A biographical sketch of Dr Reuben Samuel was published in the Kearney, Missouri "Moniter"
on December 15, 1890. It reads as follows: "Reuben Samuels was born in Owen Co. KY, 2 1/2 miles east of New Liberty, 12 Jan 1829. He worked on his father's farm until he was 20 years old when he came with his father to Missouri, landing at Blue Mills in 1849. In 1850 he returned to Kentucky, read medicine and in the winter of 1850-51 he attended Ohio Medical College in Cincinnati. He came again to Missouri in 1852 and practiced medicine at Liberty 2 years. In the
spring of 1854 he went to Greenville and established an office in the store of William James.
About this time, Mrs. Robert James, then a widow, moved to Greenville and Dr. Samuels boarded with her. The young widow was good looking and quite lively, and he soon was inspired with a desire to be a father to her two boys Frank and Jesse, then 12 and 7 years old. He went to Kansas, however, and located at a point called Springfield, but later returned and he and Mrs.
James were married. When the war broke out, he espoused the Southern cause, but remained at home giving bond for his good conduct. He was, however, subjected to many indignities and persecutions because of his sympathies and because Frank, his stepson, after being arrested several times, had gone off with Quantrell. He is still living." As recorded in the above article Reuben and Zerelda James became acquainted when he boarded in her home in Greenville,
Missouri. Also, the Samuel farm owned by his father and stepmother was only about one mile from the James farm, located east of Kearney, Missouri, so it is reasonable to assume that they probably had at least an acquaintance previous to that time. Zerelda's first husband, Robert James
died in 1850, and her second husband, Benjamin Simms had been killed in an accident. It is said that Reuben "fell in love with the beautiful and very lively widow James" and they were married in 1855. By all accounts it was a very happy and successful union that lasted over 50 years.
Zerelda's children, 12 year old Frank, 8 year old Jesse, and 6 year old Susan had great love, affection, and respect for their new stepfather. One incident recorded in the book, "Jesse and Frank James, The Family History" written by Phillip W. Steele, that happened at the Sameul/James farm is memorable and tragic. In May of 1863, a regiment of Federal militia came to the farm looking for information on the whereabouts of Frank James who had become a member of Quantrill's border guerrilla forces and the Confederate guerrilla camps. The soldiers took Reuben behind the farmhouse, where the Federal troops put a rope around his neck and threw it over a limb of a large tree. They then threatened to hang Reuben if he didn't give them the desired information. Reuben refused and was hanged for a few minutes, then released.
Repeatedly, the soldiers hanged and revived Reuben, who stalwartly kept his silence until the Union soldiers gave up, leaving Reuben hanging from the tree. The soldiers then found young Jesse plowing the fields nearby and surrounded him. They demanded information from him about his brother Frank, but Jesse also refused to reveal anything about his brother. The soldiers then severely whipped Jesse and rode away leaving him lying bloody and battered in the field.
Half crawling back to the farmhouse, he found his mother desparately trying to revive her husband, while Jesse's sister Susan and half-sister Sarah and half-brother John T. looked on. The tragic events of that day created such a hatred in young Jesse, who was not yet sixteen years old,
that he left home to find his brother Frank and joined Quantrill's guerrilla forces. Reuben did not die from his hanging by Federal troops on that day, but his brain was deprived of oxygen for so long during the episode that his mind was affected. He never did recover enough to practice
medicine on a regular basis. To escape the ravages of war throughout the border country around their Missouri farm, Zerelda took her ailing husband and children to Rulo, Nebraska for the remainder of the war, when they then returned to their Clay County, Missouri home near Kearney. Reuben was the only father the James children ever really knew, and by virtue of the love and kindness shown to them all and because of the courage and loyalty shown by his
willingness to give his own life rather than betray his stepson, Dr. Samuel was "revered" by the James boys. An article that appeared in the "Liberty Tribune" dated August 15, 1890 reads as follows: "Dr. Reuben Samuels, husband of the mother of Frank and Jesse James, is one of the best housekeepers in Missouri. He can cook, bake, wash, and iron. He always gets the breakfast and supper and Mrs. Samuels prepares dinner. There is no cleaner house in Missouri."