A resident of Austin, Texas, has discovered a genealogical connection to 19th-century outlaw Sam Bass.
Toni Palmari confirmed the link through months of personal research and consultation with professional genealogists.
“When I was a kid, my mom had a mock-up of an old West wanted poster and at the time, the only reason she purchased that was because the outlaw on the poster reminded her of her brother Ronnie,” Palmeri said.
Sam Bass is known in American history for his involvement in train and bank robberies during the 1870s. He was involved in a widely publicized train robbery in Nebraska in 1877 and died in a shootout with Texas Rangers in Round Rock, Texas, in 1878.
According to available documentation, the Austin resident shares a distant familial relationship with Bass through a common ancestor. His research included reviews of census data, public genealogical records, and family archives.
Sam Bass remains a subject of study among historians who analyze figures associated with the post-Civil War American frontier.
His actions and eventual death have been documented in multiple historical records and continue to be referenced in academic and public discourse on the Old West.