Details about his personal life are sparse. He was apparently married, but his wife's name is unknown. He had two daughters, at least one of them, Neva, was brought back to Antioch and cared for by friends when Wild Jim was on tour.
In his later years, in ill health with bladder cancer, he moved to the home of his daughter Neva in Copiaque, New York, where he died on February 13, 1917. A funeral service was held at her home and his remains transported back to Antioch, Illinois, where he was buried at Hillside Cemetery.
His daughter, Neva French Imig, was born in Chicago in 1891 and spent her childhood in Antioch where she married Arthur Imig. She died at age 35 of stomach cancer and was also returned to Antioch for burial
This information came from Ainsley Wonderling of the Lakes Region Historical Society in Antioch. She has discovered that she is distantly related to the French family.
--DaCoot
Showing posts with label Wild Jim French. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Wild Jim French. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 2, 2017
Those "Wild West Shows"-- Part 5: Wild Jim's Shooting Exhibition
A reporter from the St. Paul Daily Globe wrote about Wild Bill French's shooting exhibition on board the steamboat Bald Eagle which was accompanied by her sister ship, the Minneapolis.
"First he took shots at 30 glass balls tossed into the air and broke 28 of the 30 with his shot. Then with the rifle pointed backwards over his shoulder, broke the two balls reflected in a mirror held in front of him."
He followed this up by hitting each of four apples thrown with force directly at him. In spite of the motion of the boat shaking on the wave he was able to maintain accurate shots.
Wild Jim wrote and published his own ten cent novels exploiting his many talents. These novels spread his fame and encouraged people to come and see him when he was in town. He distributed fliers as well. Cost to attend his shows were 25 cents for men, half price for boys and women were admitted for free.
--CootShot
"First he took shots at 30 glass balls tossed into the air and broke 28 of the 30 with his shot. Then with the rifle pointed backwards over his shoulder, broke the two balls reflected in a mirror held in front of him."
He followed this up by hitting each of four apples thrown with force directly at him. In spite of the motion of the boat shaking on the wave he was able to maintain accurate shots.
Wild Jim wrote and published his own ten cent novels exploiting his many talents. These novels spread his fame and encouraged people to come and see him when he was in town. He distributed fliers as well. Cost to attend his shows were 25 cents for men, half price for boys and women were admitted for free.
--CootShot
Tuesday, August 1, 2017
Those "Wild West Shows"-- Part 4: Antioch's Wild Bill French
While his show could not compete with Buffalo Bill's show in size or variety, he did have a successful run exhibiting his unique shooting skills. He was the primary attraction and known for his daring feats in the saddle.
His riding and handling of firearms won him fame and distinction.
Known as Wild Jim or Captain J.C. French, he was said to have been a hunter on the plains of the West since he was age 12. (Not true.)
One of his exhibitions took place on the Bald Eagle ship making its way from Dubuque to Minneapolis. As reported in the St. Paul Daily Globe, "Captain French gave a fine exhibit to other passengers of the Bald Eagle and sister ship Minneapolis."
What He Did, Next. --DaCootShot
His riding and handling of firearms won him fame and distinction.
Known as Wild Jim or Captain J.C. French, he was said to have been a hunter on the plains of the West since he was age 12. (Not true.)
One of his exhibitions took place on the Bald Eagle ship making its way from Dubuque to Minneapolis. As reported in the St. Paul Daily Globe, "Captain French gave a fine exhibit to other passengers of the Bald Eagle and sister ship Minneapolis."
What He Did, Next. --DaCootShot
Those "Wild West Shows"-- Part 3: Wild Jim French's Wild West Show
During the peak of the Wild West Shows, other people had similar presentations, like the one by Wild Jim French, who had an Antioch, Illinois, connection.
He was born in August 1851 in Saugerfield, Oneida County, New York and had nine siblings. Like other eastern families, the French family moved west, with the hopes of starting a better life. There was a lot of land available in northern Illinois and the family settled in the area now known as Antioch.
Jim French grew up in Antioch, but eventually sought his fortune elsewhere and found it in Texas. He adopted the name Wild Bill French and was an avid horseman and skilled shot. With the popularity of the Wild West Shows, he established his own show.
--DaCootShot
He was born in August 1851 in Saugerfield, Oneida County, New York and had nine siblings. Like other eastern families, the French family moved west, with the hopes of starting a better life. There was a lot of land available in northern Illinois and the family settled in the area now known as Antioch.
Jim French grew up in Antioch, but eventually sought his fortune elsewhere and found it in Texas. He adopted the name Wild Bill French and was an avid horseman and skilled shot. With the popularity of the Wild West Shows, he established his own show.
--DaCootShot
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