The gang managed to get away, and their reputation as a dangerous band of criminals grew. Kate (Ma) Barker (ne Clark October 8, 1873 January 16, 1935), better known as Ma Barker, and sometimes as Arizona Barker, was the mother of several criminals who ran the Barker gang during the public enemy era, when the exploits of gangs of criminals in the U.S. Midwest gripped the American pe . Most viewed outlaws with fear, but to many poor folks they represented the idea of the commoner taking a piece of the pie, and they became underdog heroes (via Mental Floss). Barker-Karpis Gang member Alvin Karpis who knew her quite well paints a different picture, describing her as "an old-fashioned homebody from the Ozarks superstitious, gullible, simple, cantankerous, and, well, generally law-abiding" (via theToronto Sun). She had no job, all her sons were in jail, and her husband was gone. A moment in time - Ocala The Barker gang is rooted in the family of Arizona "Ma" Clark Barker (1873?-1935) and her four sons, Herman (1894-1927), Lloyd (1896-1949), Arthur "Dock" (1899-1939), and Fred (1902-35). The house was moved from original site to Carney Island Recreation and Conservation Area in Ocklawaha. So stick around, see. The house is currently listed as off-market. Compare DNA and explore genealogy for William Barker Sr born 1646 Andover, Essex County, Massachusetts died 1718 Andover, Essex County, Massachusetts including parents + descendants + 2 photos + DNA connections + more in the free family tree community. The agents ordered them to surrender, but Fred opened fire; both he and his mother were killed by federal agents after an intense, hours-long shootout. We encourage you to research and examine these records to determine their . Per the Joplin Globe, the Barker boys were known as the town criminals while still school-aged. Barker's older brothers Herman, Lloyd and Arthur were committing crimes throughout his childhood, belonging to a gang of local delinquent youths called the Central Park Gang. In June, the Barker-Karpis Gang abducted William Hamm Jr., president of the Hamm Brewery Company, demanding a hefty ransom for his release. Ma Barker, shown here sitting with her friend Arthur Dunlop, died at age 61 in a shootout with the FBI. We collect and match historical records that Ancestry users have contributed to their family trees to create each person's profile. The two-story wood frame house in rural Ocklawaha, 62 miles . A wanted poster issued at this time offered $100 reward for the capture of "Old Lady Arrie Barker" as an accomplice. While in Washington, his father fell from a tower and sustained an injury which resulted in his death in 1929. Douglaston, NY, Marjorie Joanna Porter, b. The red-haired, plump Kate Barker was always something of a spitfire. Kate Barker's parents, Emeline and John Clark, were Scottish-Irish immigrants just trying to work their small farm and make ends meet, according to authors Chris Enss and Howard Kazanjian in their book "Ma Barker," Kate adored her father, but he died when she was just 7, and her mother remarried. Feeling the heat, the gang left St. Paul and returned to Chicago, where they tried to launder the ransom money. This tragedy took a toll on both Kate and George Barker - but they handled it differently. Bloody Mama (1970) - IMDb July 26, 1932 Fred Barker, Karpis (with an augmented gang) robbed Cloud County bank at. On January 8, they caught up to Arthur Barker in Chicago and arrested him (per the FBI). (pp. [10] Gunfire from the house finally stopped, and the FBI ordered local estate handyman Willie Woodbury to enter the house wearing a bulletproof vest. Eunice Barker was born on 2 (4) 1642 in Rowley. "We'd leave her at home when we were arranging a job, or we'd send her to a movie. From 1916 to 1919, he was at the Crystal Springs Water Co. PDF Barker family Tree All four of Kate Barker's sons spent a good amount of time incarcerated throughout their lives. 12 0 obj FBI reports describe George Barker as more or less shiftless and note that the couple lived in poverty. Here is the Harker family tree. City, State. Ma Barker and her four sons terrorize the 1930s South and Midwest with a string of kidnappings, robberies and murders, and even get to work with such famous criminals as John Dillinger and Baby Face Nelson. FBI agents discovered the hideout of Barker and her son Fred after Arthur was arrested in Chicago on January 8, 1935. Anderson', she rented houses, paid bills, shopped, and did household errands. Ash Grove, Greene County, MO, United States. On September 14, 1892, 18-year-old Kate Clark married George Barker, 10 years her senior, which was concerning to her parents. William Barker Sr (1646-1718) | WikiTree FREE Family Tree From 1928 to 1930, Ma lived in "miserable poverty" in a "dirt-floor shack" with no husband and no job, while all her sons were in jail. In 1892, she married George Barker in Lawrence County, Missouri, and the couple had four sons: Herman (18931927), Lloyd (18971949), Arthur (18991939), and Fred (19011935). She used every trick in the books to get her sons out of jail. Arrie "countenanced their wrongdoings" while George refused to accept them. Bob was a veteran of the U.S. Army. Robert P. Barker, of Weymouth, died May 3, 2014 at the age of 81. Both Ma and Fred, it was soon learned, were dead," according to the website. My favorite part was touring the house and seeing it like it was when the shoot out happened. /Type /Font Current reports as of 2022 are consistent that Kate Barker's role in her sons' crimes were falsely created by the media to increase newspaper and media sales margins. The FBI ordered Willie Woodbury, a local handyman, to enter the house while wearing a bulletproof vest. According to Karpis (per Crime and Investigation), her motherly persona was a huge asset. [8] The gang decided to leave St. Paul with the FBI on the case and without Tom Brown supplying information; they moved to the Chicago area, renting apartments for Ma while they tried to launder the ransom.[9]. This theme of persecution and injustice would permeate her life. Missouri. FIRST GENERATION. >> /Contents 10 0 R Most notably,in 1927, Herman Barker killed a sheriff deputy who had witnessed him cashing stolen bank bonds (per ZMAN Magazine). The gang apparently believed that Dunlop's loose lips had given them away, and they murdered him while traveling. Skip . January 15, 1921 Arthur Barker aka "Claude Dade" involved in attempted bank robbery in Muskogee, Oklahoma; arrested (#822). Gang member Alvin Karpis claims Barker wasn't a real criminal. /Rotate 360 These pedigrees show five branches of the family of Barker to have been then settled in the county; at Colchurst, Haghmond, Wolverton, Hopton Castle, and Aston respectively; but the Barkers of Aston cannot have appeared in person, for their genealogy, though begun, is not brought up to date like those of the other branches. According to Karpis (per Mahoney), they told Kate they had sent him to Chicago with some money, but really they had paid fellow mobster Jack Peifer to shoot him, writes Judith A. Thompson in "The Hunt for the Last Public Enemy in Northeastern Ohio." II (1319). They pulled the same trick, this time bringing in $200,000. He lived in West Springfield before settling in Westfield years ago. Miss E. Frye Barker is the Secretary of the Barker Society. Just prior to the relocation of the house, a vintage ring which bears the initials, "F.B" was found when a team using metal detectors gained permission to scan the location. II (1313), for instance, in the Manor of Pattingham, adjacent to Worfield, John de Herdwyke was elected Bercar by the villagers in place of John Lovekyn. She had conveniently visited her son in jail only a short time before his escape. A strong-willed matriarch who allegedly helped organize her sons crimes, Kate Barker better known as Ma Barker was killed after a four-hour gun battle with FBI agents in Ocklawaha, Florida in 1935. Kate enjoyed the mingling a little too much, and the FBI alleges she cheated on her husband and frequented speakeasies and nightclubs with questionable individuals who showered her with gifts. Wrong username or password. Heres how she became the FBIs most wanted mother of the 1930s. Arizona Clark aka Ma Barker - Her Genealogy Ms. 29.245,fol. In 2016, the Florida house where she died was relocated via barge to Carney Island and is now a museum, complete with the original furniture and bullet holes. In Domesday Book, Nigellus, a clerk, was lord of the manor of Calverhall or Coverhall, after which it passed into the king's hands, and he gave it to William de Dunstanville, who sublet it under the feudal system to these de Calverhalls. UNKNOWN BARKER - treetreetree.org.uk Babe Rohland: Putting a face on history - Star Tribune Some Barker Family History - JSTOR Home Skip Ancestry . by Elford H. Messer 1994 . "[17], (Of BarkerKarpis Gang/associates: 19 arrested; 4 killed by lawmen; 3 killed by gangsters), Not to be confused with the character of the animated television series, Controversy over her leadership of the Barker gang, Summary of the Barker sons and BarkerKarpis Gang's activities. Edna Murray the girlfriend of gangster Everett "Curly" Davis of Dillinger Gang fame wrote in Startling Detective Adventures Magazine that the men of the gang always followed Barker's orders. The U.S. Indian Census Rolls, 1885-1940, list Barker as an official member of the Sioux tribe. Thanks Ever So Much, Bette J. Thomas. 7 . Barker was the youngest son of Ma Barker, all of whose children were criminals. Historian and author John Koblas declared (via Press), "You can't talk about Ma Barker without talking about Jesse James.". Racketeer Jack Peifer suggested that they move to St. Paul, Minnesota which had a reputation at the time as a haven for wanted criminals. Soon, cars full of high school students from Ocala, a town 20 miles north, were turning up to watch the gunfight. Before they met him, the gang were nothing more than a "bumbling band of hillbilly burglars" who would have been captured or killed long before becoming nationally notorious. Her stepdad, Reuben Reynolds, was a lawman who Kate did not get along with one bit. Born Arizona Clark on Oct. 8, 1873 in Ash Grove, Missouri, Ma Barker was the daughter of Scotch-Irish parents John and Emaline Clark. Family Tree . Over the next few years, Herman and his brothers were repeatedly involved in crimes of increasing seriousness, including robbery and murder. Joseph and Edna Barker had children named Robert Barker, Jerry Barker, Joseph Barker Jr. (hosea) Charles Barker, Harley Barker, Martha Barker, Joann Barker, Clariss Barker, Audrey Barker. Both bodies were found in the front bedroom. -- 1 sheet ; 11 x 15 cm Sources of the history -Origin of the family - Landmarks and heirlooms -- Signs and abbreviations -- Descendants of Robert Barker -- Descendants of John Barker They noted that George was not a criminal, but he was willing to profit from his sons' crimes after their deaths by claiming their assets as next of kin. "[4] Alvin Karpis was probably the real leader of the gang, and he later said that Ma was just "an old-fashioned homebody from the Ozarks superstitious, gullible, simple, cantankerous and, well, generally law abiding". Ma, 63, was curled on the floor, cradling her Tommy gun. /XObject << /R13 6 0 R /R15 7 0 R /R17 8 0 R /R19 9 0 R >> >> [ Ref ] [ Ref] He married second Mary Unknown. January 16, 1922 Lloyd Barker received at. Birth of Eva M. Clark. However, this is widely regarded by historians as fictitious, and some have been skeptical that she participated in the shoot-out in which she died. Mercy Truth Barker Keetch was born Feb. 21, 1835 in Marston, Bedfordshire, England, a daughter of Thomas Barker and Elizabeth Thompson Barker. November 8, 1931 Fred Barker killed an Arkansas police chief. Next, the gang successfully carried out the kidnapping of two local businessmen, netting $100,000 in ransom for the abduction of William Hamm and $200,000 after arranging the kidnapping of Edward Bremer. In 2015, the Florida state senate proposed a bill for $500,000 to repair and preserve the house as an historic landmark, but the bill was rejected. In 1892, she married George Barker in Lawrence County, Missouri, and the couple had four sons: Herman (1893-1927), Lloyd (1897-1949), Arthur Barker (1899-1939), and Fred Barker (1901-1935 . BARKER FAMILY TREE - RootsWeb January 18, 1932 Lloyd Barker received at Leavenworth Prison. The FBI located the house and confirmed that Ma Barker and Fred were on the premises. According to Julie Thompson's "Hunt for the Last Public Enemy in Northeastern Ohio," many historians believe this party was key to the Barker-Karpis Gang's transition into a big-league crime outfit. B.M. The family moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma, in 1912. Get Started . Fred brought fellow prison inmate Alvin Karpis, alias Old Creepy, home with him; the two formed the Barker-Karpis Gang and used Ma Barkers shack as their hideout. He was among a group from nearby Newbury and Ipswich who had petitioned for . Over the next several years, Herman, along with his three brothers, began hanging out with other hoodlums in the vicinity of the Old Lincoln Forsythe School in Tulsa, where they became members of the Central Park Gang. September 10, 1932 Arthur "Doc" Barker released from prison. The Barker-Karpis Gang was quickly becoming one of the deadliest criminal acts in the United States. Barker gained a reputation as a ruthless crime matriarch who controlled and organized her sons' crimes. According to legend, as a young girl Barker saw the outlaw Jesse James and his gang ride through her town. The gang moved to Chicago but left after a short period because Alvin didnt want to work for Al Capone. The bidding began at one million dollars and included the original furnishings, but the house ultimately went unsold. In 1892, she married George E. Barker and began using the first name Kate. J. Edgar Hoover also attributed Kate's sons' rampant criminal activities later in life to her spoiling them. Fred Barker met Alvin Karpis in prison in 1931. 1 0 obj The most Barker families were found in United Kingdom in 1891. Witchraft brings to mind Salem, Massachusetts, 1692. Alvin Karpis asserted that J. Edgar Hoover, who described Barker as the most vicious, dangerous, and resourceful criminal brain of the last decade, encouraged the creation of the myth to justify the killing of an older woman. A wanted poster was produced, offering a $100 reward for her capture. She was buried in (3) 1645 in Rowley. These grand gestures were often successful in getting sentences terminated - or at least greatly reduced. More About Barker Family, Site (s) of. Researching Ma Barker - Family Tree Assistant And, of course, she also enjoyed the improved living conditions wealth allowed. Ma Barker has inspired many films, comic books, and even songs over the years. Born Arizona Donnie Clark (October 8, 1873 - January 16, 1935), Kate "Ma" Barker was the mother of several criminals who ran the Barker gang from the "public enemy era", when the exploits of gangs of criminals in the U.S. Midwest gripped the American people and press. The gang split up and went into hiding. Actress Shelley Winters played a villainous fictionalized version of her in the 1966 "Batman" television series, as well as 1970's "Bloody Mama," which also starred a young Robert DeNiro as Lloyd Barker. "What could look more innocent?". Some say she was no more than a common hillbilly woman, others claim she was the mastermind of the entire Barker-Karpis Gang, who stole more money than John Dillinger, Bonnie and Clyde, and Vern Miller combined, notes author Chris Enss and left a trail of nearly a dozen . Continued on Pago IIS Column U Local Secret Orders BELIEVE , list of public enemies. Mary Barker, born 1853 - Ancestry Ocala, Florida. Barker Name Meaning & Barker Family History at Ancestry.com.au According to J. Edgar Hoover's FBI report, Kate "Ma" Barker fought to her death and was found with a spent Tommy gun near her hand. Getty ImagesBack in the 1930s, people would pose with the bodies of infamous criminals. Early Origins of the Barker family. [13], The popular image of Ma as the gang's leader and its criminal mastermind is often portrayed in films such as Ma Barker's Killer Brood (1960), Bloody Mama (1970), and Public Enemies (1996). [ Ref] He married first Elizabeth Brown of Byfield, Rowley on 27 Mar 1781 in Newbury. Barker was born Arizona Donnie Clark in Ash Grove, Missouri, the daughter of John and Emaline (Parker) Clark; her family called her "Arrie". Geneanet. Origins From and Judith (Simonds) Barker had the following children, all born in Concord:viii. Last Name. The Family of Richard Barker of Andover, Massachusetts - WikiTree Wikimedia CommonsArthur Barker was killed when he tried to escape from Alcatraz Prison. The purpose was to keep her from learning much about the gang's crimes, as well as to separate her from their girlfriends, with whom she did not get along. The gang left a swath of crime and violence View All Details . Richard E Barker - Agawam, Massachusetts - (413) 782-0169 Matthew N. Barker Obituary (1993 - 2022) | Boston, Massachusetts They were inducted into major crime by the Central Park gang. Barker's sons committed crimes as early as 1910, when Herman was arrested for highway robbery after running over a child in the getaway car. This paper focuses on the family of Richard Barker of Andover, Massachusetts, and illustrates how the Barker . Their early married life was spent in Aurora, Missouri where their four sons, Herman, Lloyd, Arthur, and Fred, were born. January 30, 1921 Arthur Barker aka "Bob Barker" received at the Oklahoma State Prison (#11059); released June 11, 1921.