Newton Earp
Eldest Earp brother, Union veteran, and frontier settler.
Newton Jasper Earp (October 7, 1837 – December 18, 1928) was an American pioneer born in Kentucky in 1837. He was the eldest child of Nicholas Porter Earp and Abigail Storm, and half-brother to Old West lawmen Wyatt, Virgil, and Morgan Earp. He served in the Union army during the Civil War as part of the 4th Iowa Cavalry, mustering out with the rank of corporal. After the war, he farmed, lost an election for constable, moved to Kansas, became a marshal in Garden City, and later worked as a carpenter in California and Nevada. He was a Mason and died in Sacramento in 1928.
Quick Facts
- Born
- 7 October 1837
- Birthplace
- Ohio County, Kentucky, U.S
- Died
- 18 December 1928
- Place of death
- Sacramento, California, U.S.
- Resting place
- East Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery
- Occupation
- Farmer
- soldier
- carpenter
- Children
- 5
- Parents
- Nicholas Porter Earp; Abigail Storm
Facts from the source article.
Did You Know?
- Newton named his first-born son (born August 25, 1872) after his not-yet-famous younger brother Wyatt.
- Newton died at age 91 in Sacramento, California, on December 18, 1928, and his brother Wyatt died almost a month later on January 13, 1929.
Early life
Newton Earp, born in Ohio County, Kentucky, lost his mother Abigail Storm when he was two. He stayed close with half-brothers James and Virgil throughout life. Newton later ran against younger half-brother Wyatt for constable in Lamar, losing 137 to 108, while their father Nicholas lost a tight four-way race for justice of the peace.
Civil War
Earp enlisted in the Union Army in 1861 alongside James and Virgil. James was wounded early and returned home, but Newton and Virgil served the entire war. Newton served with Company F of the Fourth Cavalry, Iowa Volunteers, and was promoted to fourth sergeant on January 1, 1865. He mustered out on June 26, 1865, in Louisville, Kentucky.
Post-Civil War
After the war, Newton married Nancy Jane 'Jennie' Adam in Marion County, Missouri, on September 12, 1865. The couple joined his family in San Bernardino, California, where he worked as a saloon manager. They returned to the Midwest in 1868, farming in Lamar, Missouri, and later moved to Kansas. The Earps had five children, naming sons after Wyatt and Virgil.
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