand concepts of time and history. An example I used, which both whiskey enthusiasts and those who find American history fascinating might enjoy, involved the year in which John Samuels, the ancestor of Maker’s Mark founder, Bill Samuels, immigrated to America and that specific year’s connection to the Queen Anne’s War.
While I recommend that anyone who is interested read the full story here, here’s a simple summary to catch you up:
In 1713, the year that John Samuels moved to the America from Scotland, a peace treaty in America was finally being signed, temporarily ceasing hostilities between England, France, and Spain after a decade’s long conflict known officially as Queen Anne’s War. This, in itself, is noteworthy, because the peaceful resolution achieved likely helped create a better, more welcoming environment for the incoming Scottish immigrants, allowing them a chance to begin their new lives on new soil without the added stresses of war. While there is no evidence that proves John Samuels being a distiller himself, this momentary peace in America very well could have played a minor role in the Samuels family’s eventual interest of whiskey a generation or two later, simply by allowing time for John to plant roots and begin to assimilate to a new American life while keeping a close hold on his Scottish heritage.
To add more historical intersections, which are likely of interest for the South Carolinian’s reading, I also mentioned that the Queen Anne’s War saw both the Carolina attack on Spanish controlled, St. Augustine (and subsequent burning of the Floridian city) and the successful defense of Charles Town Harbor from a combined attack by French and Spanish soldiers— noted to be one of the most successful city defenses in military history.
The point of the article was not to highlight the exploits of war— which proved to be both positive and negative for the region known then as Carolina— but to provide examples that proved the complex spider’s web that history is. The interconnection between seemingly distant or unrelated events creates a new perspective of written history. When points on a timeline are viewed as more than just added annotations describing facts of the past, but rather as actual events that affected and changed other important events (some of which involve us directly), history no longer sleeps within in dust-covered textbooks. Instead, it wakes up and rises from the pages.
To continue this trend, it seems fitting to keep our focus on Maker’s Mark and the Samuels family— especially considering that we’ve only just barely touched the incredible historical relevance their genealogy holds.
As far as the family is concerned, it’s been made clear in my previous articles (those written for Words & Whiskey and those written while I served as President of the Gamecock Bourbon Society) and in the national brand recognition of Maker’s Mark that the Samuels family have not only created a successful bourbon, but more than that, they’ve etched their name into whiskey history— with each family member, adding more to that legacy.
What’s less known though is the Samuels family’s connection to American History as a whole— not simply the whiskey side of it, and not just the law-abiding side of it.
Welcome to the Wild Wild West
1866, a year after General Robert E. Lee made his surrender at Appomattox Court House in Virginia, a couple of former Confederate guerrilla fighters, started a historical legacy that would effectively make them immortal. On February 13th, in the small town of Liberty, Missouri, brothers Jesse and Frank James, along with 8 other men, robbed their first bank. What would follow is a notorious career of stagecoach stick-ups, train heists, and other robberies that would plagued small towns of the American West, and create bonafide criminal legends.
Their names are still well known to this day thanks in part to the obsessed writing of journalists of the time (and writers since then too). Due to the entertaining novelty of the western outlaw, writer’s began to foster a rather unhealthy infatuation with the crimes and exploits of the brothers, pushing the narrative with exaggerated facts and misleading motives. In these write-ups about Jesse and Frank, there was clear indication that the two were somewhat sympathetic figures, accepting their role as outlaws only out of necessity due to persecution in the post-war era for being former confederate soldiers. This suggestion, whether fully fabricated or partially true, compelled southern loyalist to adopt the brothers as important frontier anti-heroes who were viewed with a skewed sense of respect, despite their illegal deeds. This reinforced a romantic vision of the western outlaw as a whole, which captured the public’s attention and made the young men larger than life figures.
After what could be seen as a rather lengthy and successful criminal career, America’s most famous outlaws finally saw their luck run out. The botched bank robbery attempt in Northfield, Minnesota, would be marked as the beginning of the end for the James brothers.
The story of the Northfield Raid is one that is every bit as fascinating as the notorious criminal exploits of the James gang. While many would assume that Jesse and Frank’s success would eventually falter due to the contributions of famed lawmen like Wyatt Earp or Pat Garrett, in reality, it was the work of “a bunch of Minnesota farmers and storekeepers,” that would win the first major victory over Jesse and Frank.
The infamous raid conducted by the community of Northfield not only acted as a successful defense against the outlaws, stopping their elaborate robbery attempt and killing or capturing the entire gang outside of the two brothers, but it also resulted in the largest manhunt in history (at that time)— indicating that the James brother’s celebrity status was reaching meteoric highs, and that perhaps, the law abiding citizens who had been plagued by the James gang sensed blood in the water and was ready to deal a finishing blow.
After their escape, the brothers laid low for a time, recruiting new gang members and avoiding the manhunt. Eventually though, Jesse and Frank were poised to make a return to their criminal ways, and re-take the former glory that had been partially stolen from them back in Northfield. Even with a new gang in tow, it was clear that the events that transpired in Minnesota made the brother’s vulnerable— they were no longer seen as untouchable; the simple farmers of Northfield proved that they could be stopped.
Money Killed Jesse James
In 1881, Governor of Missouri, Thomas Crittenden posted a $10,000 reward to the person who brought in the James brothers dead or alive. He also made an assurance that in the event that they were murdered, the person responsible would find legal immunity.
At the end, the life of Jesse James would be decided by that Governor’s offer of money, as Robert Ford, who was the brother of Charles Ford, a member of Jesse’s new gang, shot the outlaw in the back of the head as he stood, unarmed in his own home. Ford would claim the reward, and would actually be tried, convicted, and sentenced to death for the murder of Jesse James, but was saved by Gov. Crittenden’s pardon, as promised.
After his brothers death, Frank James decided to give himself up. He would be tried 3 separate times, in 2 different states for various charges, and in each case, he would be found not-guilty. Frank’s resolution to lead a life of peace after losing Jesse was realized, thanks in part to Jesse’s assassin, Robert Ford, being killed himself by someone who saw the murder of Jesse James as one of cowardly betrayal. Edward Capeheart O’Kelley, the man who avenged James would received clemency and walk without penalty, another indication that Jesse James, despite his criminal behavior was considered somewhat of a hero.
Frank managed to overcome the loss of his brother, turned his back on his criminal ways and spent the remaining years of his life in his family’s home, eventually passing peacefully in 1915, in the same room he was born in. it has since been suggested that Frank, even in the gang’s heyday, was a much gentler spirit than his brother, and had a genuine kindness about him.
Bill Samuels Sr. Ignites the Spark
4 years before Frank James took his last breath, and while he still enjoyed his time on the family farm as a free man, Taylor William IV, was born. The man who would later be known simply as Bill, inherited a family heirloom that was in reality, more of a priceless historic relic than anything else: an original 170-year-old family bourbon recipe. Despite the storied history of the recipe, Bill knew what he liked and he knew what he didn’t; claiming that the Samuels family mash bill had a harshness to it, something that he resolved to fix.
There’s plenty to admire about Bill Samuels but perhaps his most admirable trait is his conviction to uphold the quality of taste no matter what— even if it meant giving up a family tradition in pursuit of making his product the best it could be.
To prove his dedication to taste, Bill set fire to the century-old family recipe, completely burning it as both a physical and metaphorical announcement that there was no turning back. Like the fantastic tales of seaside vessels being destroyed by their own captains to force the seaman to accomplish the mission at hand with no option for retreat, Bill left himself no backup plan; either he would make a better tasting recipe or he’d end up with nothing.
To his credit, his boldness paid off and the recipe that would soon be known as Maker’s Mark Whisky was created, becoming a national hit thanks in part to his own high wheat mash bill and his wife Margie’s marketing genius. Sine then, Maker’s Mark has held firm as an iconic Kentucky staple, proving that sometimes it pays to retire tradition, and even— although many would argue that he made a huge mistake burning the recipe instead of just sealing it away— if that means leaving an important heirloom in the past.
Bill Samuels Jr. Fans the Flames, But Protects the History
Bill’s son, Bill Samuels Jr. would inherit his recipe, Maker’s Mark Distillery, and most importantly, his passion for the taste of bourbon. One thing that was not passed down though, was the near-flippant feelings towards historical relics— which is good news for those who treasure the outlaw exploits of the James brothers as much as they do bourbon.
In July of 1865, after the Civil War ended, Jesse and Frank James spent a day of refuge at the Samuels Family General Store in Samuels Depot, Kentucky. The next day, the 2 former guerrilla fighters of the confederate army officially surrendered to the Union.
While this surrender was before the two men robbed their first bank (and years before they’d reach their eventual celebrity status as outlaws), this moment was a historical event in itself. Not only were these the final pardons issued after the Civil War’s official end, but it was the exaggerated depictions of how the brother’s were treated after their surrender that helped propel the narrative of romanticized sympathy that would garner southern support and give them their celebrity status. While I noted before that over-enamored writers who were trying to sensationalize the brother’s exploits were mostly to blame for their rise to notoriety, Jesse and Frank certainly played into the role well, claiming that their misdeeds were justified since they experienced persecution as former rebels.
Bill Jr.’s great-great grandfather was known for playing important roles in two historic events. First, in 1844, T.W. Samuels took his ancestor’s appreciation for whiskey a step further by becoming the first Samuels to open a commercial bourbon distillery. His namesake product “T.W. Samuels Straight Bourbon Whiskey” found sustained success remained in production for just over 100 years. This accomplishment would prove to be important for Bill Sr., as it was this successful venture into commercial whiskey that not only inspired his dream of opening his own distillery, but it was T.W. Samuels’ recipe that went up in flames, giving birth to Maker’s Mark as a result.
Two decades later, while serving as the sheriff of Samuels Depot, in Nelson County, T.W. Samuels arranged the military surrender of Jesse and Frank James, which took place (believe it or not) outside of the Samuels family home (now a historic landmark known simply as the “Samuels House”). T.W.’s daughter, who was Bill Jr.’s great-great Aunt, Ora Samuels, was only 6-years-old when the James brother’s visited the family store, but she remembered it well and spoke about it often. Bill Jr. mentioned that his aunt would retell the story many times to him while he was in her care, as his father worked in the newly established Maker’s Mark distillery.
Her cherished memories of this event passed down to him, making a lasting impression and ensuring a continued value of family history and an appreciation of the artifacts that had been passed down. Of these, perhaps none were more special to Bill Jr. than Frank James’ .36-caliber 1851 Navy Colt cap-and-ball revolver that Ora gave to a 13-year-old Bill Jr. before she died at the remarkable age of 94. The gun now resides as a treasured family link to the past in the “Heritage Room” of the Maker’s Mark Distillery, along with the official pardon for Frank James, issued by the Union for his involvement in the confederacy.
Historical Intersections Make for Great Stories
It’s astounding to see the many intersections of history. When events, heroes, and villains alike, crossover in unlikely ways, the point is proven that fact is always stranger than fiction, and that the story of bourbon is more complex and intriguing than just the distillation of corn into barrel-aged whiskey.
As can be seen many times over with the Samuels family, famous names can have unexpected ties— some of which not only crucial moments of American History, but sometimes, as is the case with the Samuels family and the James gang, those ties make for some riveting stories as well.
Special thanks to Thomas Moore for suggesting this topic.