Henry Starr. Belle Starr. Just how were the two notorious folks related? The legends have come up with various stories. Even during Henry’s lifetime, newspapers said the pair were brother and sister.
Not true.
Henry’s father was George “Hop” Starr, who had a brother named Sam. In 1880, Sam—who was 23 at the time—wed 32-year-old Myra Maybelle Shirley Reed (photo), who was called Belle. The marriage lasted about six-and-a-half years, until Sam was killed in a gunfight with a deputy US marshal.
So Belle Starr was Henry Starr’s aunt by marriage…for awhile.
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