Harpe brothers
| Micajah "Big" Harpe | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Joshua Harper Before 1768 (probably, c. 1748) Scotland, Kingdom of Great Britain or Orange County, Province of North Carolina (British Royal Colony), British North America, British Empire, present-day Orange County, North Carolina |
| Died | August 1799 (aged 31-51) Muhlenberg County, Kentucky |
| Cause of death | murder by decapitation with knife |
| Resting place | unknown |
| Nationality | American |
| Other names | Micajah Roberts |
| Occupation | horse thief, bandit, burglar, highwayman, river pirate, plantation overseer, soldier, frontiersman |
| Known for | One of the first known serial-killers in America |
| Spouse(s) | Susan Wood, Maria Davidson (alias Betsy Roberts) (shared by both brothers) |
| Children | 4 |
| Parent(s) | William Harper or John Harper (who were also brothers) |
| Relatives | Micajah Harpe (brother or cousin) |
| Wiley "Little" Harpe | |
|---|---|
| Born |
William Harper Before 1770 (probably, c. 1750) Scotland, Kingdom of Great Britain or Orange County, Province of North Carolina (British Royal Colony), British North America, British Empire, present-day Orange County, North Carolina |
| Died | February 8, 1804 (aged 29-49) Old Greenville, Jefferson County, Mississippi Territory |
| Cause of death | execution by hanging |
| Resting place | unknown |
| Nationality | American |
| Other names | Wiley Roberts, John Setton, John Sutton, John Taylor |
| Occupation | horse thief, bandit, burglar, highwayman, river pirate, plantation overseer, soldier, frontiersman |
| Known for | One of the first known serial-killers in America |
| Spouse(s) | Sarah "Sally" Rice (shared by both brothers) |
| Children | 4 |
| Parent(s) | William Harper or John Harper (who were also, brothers) |
| Relatives | Micajah Harpe (brother or cousin) |
Micajah "Big" Harpe, born Joshua Harper (before 1768 (probably, c. 1748) – August 1799) and Wiley "Little" Harpe, born William Harper (before 1770 (probably, c. 1750) – February 8, 1804), were serial killers, murderers, highwaymen, and river pirates, who operated in Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois, and Mississippi, in the late eighteenth century. The Harpes' crimes appear to have been motivated more by blood lust than financial gain. They are most likely the United States' first known serial killers, reckoned from the colonial era forward. The Harpe Brothers are credited with having killed thirty-nine people, and may have killed as many as fifty.
It is difficult to differentiate the facts about the Harpe Brothers from the later legends of their exploits.
The Harpes were born in Orange County, North Carolina to Scottish parents. Micajah was probably born in or before 1768 and Wiley in or before 1770. It is possible they were actually first cousins named Joshua and William Harper who later took the alias Harpe and emigrated from Scotland in 1759 or 1760. According to this theory their fathers were brothers, John and William Harper, who settled in Orange County, North Carolina, between 1761 and 1763.
Prior to the American Revolution, their fathers may also have been North Carolina Regulators, involved in the War of the Regulation or "Regulator War". This occurred between 1765 and 1771, opposing the continuing royal government interference by colonial officials in the Province of North Carolina. During the American Revolutionary War, the Harpes' fathers tried to join the Patriot American forces but were refused because of their earlier associations with British loyalists. The treatment of the Harper family by hostile Patriot neighbors may have contributed to Big and Little Harpe's feelings of persecution and their desire for revenge.
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Wikipedia