Once upon a time in the West Midlands | Letters

Kevin Costner in the title role in the 1994 film Wyatt Earp
Kevin Costner in the title role in the 1994 film Wyatt Earp. Photograph: Warner Bros/Rex/Shutterstock

I don’t know about the black cohorts (Letters, 15 August) but it’s true the relatives of Wyatt Earp did indeed live in the Black Country.

The ageing Mrs Nash (née Earp) lived next door to me in Hopyard Road, Walsall in the early 1960s. She had one daughter, Barbara, an extraordinary person who kept a pet monkey which regularly tore down curtains and bit visitors. She went on to marry a local doctor who became famous for being the first person to carry out a caesarian section on a guppy.

Barbara would talk about her ancestor from time to time and mention family relics. Apparently there are still stories of a pair of Colt 45s gathering dust somewhere in the Walsall area.
Patricia Bennett
Leek, Staffordshire

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