On the warm night of July 21, 1873, the Jesse James Gang committed the world's first robbery of a moving train in Adair, Iowa, a small town in the western part of the state. During that robbery, the outlaw encountered the author’s great grandfather, Levi Clay, who managed to slip away in the darkness for help. This book is the result of a 22-year search by the author, and is organized around the thesis that we are all more or less the sum total of our ancestors. Extensive Clay and James ancestral background information is incorporated with the events.   James Dean was one of the most mesmerizing and controversial actors of all time who died in a car crash September 30, 1955 at the age of twenty-four. Yet since his death, he has maintained a world-wide following. This book is the result of a ten-year search by the author into the genealogical background of the actor. Extending her thesis from her previous work that we are all the sum total of our ancestors, she provides an in depth look at some of his ancestors and the way or ways they influenced him.   “I thought he was a pest! Well, there I was, walking along, minding my business. And here he was, hopping along beside me—persistent as always! He never understood the meaning of no! Neither do you! You look and act just like him! You both have Pritchetts, Inghrams, Deans and whatever else in your blood—but you are 99.9% percent stubborn Stillians —something that happened when all those families were combined. You know why Bill discouraged contact with the Stillians family, don’t you? Because none of you give up until getting what you want!” Marianna Augusta “Mamie” Pritchett (1868-1958)--Epilogue Copyright ©2012 Barbara Inman Beall, All rights reserved.