I promised to get back to the Rouseys and finish their story, you can catch the first and second installments here and here.
The last seven offspring of Jordan Rousey Sr. starts with Smith Rousey, born in 1841, in Lincoln County, Kentucky. He married Eliza Jane Haley the fall of 1861, the first of their three children, Amanda was three years old. Smith served for the Union, Company I of 8th Regiment, Kentucky Cavalry. When he returned in 1863 he took up the outlaw life with his brothers.
His wife never remarried and died in 1927, still in Kentucky. The children moved away as far as Texas and the outlaw ways died with Smith.
Jordan Rousey Jr was born on September 1, 1841. I have no indication he and Smith were twins although they share the same birth year, I can only assume Smith was likely born in 1840. He was married three times, the first was to Nancy Goode, February 1864, they had no children. In February of 1866, he married Elizabeth Pendergraft, they had eight children. In March of 1881, he married Narcissa Laws the second wife of my 2X great grandfather, F Harrison Burger. Jordan served with his brother in the 8th Regiment, Kentucky Cavalry. Eventually, Jordan moved his family to Illinois.
April of 1845 Jordan Rousey Sr married his second wife Nancy Curry and started a second family. Their first child Rod Patrick Camden "Cam" Rousey was born on July 28, 1845, in Lincoln County Kentucky, In July of 1864, he married Nancy Jane Vaught. They had six children, the last one, a daughter born about a month before “Cam” was killed.
He served with the Union in Company B of the 13th Kentucky Cavalry. After he returned home he farmed and ran the general store in Milledgeville, Kentucky. But, he also ran with his brother Smith in the family outlaw gang.
After Smith was killed and the Governor of Kentucky drove the Regulators out, Cam stopped drinking and picking fights. That lasted a few years and then he started drinking again.
Thomas Rousey was born in 1847 and was murdered on February 12, 1861. He was ambushed and murdered while returning from Sunday School with his sister. The Bridgewater gang was responsible. His sister Malinda age 11, was also injured. The Bridgewater gang were also real outlaws and several members of the gang were convicted of murder, just not for this murder.
The last of Jordan Rousey Sr’s children, Archelaus “Arch” Rousey born in1852. He was killed in February of 1880 in an altercation over a couple of stolen horses.
SH00T1STS. Latest From the Huston vllle Seat of War. Special to the Star. Hustonville, Feb. 24. Samuel Williams, wounded in a difficulty here Saturday night, is suffering severely; his wound is not considered fatal. Clay Powell is doing well and is not considered dangerously hurt Arch Rousey was carried to the home of his brother, Com. Rousey, in Cal sey Count', yesterday, over a very bad road, by a number of his relatives and friends. He is regarded us fatally injured, and beyond the hope of recovery. County Attorney W. H. Miller went to Casey County and took his dying declaration, which differs very materially from the statements of Powell and Williams. Powell and Williams are both in . custody, but not able to attend a trial, which will be postponed until they are better, and it is determined whether or not Rousey will recover. SPORTING
Arch died a week later, his last words were to stop the feuds and drinking. The men who shot him were acquitted.
This isn’t quite the end of the outlaw Rousey’s a couple of the grandchildren took up the outlaw life.
George W Rousey son of George Rousey was born 1850 in Parkville, Kentucky. He was murdered in October 1884, he left a wife and seven children.
MURDERED. Parkville, Ky., October 15. George W. . Rousey was shot from ambush a half, mile from this place about 8 o'clock j'esterday morning and instantly killed. Rousey was hauling posts, and when about half way down a high knob above this town he was shot by some unknown individual, one shot taking effect in the left breast, the other in the back. Either shot would have resulted fatally. Coroner W. P. Withrow was sent for, who summoned a jury. They rendered a verdict that George W. Rousey came to his death by gunshot wounds inflicted by some unknown person or persons. It will be remembered that George Rousey is a son of John Rousey, who killed John Lamb some years since. Afterward George Rousey shot Jasper Shearin, brother, of John Lamb, killing him instantly. John Rousey was acquitted and George Rousey has had two trials, each time the jury failing to agree. It would take much space to name the Rouseys who have met a similar fate, and it seems that such affairs will never cease until the l'ace becomes extinct George Rousev was a stout, robust fellow, about thirty-five years old, and had been considered a brave man until he was accused of waylaying Jasper Shealan and killing him. Since then some parties have doubted his bravery. Deputy Sheriff Bailey arrested McGinnis on circumstantial evidence this afternoon. McGinnis is an own cousin of Rousey. James Shearin is also implicated and will be arrested to-morrow. The people are ' wild with excitement, as the village is noted for quietude and law-abiding people reside here. McGinnis will be tried to-morrow. All parties concerned are relatives.
William Rousey, George’s brother was born in 1871, was married and the father of eight children and still followed the outlaw life. He was so good at evading the law he became legend. He had also worked for the Rail Road and was adept at hitching rides leasing the authorities all over the country.
TELEPATHY William Rousey One Who Scents Danger From Afar, to Get Release From Penitentiary on Parole. Saws Out of Jail and Tells of Capture. BLOOD MARKS FAMILY TRAIL. In a recent special from Frankfort to the Courier-Journal, Ar-urrie fchnrrai) wiites errtertamHif- ly about a member of a family noted in these parts for its many fights and feuds, all of whom died with their boots on. He says : The man with the sixth sense, who knows from intuition that he is being chased, is to be released from the penitentiary on parole. His name is William Rousey and he is serving a sentence of twenty-one years, having been convicted in Boyle county of manslaughter for the shooting of one Mastin. The killing was a neighborhood feud and bth men were using revolvers when the fatal shot was fired. .Rousey comes of a noted family. His grandfather had seven sons. Of the seven only one met a natural death, the others being sent into eternity by bullet or knife wounds. All of the seven are dead, the last, Micajah Rousey having been killed at Junction City by the marshal Will Rousey is a nephew of Micajah Rousey. He has another cousin in the prison at Frankfort who was convicted of killing an old man named Kiser in the court house at Danville. Saws Out of Jail. After Will Rousey had been convicted and sentenced to the penitentiary, he appealed his case to the Court of Appeals. While this appeal was pending, he broke jail at Danville, sawing the bars in two and getting away. 1 he man who escaped with, him was captured, but Rou sey seemed to have been swallowed up. He was a member of the Railway Trainmen's Union and carried a card which would pass him on any railroad in the country. In this way he was enabled to make quick jumps about the country. Walter Fitzgerald was jailer of Boyle county and he and Tom 1 lelm, then Chief of Police, went after Rousey. Mouths passed and the people had forgotten that such a man as Rousey existed. More than a year after Rousey "s escape he was arrested in a small town 111 southern California lie was brought back and when the Court of, - Appeals affirmed his case he was brought to the penitentiary here. During the year that passed after his escape Helm was on the trail of Rousey and twice was within two hours of him, reaching a town only that length of time after Rousey hau gone. The chase was from Illinois to Southern Arkansas and back four times and then across Texas and New Mexico into California. Faliure to Obey Warning. During this time Rousey never had positive information that anybody was after him. He received warnings in some mysterious way. He says something told him that Tom Helm was after him and would come to tht town in which he happened to be at that time. As soon as this feeling came upon him, without questioning it, Rousey would leave. On the day before he was arrested, Rousey said, he was sitting by the railroad track in the yards where he was employed. He said the old feeling which said to him plainly: "Tom Helm is coining here after you," came over him. He said he went at once to the foreman of the yard and asked for his pay and also for a pass to Canada. . This was on Thursday. The foreman persuaded Rousey to wait until Sat-urady and work the week ouj. The failure to obey the warning caused Rousey to be caught just at the edge of what would have been safety and he went to the penitentiary, where he has made a good record. Whether it was instinct or what that gave him the warnings when he was a fugitive nobody knows, least of all Rousey. He undoubtedly had warning of some sort and he led the officers a merry ami long chase by reason of this.
This was the last of the outlaws. A tribute of sorts or a cautionary tale was published in the Atlanta Constitution before the end of William’s adventures in 1908.
More than fifty years of bloodshed, widows and fatherless children spanning three generations. Finally, in the first decade of the twentieth century, it came to an end, the Knobs and the hollows were quiet.