James Ford (pirate)
| James Ford | |
|---|---|
| Born |
James N. Ford October 22, 1775 Spartanburg County, Province of South Carolina (British Royal Colony), British North America, British Empire, present-day Spartanburg County, South Carolina |
| Died | July 7, 1833 Tolu, Livingston County, Kentucky, present-day Tolu, Crittenden County, Kentucky |
| Cause of death | murder by shooting |
| Resting place | Ford family burial ground, Tolu, Crittenden County, Kentucky |
| Nationality | American |
| Other names | James N. Ford, James N. Ford, Sr., Squire Ford, Captain James Ford, Major James Ford, Satan's Ferryman |
| Occupation | justice of the peace, planter, businessman, ferry operator, criminal gang leader, state militia officer, river pirate, slave stealer, slave trader |
| Employer | Kentucky state government, Illinois Territorial government, James Ford & Company, self-employed |
| Known for | Being a pillar of the community and secretly, the criminal leader of the Ford's Ferry Gang, along the Ohio River. Ford was an Illinois associate of Isaiah L. Potts and the Potts Hill Gang, highway robbers, of the infamous Potts Tavern. James Ford also, had an association, with illegal slaver trader and kidnapper of free blacks, John Crenshaw John Hart Crenshaw and may have taken part in the, Illinois version of, "Reverse Underground Railroad. Ford was an Illinois associate of Isaiah L. Potts and the Potts Hill Gang, highway robbers, of the infamous Potts Tavern. James Ford also, had an association, with illegal slaver trader and kidnapper of free blacks, John Hart Crenshaw and may have taken part in the, Illinois version of, "Reverse Underground Railroad. |
| Spouse(s) | Susan Miles (first wife), Elizabeth "Betsy" W. Armstead Frazier (second wife) |
| Children | Philip Ford (son from Susan Miles) William M. Ford (son from Susan Miles) Cassandra Ford (daughter from Susan Miles) James N. Ford, Jr. (son from Elizabeth Frazier) |
| Parent(s) | Philip Ford and Elizabeth Ford |
| Relatives | Philip Jr. Ford (brother) Richard Ford (brother) John Ford (grandfather) Dr. Charles Webb (son-in-law) |
| Founded by | James Ford |
|---|---|
| Founding location | Tolu, Livingston County, Kentucky |
| Years active | 1790s-1833 |
| Territory | Ohio River, Kentucky, Illinois |
| Ethnicity | European-American |
| Membership (est.) | 10 |
| Criminal activities | river piracy, slave stealing, horse and cattle theft, highway robbery, counterfeiting, murder |
James Ford, born James N. Ford, also, known as James N. Ford, Sr. (October 22, 1775 – July 7, 1833) was an American civic leader and business owner in western Kentucky and southern Illinois, late 1790s-mid 1830s. Despite his clean public image, as a "Pillar of the Community", Ford was secretly, a river pirate and the leader of a gang, that would come to be known as the "Ford's Ferry Gang". His gang was the river equivalent of highway robbers; they would hijack flatboats and Ford's "own river ferry" for tradable goods from local farms, coming down the Ohio River. Ford was an Illinois associate of Isaiah L. Potts and the Potts Hill Gang, highway robbers, of the infamous Potts Tavern. James Ford also, had an association, with illegal slaver trader and kidnapper of free blacks, John Hart Crenshaw and may have taken part in the, Illinois version of, "Reverse Underground Railroad. At one point, they used the "Cave-in-Rock" as their headquarters, on the Illinois side of the lower Ohio River, which is approximately 85 miles below Evansville, Indiana.
James Ford was the son of Philip Ford and Elizabeth Ford and the grandson of John Ford. He had two brothers, Philip Jr. and Richard. His father died, while he was young and his mother remarried, to William Prince, who brought the family out to, what would become Princeton, Kentucky. This second marriage would provide James with a number of step and half siblings who would provide important ties to his future political and criminal career.
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Wikipedia