Hello, and Welcome to Grimming It Up! Where the strange, unusual, and true crime collide. Here I share stories. I am Grim Mama, and in today’s episode, I will be sharing about a cemetery visit with an urban legend about the old west outlaw Jesse James.

New Hope Church and Cemetery

New Hope Cemetery Location

The New Hope Church and Cemetery are located on County Road 295, just over 1 1/2 miles north of Hwy 96, just east of the town of Wetmore, Colorado, and is open year around.

Some of the church and Cemetery’s Early History

According to the history handed down to descendants of the original Hardscrabble Park, New Hope Church was built as a community house of worship by all the people of the community.

An initial meeting took place on May 13, 1871, at the schoolhouse near Ira Porter’s home in Hardscrabble Park. The purpose of this meeting was to organize the creation of a Baptist Church for the community. Articles of Incorporation were drafted by Stephen J. Tanner, Ira R. Porter, and William R. Crouch and were filed on September 11, 1873. This makes the Church 149 years old (as of 2022) and is the second oldest Baptist church in Colorado.

Ira Porter donated two acres of land, and the congregation built the church. Construction was completed in 1873. The wood frame is assembled by mortised joints and wooden pegs. No nails were used in the construction. The floor joists are hand-hewn lodge poles and pine logs with tongue and groove assembly. Square nails were used to attach the roof and siding. The pulpit and pews were handmade by the members. Vinyl siding was put on in the early 1980s to help preserve it.

It wasn’t until November 1873 that the members voted to lay out the ground for the cemetery. However, burials were made there at least three years prior. Burials were free, and neighbors and friends hand-dug the graves.

The earliest known grave is of Jason P. Vaughn, born November 24, 1869, and died February 7, 1870. (two months and thirteen days old).

Records were not kept of those buried in the cemetery. However, a record book was compiled by the late Dorothy Breece, who used old newspaper articles and obituaries in her research.

Some graves are listed as unmarked, but they have a rock, wooden cross, or something identifying the site. Several of these sites have been identified by relatives, and metal markers have been put on these graves. There are many handmade markers, some with just a rock set at the head and nothing more. Others are cement markers or limestone, now hard to decipher due to erosion. There are still many graves that may never be identified, but at least the names of those who are known to be buried there are listed in the record book.

Besides the unknown markers, there is one little girl (same name and date) with two headstones in separate areas.

Another headstone reads Hammett, yet the newspaper said he was buried on J.W. Bowers’ ranch. Not sure where he is really buried.

Today, there are 626 known burials in the cemetery. Of those, eighty are Veterans who served in the Civil War, the Spanish American War, WWI, WWII, the Korean Conflict, and the Vietnam War.

Notable Folks and Their Stories

Ira Ryan Porter (1838-1921)

and Sarah K. (Kelly) Porter (1844-1901)

Ira Porter and Sarah K. Kelly were married in 1862; they had seven children. Ira was a farmer and freighted for about four years. He then bought a ranch on Hardscrabble Creek and started farming. Sarah and Ira donated the land for New Hope Church & Cemetery. He was one of the original Trustees of New Hope Church and Cemetery. Ira and Sarah are both buried at New Hope.

Sarah (Parker) Betts (1847-1911)

and Jacob Alexander Betts (1830- 1909)

Jacob Betts came to Colorado in 1859 and went into the cattle business with William Parker. He later sold his Red Creek Ranch and moved to Wetmore, where he continued raising cattle. Jacob married Sarah Parker in 1866, and they had nine children. They homesteaded in Wetmore in 1886, and the house is still standing.

Horatio Hall Chivington Breece (1834-1897)

Emma W Breece Neathery (1856-1910)

Sometime in 1869, Mr. Breece came to the Hardscrabble area; he was one of the first seven pioneers to settle what is now known as Trinity Ranch. Emma and Mr. Breece married in 1872 and raised eight children, all born at home in a 1½-story, three-room log house with an addition. This house is still standing today.

Mr. Breece put in the first irrigation ditches to utilize the water of Four Mile Creek. He was the first to plant an orchard in the Wetmore area. Mr. Breece also produced strawberries, raspberries, and wagonloads of vegetables. He sold the produce in Pueblo, Silver Cliff, Westcliffe, Florence, Cañon City, and as far northwest as Leadville. By occupation, Mr. Breece had been an engineer and machinist before turning to farming. He became quite adept at grafting trees. He had an apple tree with several types of apples on one tree. Mr. Breece died at home in 1897 at the age of sixty-three.

Emma remarried in 1902 and outlived her second husband as well. She sold the ranch in 1908 and moved to Greenwood, close to her youngest son. She passed away in 1910 at the age of fifty-four.

                Some of these pioneers were amazing! Their hard work and ingenuity can be mind-boggling. Sorry had to comment for a second. Let’s get back to sharing the stories.

Mary Jane (Scott) Royster (1827-1898)

and Charles Royster (1820-1905)

Mary and Charles started their family in Indiana, then moved to Iowa. In 1880, they moved to Custer County, and, in 1888, they homesteaded 160 acres in Greenwood, Colorado. They had ten children and farmed the land. After Mary’s death, Charles sold the homestead to Eben Snow. Charles died in Greenwood in 1905.

Eben A. Snow (1851-1920)

and Margaret E. (Webb) Adams Snow (1851-1934)

In 1879, Eben & Margaret were married. After living in Maine, and various parts of Colorado, such as Querida, Rosita, and Gardner, they later moved to Greenwood in 1899 and bought Charles Royster’s homestead. Then in 1911, Eben homesteaded an additional 80 acres in Greenwood. This meant they were now managing 240 acres. The couple raised their children, Margie, Robert, and Nettie. The children also helped in raising Hambletonian, a breed of American trotting horse. Eben sold and traded horses as well as being a blacksmith and a Constable for the county. Their children, Margie (1882-1906) and Robert (1886-1934) is also buried at New Hope.

The Wetmore Mystery Man

James Sears was a loner who never spoke much and kept to himself. Many stories have circulated in the Wetmore area concerning this man. It is believed that he may have been Jesse James.

            Ola Everhard says she is Jesse’s 3rd cousin. She says that his death had been faked and that Missouri Governor Thomas Crittenden and Bob Ford were in on it. Bob Ford actually shot Charles Bigelow, another outlaw who resembled Jesse. In return for Ford’s part in the scam, he was set up in the saloon business in Creede, Colorado.

Another man named, J. On May 19, 1948, at age 100, Frank Dalton declared that he was Jesse James. His story was good; he did agree with Mrs. Everhard about the faked death, that Crittenden was in on it, Charles Bigelow being shot by Bob Ford, and Ford was set up in the saloon business.

However, as a teenager, Jesse accidentally shot off the tip of his left middle finger while cleaning his gun. Dalton had all his fingers.

Strange Story

Now let’s get back to some of the lore of James Sears being Jesse James. James Sears arrived in Florence in 1895. He met Bill White Jr. at the railroad depot and demanded to be taken to the lumber camps. Bill White was about the only one that Sears talked to and trusted.

Anthony Madonna knew Sears because he bought support timbers from Sears for his coal mine. Anthony described Sears as an elderly gentleman who looked well-preserved for his age. He always wore a heavy beard, kept his hat pulled down close to his glasses, and never took off his gloves or hat.

White told Madonna that Sears once said to him, “Kid, someday I am going to tell you something.” Louis Draper, a longtime resident of the Wetmore area, remembers that Sears had good horses and always took care of them. For years he kept an old horse that was worthless; due to age, it could do no work. He would give no reason when asked why he had not sold or killed the horse.

On Sears’ deathbed, he told Bill White, “I kept old Twister because my horse back in Missouri was called Twist, and that horse got me out of more scrapes than I can count. Twister looked just like Twist, and I couldn’t part with him.” It is believed that Jesse’s horse was named Twist.

Draper was a friend of Fred Walters, the postmaster in Wetmore. Fred told Draper that he met a man by the name of Frank James in Wetmore. Frank was part of a vaudeville troop and was traveling in the Salida area when Fred met him. For a time, Sears lived in a room at the Greenwood Hotel.

Louis Draper shared some of his memories about James Sears. “He came to my Great Grandma Snow’s house often as she washed his hands. He would sit at the barn door and watch the chickens, but he would never come into the house. James loved to read and borrowed books from Grandma Breece. Aunt Margaret remembers when she was in first grade and going to school in Greenwood – across the road from Great Grandma Snow’s house. All the kids were scared to death of Sears and would run past the hotel. Some of the schoolboys made a game of jumping onto the back of Sears’s wagon as he returned from a delivery. The boys were afraid of Sears’s mysterious character, so that made it a daring game. At the time of his death, he was living in a dugout up the road behind the old Harmes place.”

James Sears had pneumonia and wouldn’t let anyone rub him down, but he was too weak and sick to argue with Mr. Harmes. Harmes reported later that his body was covered with scars from bullet wounds. Sears called Bill White to his bedside at St. Thomas More hospital in Cañon City and told him of his true identity; he was Jesse James, and he didn’t want anyone to know until after he died. James Sears died in 1931.

From the Florence Daily Citizen obituary, July 2, 1931: Aged recluse died Wednesday in Cañon City. James Sears, 74, of North Hardscrabble and an old-time resident of the district, died at a Cañon City hospital at nine Wednesday evening. Sears lived in the Wetmore district for about 25 years but was always a recluse. Little is known about him, and as far as is known, he has no relatives living. Several weeks ago, he suffered a paralytic stroke at his home and was brought to a Cañon City hospital, but his health failed rapidly, and he died last night. The body is being cared for at the Easton Mortuary. Funeral services will be held at the Wetmore church with Rev. JR Burchfield officiating, Friday afternoon at three o’clock. The burial will be at the New Hope Cemetery in Wetmore.

Sears Was There. Then He Wasn’t

After the burial, people reported seeing lights in the cemetery one night. It is believed that James Sears’ body was dug up and returned to Missouri by his family. It was also reported that officials from Denver dug up and reburied the body after taking pictures. Supposedly, Mr. Holt from the mortuary was in on this; he found papers that led many to believe the body was truly that of Jesse James.

Side Note: In March of 2016, the caretaker of the New Hope Cemetery, Peggy Martin, had grave dowser, Tom Monaco from Cañon City, go to the cemetery to check the grave marked as James Sears. According to Monaco stated, “there is no body – the grave is empty.” Which would mean this mystery continues.

Closing Thoughts

I will get the Florence Citizen articles and read those at a later date. I am sure y’all will enjoy them as much as I did. James Sears’s version that he recounted to Bill White makes for an interesting read. These urban legends like James Sears, even if there isn’t a lick of truth to them, are still quite entertaining. So much so that there have been TV shows that debunked other people claiming to be Jesse James. I remember watching one on YouTube, but for the life of me, I can’t recall the name of the show. Sorry y’all, that sometimers disease is a real thing. Anyway, the gist of the show was that Jesse James is buried in Texas, and supposedly the body was located and dug up, and DNA evidence says that is the real Jesse James.

A Bit of Advice If You Visit

If you decide to visit the New Hope Cemetery, I would recommend bringing a long stick or hoe, as the area is known to have rattlesnakes in the warmer months. Also, you can reach the cemetery via Silom Road or turn off Highway 96. Keep a watchful eye for those small direction signs. Better yet, use Google Maps. The church is sometimes open for weddings but otherwise is kept locked. For the most part, it is a scenic drive with great views of the mountains. Have fun, and please be respectful.

We will have all our sources listed in the show notes. I have also included a fun blog post I found that gives more information on the J. Frank Dalton version.

Thank You!

Thanks for spending time with us today. I hope you’ll join us in our next episode.

Sources:

All news articles, pictures, and/or videos are used under the Fair Use Act, and individual sources are given credit.

https://peoplelegacy.com/cemetery/new_hope_cemetery-612d01/

https://www.wetmorehistoricalsociety.com/my-blog/new-hope-church-and-cemetary/

https://www.wetmorehistoricalsociety.com/my-blog/2018/08/new-hope-church-and-cemetary.html

https://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC794JY_colorado-spirit-quest-500-a-new-hope

https://www.fremontheritage.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/cemetariesonline.pdf

Below is the link to the Dalton story

https://www.americanhauntingsink.com/jesse/