Frank James Burial: Mount Olivet Cemetery, Not a Private Plot Under "Hill"

The claim that Frank James is buried under an alias in a private Independence, Missouri cemetery is false.

Actual Burial

• Location: Mount Olivet Cemetery, Independence, Missouri
• Name on marker: Frank James (born Alexander Franklin James)
• Plot: Family plot, Section 13, Lot 78
• Date of death: February 18, 1915 (age 72)

Historical Context

• Frank surrendered in 1882; acquitted at trial; lived quietly thereafter
• Worked as shoe salesman, burlesque ticket taker, wild west show performer
• Died at family home in Independence; public funeral, Masonic rites
• Brother Jesse (killed 1882) buried at Mount Olivet briefly, then moved to Kearney, MO family farm

Why the Myth Persists

Outlaw folklore thrives on secrecy myths — hidden treasure, fake deaths, alias burials. The "Hill" alias may conflate with Jesse's temporary grave or other frontier legends. Primary sources (death certificate, cemetery records, contemporary newspapers) confirm the Mount Olivet burial under his own name.