As a result, Kate Barker became a wanted woman, and a poster with her photo offered a $100 award for her capture (per Mark Muncy and Kari Schultz in their book, "Freaky Florida"). January 6, 1935 Barker gang member William B. Harrison killed by fellow gangsters at Ontarioville, Illinois. Unknown Harker married Unknown Woman c1910 Parents of . For one, the firstphotographtaken at the crime scene doesn't depict her with a gun. Edna is still living and is remarried to Clayton Clark. After about 15 minutes, the command to surrender was repeated, and a few minutes later, a voice from the house could be heard saying, All right, go ahead.. The only variant spellings which are met with, "Barcar" and "Berker," in early Claverley documents, both go to confirm this derivation. Their sons joined the Central Park Gang and began committing more serious crimes. Concur in stating that he was descended from one Ralph or Randulph de Coverall, for whom a date is given, 12 Edw. 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. Roger and Alva have been deceased for many years. In June 1933, they kidnapped William Hamm Jr. of the brewing family, getting a ransom of $100,000. This was because the local police were in on the action, often tipping criminals off when the FBI was onto them. Geneanet. On Jan. 8, 1935, Arthur Barker was arrested by FBI agents in Chicago. "What could look more innocent?". The Herald's Visitations of Salap commence the.pedigree of this family, whose name appears to have been originally Coverall or Calverhall, with Richard de Coverall, who married Margaret Pigot, and then pass over the intermediate generations to William Barker, also called Coverall, who married the heiress of the Goulstons of Goulston. Samuel Barker was a lineal descendant of John Barker, of Shropshire, England, who married, in 1549, Elizabeth Hill, a sister of Sir Rowland Hill, the first Protestant Lord Mayor of London. Anderson', she rented houses, paid bills, shopped, and did household errands. The special agents interpreted this to mean that the occupants were going to surrender. According to legend, as a young girl Barker saw the outlaw Jesse James and his gang ride through her town. /Descent -206 In 1977, the disco band Boney M released the danceable song "Ma Baker," which features lyrics based on her life. According to an FBI report, she enjoyed the life of luxury and bought expensive clothes and furniture. Her parents owned a home with a nice garden and play yard. But various details don't add up. And for the first time, Ma Barker was officially recognized as an accomplice to the gang by law enforcement. "B. J. Edgar Hoover also attributed Kate's sons' rampant criminal activities later in life to her spoiling them. Samuel Barker was a lineal descendant of John Barker, of Shropshire, England, who married, in 1549, Elizabeth Hill, a sister of Sir Rowland Hill, the first Protestant Lord Mayor of London. [4] The BarkerKarpis Gang's most infamous crimes were committed after the move to St. Paul, during their residency in a string of rented houses. Continued on Pago IIS Column U Local Secret Orders BELIEVE , list of public enemies. Arizona Donnie Clark; October 8, 1873 January 16, 1935), better known as Ma Barker (and sometimes known as Arizona Barker and Arrie Barker), was the mother of several American criminals who ran the BarkerKarpis Gang during the "public enemy era" when the exploits of gangs of criminals in the Midwestern United States gripped the American people and press. [1] However, a family friend recalled that the couple argued about their children's "dissolute life". 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 dead law enforcement officers in their wake. He lived in West Springfield before settling in Westfield years ago. Karpis and Fred were rubbing shoulders with the best in the business, exchanging information. Both pictured above, they are Fred, Ash Grove, Greene County, MO, United States, Aurora, Lawrence, Missouri, United States, Aurora, Lawrence County, Missouri, United States, Ocklawaha, Marion County, FL, United States, Historical criminals, thieves and vagabonds, American Gangsters of the 1920s and 1930s, Arizona Donnie "arrie Kate" Barker (born Clark), Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers, 1791-1963, Spartenburg Weekly Herald and Herald-Journal - Jan 19 1935, Ma Barker Biography - Facts, Birthday, Life Story. Kate continued to encourage the boys' participation in crime and, according to the Joplin Globe, their family home became a gathering place for criminals. Ash Grove, Greene County, MO, United States. 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. The Ma Barker Story. 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). Most notably,in 1927, Herman Barker killed a sheriff deputy who had witnessed him cashing stolen bank bonds (per ZMAN Magazine). While there is no evidence she was directly involved in the kidnappings, Kate "Ma" Barker certainly enjoyed the spoils. . This was about 22% of all the recorded Barker's in USA. /Filter /FlateDecode [3] By 1930, she was living with a jobless man named Arthur W. Dunlop (sometimes spelled "Dunlap"). Douglaston, NY, Marjorie Joanna Porter, b. Arthur Barker was killed when he tried to escape from Alcatraz Prison. 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 1892, she married George E. Barker and began using the first name Kate. New York: Facts On File Inc., 2002. According to Biography, he and his gang even rode through her hometown during a getaway, and the sight ignited her desire for adventure. "It's no insult to Ma's memory that she just didn't have the know-how to direct us on a robbery," he wrote in his memoirs (via Crime and Investigation). In 1840 there were 403 Barker families living in New York. Frederick George Barker (December 12, 1901 January 16, 1935) was an American criminal who, along with Alvin Karpis, co-founded the Barker-Karpis gang, which committed numerous robberies, murders and kidnappings during the 1930s. The name Barker is derived from the old Norman "bercer," which signified the elected herdsman of the village or manor. 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. Simone: This is Chris Enss, she's a history writer and co-author of Ma Barker: America's Most Wanted Mother. She used every trick in the books to get her sons out of jail. Arrie did everything that she could to get her sons off, no matter what they had done.[3]. /Encoding /WinAnsiEncoding Ma, 63, was curled on the floor, cradling her Tommy gun. (/A/y/n/c/M/B/z/o/d/C/p/e/E/r/g/F/s/h/G/t/i/S/H/u/T/k/J/w/l/a/V/K/x/m/W/parenleft/parenright/space/hyphen/period) Add. Barker was born Arizona Clark in Ash Grove, Missouri, the daughter of John and Emaline (Parker) Clark; her family called her "Arrie". August 1, 1927 Herman Barker cashed stolen bank bonds at the America National Bank in Cheyenne, WY. A search of his apartment revealed a map of Florida and a partially burned letter that mentioned a man-eating local alligator named "Old Joe." Actress: Stick Up Chicks. More About Barker Family, Site (s) of. Microfiche. . Fred shot the sheriff four times. 722 1000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 500 0 444 556 444 0 500 556 278 0 556 278 833 556 /FontDescriptor 11 0 R $Zm:T==v6]kC}Vz}oq3')$?W08A .XBgFp"QY*H"8#'j ~)IelQNQqT*N3Qii4vZ|TX*eQE=zs1|e^YvrNTl}]4q~ZQNMrEy}vJTe'D/zf%A,"S! Taken from The Ultimate Killer Collection by Stewart Andel. The home is famous for being the location of the longest gun battle in FBI history. Share your family tree and photos with the people you know and love. This pairing formed the heart of what would become the Barker-Karpis Gang. My favorite part was touring the house and seeing it like it was when the shoot out happened. Additionally, an assortment of machine-gun drums, automatic pistol clips, and a large amount of ammunition was found in the home. The . This theme of persecution and injustice would permeate her life. Heres how she became the FBIs most wanted mother of the 1930s. Gang member Alvin Karpis claims Barker wasn't a real criminal. Over the next few years, Herman and his brothers were repeatedly involved in crimes of increasing seriousness, including robbery and murder. To avoid capture, he took his own life. According to Biography, on the morning of January 16, the Feds surrounded the house and demanded Ma and Fred surrender. On January 8, they caught up to Arthur Barker in Chicago and arrested him (per the FBI). View All Details . The map below shows the places where the ancestors of the famous person lived. [11] Karpis has suggested that the story was encouraged by J. Edgar Hoover[14] and his fledgling Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to justify his agents' killing an old woman. James and his brothers had begun robbing banks throughout Missouri and made regular national news throughout her childhood. Following their public display, the bodies of Fred and Ma Barker went unclaimed for nine months before George Barker finally took them home to Oklahoma to be buried next to Herman Barker, per the Joplin Globe. The couple's first home, described by authors Chris Enss and Howard Kazanjian as "a dilapidated miner's shack," was hardly the life of luxury Kate longed for but George promised he'd build it up into a great homestead. 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. In his memoirs ("Ma Barker"), Karpis claimed, "there was probably never before as complete a gathering of criminals in one room in the United States as there was on New Year's Eve in 1931.". According to Enss and Kazanjian, Kate handled the boys while George worked, although he managed to take them fishing and teach them how to shoot. March 12, 1927 Fred Barker admitted to Kansas State Prison. The 1910 to 1930 censuses and the Tulsa City Directories from 1916 to 1928 show that George Barker worked in a variety of generally low-paying jobs. The second kidnapping of the Barker/Karpis gang targeted a wealthy banker named Edward George Bremer, Jr., who was snatched in St. Paul, Minnesota on January 17, 1934. The two Massachusetts Barkers, Robert and John, were doubtless descendants of the same ancient and honorable Barker family of Shropshire, from which it has been found that Samuel Barker, of Delaware, and James Barker, of Rhode Island, are descended. According to Biography.com, "Ma" Barker was born Arizona Donnie Clark on Oct. 8, 1873, in Ash Grove, Missouri. Ma and Fred Barkers bodies were first put on public display, then remained unclaimed until Oct. 1, 1935, at which time relatives had them buried next to Herman Barker at Williams Timberhill Cemetery located in Welch, Oklahoma. Ma Barker died from a single bullet wound, and Freds body was riddled with bullets. City, State. 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 . In August 1933, gangsters attacked a vehicle carrying the money. Wikimedia CommonsMugshot of Mas son Fred Barker in 1930. In a time when notorious Depression Era criminals were terrorizing the country, the Barker-Karpis Gang stole more money than mobsters John Dillinger, Vern Miller, and Bonnie and Clyde combined. [6] He concluded: The most ridiculous story in the annals of crime is that Ma Barker was the mastermind behind the KarpisBarker gang. Brothers and Ma Barker, and their think tank, do not forget about the old fishing - robbing banks. 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." Anytime a revival came through town she went. Karpis sentenced to 4 years but paroled after restitution made; Fred Barker also avoided jail sentence. Ocala, Florida. 1877 1877. 500 556 0 444 389 333 556 0 722 500 500 444 ] A wanted poster issued at this time offered $100 reward for the capture of "Old Lady Arrie Barker" as an accomplice. Pat Sugden (nee Harker) was a major character in Emmerdale Farm in 1972, 1974 and from 1980 to 1986. He was a freeman on 19 Dec 1690 in Springfield. Discover the family tree of Robert Barker (2) for free, and learn about their family history and their ancestry. The agents ordered them to surrender, but Fred opened fire; both he and his mother were killed by federal agents after an intense . Among the four of them, between 1915 and 1927, they were arrested for robbery, stealing cars, and even murder, as per History. >> We're 100% free for everything!' . This event is supposed to have awakened her desire for adventure and life outside the law. George Barker/Kate"Ma"Barker By genealogy.com user March 02, 1999 at 01:46:22. . Biography of Ma Barker and her Sons. She carried a Bible or hymnal with her at all times. A psychologically disturbed matriarch presides over her damaged family of bank-robbing misfits. It was there that the Barker-Karpis gang committed their more infamous crimes, eventually turning from bank robberies to kidnapping under the protection and guidance of Thomas Brown, the citys corrupt chief of police. FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover described her as "the most vicious, dangerous, and resourceful criminal brain of the last decade.". The Barker family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The FBI used these clues to find a lake in Florida that boasted just such an alligator. My interest was further piqued because Arizona Clark had been born in Greene Co., MO, and my mother and I had both been born in Greene Co. George and Arizona Barker had also spent time in Stone Co., MO, where my father had been born. << Her name was Kate Barker, but she was notoriously known as "Ma" Barker, a Midwestern woman who became the FBI's most wanted mother of the 1930s. These grand gestures were often successful in getting sentences terminated - or at least greatly reduced. Getty ImagesMa Barker, shown here sitting with her friend Arthur Dunlop, died at age 61 in a shootout with the FBI. There is no evidence that she was ever anything more than a glorified accomplice. He never came back. Wrong username or password. 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. About The Bradford-Ma Barker house is located in Carney Island Recreation and Conservation Area. Based on the lack of evidence tying her to any crime, most historians agree with Karpis. Ma Barker The Barker Gang Criminal Family . /MissingWidth 250 The word Bercar or Barcar as used in the twelfth and following century was an Anglicised form of the Norman-French word Bercher, a shepherd, and the term Barkary for a sheepfold lingered till Elizabethan times. [6] By 1933, most of the gang were back in St. Paul where they carried out two kidnappings of wealthy businessmen. Was Ma Barker a typical midwestern mother of four or a bloodthirsty criminal mastermind? Per the Joplin Globe, the Barker boys were known as the town criminals while still school-aged. According to Biography, she had quite the temper and was rather stubborn. Some historians believe Kate Barker was involved, likely providing the instruments of escape. And lastly, George and Arizona had spent 15 years in Tulsa - where I had grown up and where I now live. According to Karpiss (per Chris Enss and Howard Kazanjian's book "Ma Barker"), Kate allowed Dunlop to "sponge off of her" and was a "pain in the ass." He was born in Springfield on January 22, 1930 to the late Robina (Waters) and Herbert Barker. The agents returned fire using tear gas bombs, rifles, and machine-guns. The U.S. Indian Census Rolls, 1885-1940, list Barker as an official member of the Sioux tribe. Born Arizona Clark on Oct. 8, 1873 in Ash Grove, Missouri, Ma Barker was the daughter of Scotch-Irish parents John and Emaline Clark. The song opens with a drawly country woman saying, "Freeze! As 'Mrs. 0 0 0 0 0 722 667 722 0 667 611 778 778 0 500 778 0 944 0 0 0 0 0 556 667 0 Ancestry is a major source of information if you are filling out the detail of Ma Barker in your family tree. She wasn't a leader of criminals or even a criminal herself. SEARCH; MY TREE Start Family Tree; Richard E Barker - Agawam, Massachusetts - (413) 782-0169. ", While she didn't do any of the heavy lifting, Kate still had a role in the gang's activities. At birth, she was given the name Arizona Donnie Clark, as per Biography. Family life George and Arizona had four boys named . Com a sua morte sendo bastante explorada pela imprensa sensacionalista, Ma Barker tornou-se "lenda" da crnica policial . We collect and match historical records that Ancestry users have contributed to their family trees to create each person's profile. MA 01001 Hampden County (Jul 1991 . The house was moved from original site to Carney Island Recreation and Conservation Area in Ocklawaha. << On Dec. 18, 1931, Fred and Alvin robbed a department store in West Plains, Missouri. Having already captured the era's other public enemies, they were devoting all their energy to bringing in the "Bloody Barkers" and Alvin "Creepy" Karpis. In June, the Barker-Karpis Gang abducted William Hamm Jr., president of the Hamm Brewery Company, demanding a hefty ransom for his release. January 18, 1932 Lloyd Barker received at Leavenworth Prison. Ma saw a lot of movies." 3 0 obj In 1910, per The Famous People, teenage Herman Barker ran over a child while fleeing the scene of a robbery in a getaway car, and the Barkers became constantly involved with the police. 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. 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. The special agent in charge of the operation approached the house and demanded that the occupants surrender. J. Edgar Hoover described her as "the most vicious, dangerous, and resourceful criminal brain of the last decade." January 8, 1935 Arthur "Doc" Barker arrested in Chicago; Barker gang member, January 16, 1935 Fred and Ma Barker killed by FBI in Ocklawaha, Florida (Marion County). From 1916 to 1919, he was at the Crystal Springs Water Co. George Barker wanted to admonish his sons, but, per Enss and Kajanjian, Kate wouldn't allow it. The FBI first connected the gang to the William Hamm kidnapping by using a new method of latent fingerprint identification. Robert P. Barker, of Weymouth, died May 3, 2014 at the age of 81. Of course, people don't get to choose their own names any more than they can choose their deaths or the legacy left behind. There are already 1,027 users and over 5,000 genealogy profiles with the Barker surname on Geni. On Aug. 29, 1927, the eldest son, Herman, killed himself to avoid prosecution after committing a robbery and shooting a police officer in the mouth. The riches she had always hoped her husband would bring her were now hers by way of her sons. Descendant of Mayflower passenger Richard Warren Abigail BarkerBorn:. FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover described her as the most vicious, dangerous, and resourceful criminal brain of the last decade. However, Barkers sons and other members of the Barker-Karpis gang denied that Ma played a crucial role in planning their many robberies, kidnappings, and murders. With over 30 billion records and 100 million family trees to search, Ancestry is one of the key websites to visit to help you trace your family tree back in time. Things improved for her in 1931 after her son Fred was released from jail. /Type /Font Ma and Dunlop traveled with them, using various false names during their itinerant crime career. by Elford H. Messer 1994 . Fred and Arthur Barker, along with Alvin Karpis, robbed a string of banks across the Midwest in 1932 (per Biography), resulting in the killings of more officers and a civilian (viaMinnPost). In those days, it wasn't uncommon to run into Al Capone himself at the local pub. 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. The FBI gunned down Ma and Fred Barker in this Florida cottage. 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. In fact, he might even be called the first settler of Andover. The Barker-Karpis Gang was quickly becoming one of the deadliest criminal acts in the United States. According to the Washington Post, many historians believe he was saving face, justifying the killing of an unarmed old woman after the accidental death of a civilian during the John Dillinger bust. The Barker deathhouse in Ocklawaha, Florida, was listed for sale on August 16, 2012. The first word of her simple, unassuming grave marker reads: "Ma. Family life. This was a success, earning them $100,000. The gang operated under the protection of St. Paul's police chief Thomas "Big Tom" Brown, and they went from being bank robbers to kidnappers under his guidance. Ma tossed out her husband around that same time and lived in abject poverty from 1928 to 1931 during her sons incarceration. A .45 caliber automatic pistol was found next to Freds body, and a machine gun lay at Ma Barkers left hand. Things began looking up for Ma Barker in the spring of 1931 when Fred was unexpectedly released from prison on parole. NOTE: In 1977 there was a character called Syd Harker but whether he was said to be a relation to Pat and Janie in the episodes is unknown. 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). Research genealogy for Mary Barker of Newland, Yorkshire, England, as well as other members of the Barker family, on Ancestry. The FBI reported that a small arsenal found in the house consisted of two .45 caliber automatic pistols, two Thompson submachine guns, a .33 caliber Winchester rifle, a .380 caliber Colt automatic pistol, a Browning 12 gauge automatic shotgun, and a Remington 12 gauge pump shotgun. Five of the most wanted thieves, murderers, and kidnappers by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in the 1930s were from the same family. >> 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. This may have been when she became "loose" with local men, as the FBI suggested. Had she lived she likely would have been simply been charged with accessory and harboring fugitives. in Aurora, Missouri , United States, Died on January 16, 1935 ", http://www.vnla.com/vnl/gen/mcq/Barker.htm, (from http://books.google.com/books?id=k7UNAQAAMAAJ&dq=John%20Barker%20al Google eBooks, not in copyright). This is an old English family. [6] Chief Brown's involvement in the gang's escape could not be proven, but he was demoted to the rank of detective and was later dismissed from the police force altogether. Born in 18 Apr 1886 and died in 9 Jan 1984 Boswell, Oklahoma Abigail "Ma" Crowder Barker In the civil wars then continually waged, he was attainted and hanged. Stockbridge Howland Barker, b. Why The FBI Thought Ma Barker Was Americas Most Dangerous Mind In The 1930s. She was born about 1772. [5], Ma's common-law husband Arthur Dunlop was said to be loose-lipped when drunk, and he was not trusted by members of the gang; Karpis described him as a "pain in the ass". Ma Barker. According to Karpis (per Crime and Investigation), her motherly persona was a huge asset. That day, Hoover said, marked "the end of an era of violence." For nine months, the corpses lay unclaimed. With Lurene Tuttle, Tristram Coffin, Paul Dubov, Nelson Leigh.