(Kate Barker)

Born: 1871?
Died: January 16, 1935

To the FBI, Kate “Ma” Barker was the mastermind behind her sons’ criminal careers. To her sons, she was a dowdy, middle-aged woman who liked the movies. In spite of these vastly differing accounts, one thing seems sure: she was a fiercely protective mother who was deeply attached to her sons.

Arizona Donnie Clark

Arizona Donnie Clark—who later became Kate Barker—was born to Scottish-Irish parents sometime around 1871 near Springfield, Missouri, in the Ozark Mountains. As a child she had once seen Jesse James (see entry), who was also a native of the area. The experience reportedly had a profound impact on her. The young Barker mourned the murder of James—who was, to many people, a folk hero like Robin Hood.

As a young woman, Barker played the fiddle, read the Bible, and...