Nicholas Porter Earp facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Nicholas Porter Earp
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| Born | September 6, 1813 Lincoln County, North Carolina, United States
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| Died | February 12, 1907 (aged 93) Sawtelle, California, United States
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| Occupation | Soldier, farmer, cooper, constable, bootlegger, wagon-Master, teacher |
| Spouse(s) | Abigail Storm, Virginia Cooksey, Annie Elizabeth Cadd |
| Children | Newton, Mariah Ann, James, Virgil, Martha, Wyatt, Morgan, Warren, Virginia Ann, and Adelia Douglas Earp |
| Parent(s) | Walter Cooksey Earp and Martha Ann Early |
Nicholas Porter Earp (born September 6, 1813 – died February 12, 1907) was an important figure in the American Old West. He was the father of famous lawmen like Virgil, Wyatt, and Morgan. Nicholas had many different jobs throughout his life. He was a farmer, a barrel maker, a constable (like a police officer), a wagon train leader, and even a teacher. He also served as a justice of the peace, which meant he could handle some legal matters.
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Nicholas Earp's Early Life and Military Service
Nicholas Earp was born in Lincoln County, North Carolina. His parents were Walter Earp and Martha Ann Early. The Earp family originally came from England and Scotland. The first Earp to arrive in America came from Ireland in 1674. Nicholas was named after a judge from Kentucky.
His father, Walter Earp, was born in Maryland in 1787. He later became a school teacher and a Justice of the Peace in Illinois. Nicholas's mother, Martha Ann Early, was born in North Carolina in 1790. Nicholas was the third of ten children in his family.
When Nicholas was very young, his family moved from Virginia to Hartford, Kentucky. He grew up there. As a young man, Nicholas served in two wars. He fought in the Black Hawk War in 1831. Later, he was a sergeant in the Mexican–American War. During this war, he served under a captain named Wyatt Berry Stapp, whom he greatly admired.
Nicholas Earp's Marriages and Children
Nicholas first wanted to become a lawyer, like his father. He moved his law practice and family from North Carolina to Kentucky. There, he also started farming and working as a barrel maker and sheriff.
In 1845, Nicholas, his wife Virginia, and their children moved from Kentucky to Illinois. They settled in Monmouth. In 1847, Nicholas was injured by a mule while serving in the military. Four months later, his son Wyatt was born. Nicholas named him after his respected captain, Wyatt Berry Stapp.
Nicholas married Abigail Storm on December 22, 1836, in Hartford, Kentucky. They had two children:
- Newton Jasper Earp (born 1837 – died 1928)
- Mariah Ann Earp (born and died 1839)
After Abigail passed away, Nicholas married Virginia Ann Cooksey on July 30, 1840, in Hartford, Kentucky. They had eight children together:
- James Cooksey Earp (born 1841 – died 1926)
- Virgil Walter Earp (born 1843 – died 1905)
- Martha Elizabeth Earp (born 1845 – died 1856)
- Wyatt Berry Stapp Earp (born 1848 – died 1929)
- Morgan Seth Earp (born 1851 – died 1882)
- Baxter Warren Earp (born 1855 – died 1900)
- Virginia Ann Earp (born 1858 – died 1861)
- Adelia Douglas Earp (born 1861 – died 1941)
Nicholas Earp's Moves and Occupations
In March 1849, Nicholas Earp planned a trip to California. He wanted to find good farmland, not gold. He decided to move his family to San Bernardino County. However, their daughter Martha became ill and passed away. Because of this, Nicholas changed his plans and moved his family to Pella, Iowa, instead.
Their new farm in Iowa was about 160 acres. After eight years, Nicholas sold the farm in 1856. The family then moved back to Monmouth, Illinois. Nicholas found it hard to find work as a barrel maker or farmer there.
Nicholas was elected as the town constable, a job he held for about three years. In 1859, he faced some legal trouble and financial difficulties, which led to him selling his property. Soon after, the Earps left Monmouth and returned to Pella, Iowa. Nicholas often traveled back to Monmouth to sort out his property sales and deal with some debts.
Nicholas Earp's Civil War Service
During the American Civil War, Nicholas Earp worked in Pella, Iowa. He was a United States Provost Marshal, helping to recruit soldiers for the Union Army.
His sons Newton, James, and Virgil joined the Union Army in 1861. While their father was busy recruiting, Wyatt and his younger brothers, Morgan and Warren, were left to take care of the family's corn crop. Wyatt was only 13 years old, too young to join the army. He tried to run away and enlist several times, but his father always found him and brought him home.
James was badly wounded in Missouri and returned home in 1863. Newton and Virgil fought in several battles before coming home after the war.
Leading a Wagon Train to California
On May 12, 1864, Nicholas Earp was hired to lead a wagon train to California. The Earp family, including Wyatt, Jim, Morgan, Warren, and Adelia, were part of this group. Three other families from Pella joined them, and seven more wagons joined along the way.
Some people traveling with Nicholas found him to be a very strict leader who didn't like being questioned. One traveler wrote in her diary that Nicholas would get very angry and use strong language if people talked back to him. She also noted that he was very firm about how children should behave and expected parents to discipline them. He even said he would discipline the children himself if their parents didn't.
Settling in California and Later Life
The wagon train arrived in San Bernardino, California, on December 17, 1864. Nicholas rented a farm near the Santa Ana River.
In the next year, Virgil got a job driving a freight wagon and took Wyatt with him. They later worked for the Union Pacific Railroad, which was building the first transcontinental railroad. Jim and Morgan also left the family to work in mining towns.
Around 1868, Nicholas, Virginia, Morgan, Warren, and Adelia moved back to the Midwest, to Lamar, Missouri. Nicholas became the local constable there. By 1869, he resigned to become a Justice of the Peace. Wyatt, who had followed them to Missouri, was then appointed constable in his father's place.
Before 1880, Nicholas and Virginia Earp moved back to San Bernardino County, California. Nicholas was recorded as a farmer. He also helped start the San Bernardino Society of California Pioneers.
Nicholas Earp's Third Marriage and Death
After Virginia passed away in 1893, Nicholas, who was 80 years old, married Annie Elizabeth Cadd. She was 50 years old and had been born in England. Annie passed away in 1931 and is buried near Virginia Earp in San Bernardino.
Nicholas Earp died on February 12, 1907, at The Soldier's Home in Sawtelle, California. He was buried in the Los Angeles National Cemetery. Nicholas had lived a long life and outlived six of his ten children.
Nicholas Earp's Famous Children
Three of Nicholas's sons—Virgil, Wyatt, and Morgan—became well-known lawmen. They were famous for their part in the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral.
Newton Earp
Newton married Nancy Jane Adam. They had five children together.
James Earp
James joined the Union Army during the American Civil War. He was wounded in 1861 and lost the use of his left arm. He was discharged from the army in 1863. James married Nellie "Bessie" Ketchum in 1873. He worked briefly as a deputy marshal in Dodge City, Kansas. In 1879, he and Nellie moved to Tombstone, Arizona, to join his brothers Wyatt and Virgil. James was not present at the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral in 1881.
After his brother Virgil was ambushed and badly wounded, and his brother Morgan was killed, James helped take Morgan's body to the family home in California. James later lived in Idaho before settling permanently in California. He died of natural causes in San Bernardino, California, in 1926.
Virgil Earp
Virgil ran away at age sixteen and married Magdalena C. "Ellen" Rysdam. They were together for a year, and their daughter Nellie was born shortly before Virgil joined the Union Army in the Civil War. During the war, Ellen was told that Virgil had been killed, so she remarried and moved away.
Virgil was discharged from the military in 1865 but could not find Ellen. Five years later, he married Rosella Dragoo in Missouri. His father, Nicholas Earp, performed the wedding. Later, Virgil met Alvira "Allie" Sullivan, and they stayed together for the rest of his life, though they never officially married.
In 1879, Virgil was appointed Deputy U.S. Marshal for a part of Arizona. He was sent to Tombstone to help deal with problems caused by outlaws known as the Cowboys. In 1880, Virgil became both the Tombstone town marshal and a Deputy U.S. Marshal. While holding these jobs, Virgil, his brothers Wyatt and Morgan, and Doc Holliday faced the Cowboys in a famous shootout on Fremont Street. Virgil was shot in the leg during the fight. He was later cleared of any wrongdoing, but his reputation was affected.
In December 1881, Virgil was ambushed and shot from behind. He was seriously wounded in his back and left arm, which left his arm permanently injured. In 1898, Virgil was surprised to receive a letter from his long-lost daughter, Nellie, whom he visited in Oregon.
Wyatt Earp
Wyatt was married three times. His first wife passed away less than a year after they married. Wyatt had many different jobs, including gambler, lawman, buffalo hunter, saloon owner, miner, and boxing referee. He arrived in Tombstone, Arizona, in 1879 with his brothers Virgil and Morgan. They became involved in a conflict with outlaw Cowboys, which led to the famous shootout known as the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral in 1881.
Wyatt became known as a sportsman and a gambler. He often felt that the constant attention and controversy that followed him were a burden. He once wrote that "notoriety had been the bane of my life."
Morgan Earp
Morgan joined his brothers Virgil and Wyatt in Tombstone, Arizona, in 1879. He was part of the conflict between the Earp lawmen and the outlaw Cowboys. He took part in the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral and was wounded during the fight. He was accused of murder, but a judge later ruled that the Earps had acted within the law.
On March 18, 1882, Morgan was ambushed and killed. He was playing billiards when someone shot him through a window. Morgan was hit in his right side and died within an hour.
Adelia Earp
Adelia married William Thomas Edwards in Kansas in 1877. William Edwards passed away in California in 1919. Adelia and William had three children:
- Nicholas Edwards
- Estelle Josphine Edwards
- Mary Virginia Edwards
Images for kids
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James Earp
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Virgil Earp
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Wyatt Earp
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Morgan Earp
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Warren Earp
