John James

John is the oldest of Samuel’s children. He was born in 1798 in the Yadkin Valley in North Carolina. This must have been shortly after Samuel and Sarah were married. John married Millie Vaughan in 1817 a year after he chose Samuel to be his guardian. johnjamesmillyvaughnml

In the 1820 Census John is living in the area of Floyd County which will eventually become Lawrence County. He is living by the Indicut’s (Endicott) and the Copley’s; families who will eventually marry into the James’ family. He is listed as being between 16 and 26 so he would have to have been born between 1804 and 1794. Millie Vaughn James is listed as the same age and they have a boy – Ephraim and a girl Cynthia under ten years of age.

In the 1830 Census John is still living Lawrence County and now his brother Abner is living close to him. There is also an Ephraim James living in Lawrence County between 20 and 30, but I have no idea who he is and if he is related. Ephraim is somewhat an unusual name and John did name his oldest son Ephraim, so maybe there is a connection. John is listed as between 30 and 40 which would narrow his age to between 1794 and 1800. I suspect the versions of the Family History that have Samuel and Sarah getting married in 1798 and John being born in 1798 are probably true. His children are Solomon under 5, David 10 – 15, Ephraim 15 – 20, Sarah 5 – 10, and Cynthia 10 – 15.

John is not in the 1840 census and in 1850 Milly is married to a Joshua Jones and Sarah and her children are living with them.

In the 1860 Census Milly has died and John and Milly’s children are living in Lawrence County, Kentucky.

Isaac James

Isaac is my latest addition. I am so happy Boyce Bryan answered one of my message postings and has supplied additional information and leads. Based on his census data we now know that Isaac was born in 1803 in North Carolina, probably Ashe County and married Margaret Giddens August 10, 1820. Margaret was the daughter of Reuben Giddens and sister to Mary Elizabeth Giddens who married William Martin Priest. William Martin was the Father of John Priest and John married Mahala James in 1848 (my 2nd great grandparents). isaacjamesmargaretgiddensml

After their marriage both Isaac and Margaret disappeared. Originally I thought that they might have gone to Illinois with Rueben Giddens and William Priest and Mary Elizabeth Giddens Priest in the 1820’s when a group led by one of the Stratton’s went to Illinois. But then the official records of Pike County show that Isaac married Betsey Spriggs in Pike County in 1826 so Margaret must have died before 1826.

In 1826 Issac shows up in the Floyd County Court records – In March 1826 “On the mostion of Thomas Stewart ordered that Saml James, Isaac James, Wm. Castel & Sam’l Bagwell or any three of them after being duly sworn do view and mark the naearest and best way for a road around his farm and report to next court according to law…. and On the motion of Isaac James ordered that Thos Stewart, Wm. Castel, Saml Bagwell and William Herrell or any three of them after being duly  sworn do view and mark the naearest and best way for a road around his farm and report to next court according to law. Isaac must have been an effecient road builder because in May “A report of a view of of a road around Isaac James farm is recd and it appearing to the court that the same is opened it is recd and established as the public road.”

In 1830 there are only 33 Isaac James’ in the United States and only two of them live in Kentucky. In one of the Frederick James articles he talks about how “Samuel Sr. and his older sons Abner and Isaac interested themselves in acquiring and trading land. Tract after tract of the primitive wilderness of Johns Creek and on the headwaters of the tributary streams of the Tug Fork passed through their hands.”  In 1830 there is an Isaac James living in Bath County, Kentucky who is between 30 and 40 with a female living with him between 60 and 70 and no children. This could be Isaac but it is doubtful. There is a Isaac James in Logan County, Kentucky but that is across the state and his Isaac James in over 60. West Virginia didn’t exist in 1830 so there are two Isaac James’ in Virginia. One is to old and the other has no information. He has to be in Floyd County, I just don’t know where.

We know that Isaac must be in the area during the 1830’s because he is sued by Pernina and the Samuel James’ heirs in 1837, the year after Samuel’s death. It does not state in the lawsuit that he is out of the County.  Although we don’t know the exact details of the lawsuit we know from the Floyd County Court documents that the “cause is dismissed at the behest of the plaintiff. It is therefore considered by the court that the defendant recover of the plaintiff his cost about his defense here expended.” So, Isaac and Pernina must have settled their differences. Was the lawsuit about some property on Johns Creek that Samuel and Pernina sold Isaac in May shortly before Samuel’s death? Go to the link to read lawsuit information.

Hopefully time will help solve the mystery of Isaac James.

Abner James

Abner was an interesting person. I suspect he was “bigger than life.” During his lifetime he accumulated a substantial amount of property and supposedly died penniless. He killed a man in 1847 while trying to arrest him; was then convicted of murder, was sentenced to hang, and was subsequently pardoned by the Governor of Kentucky shortly before his scheduled hanging. He joined the Company C, 39th Kentucky Mounted Inf. Reg. of the Union Army during the Civil war in 1862 when he was approximately 58 years old and lied about his age. He had 5 wives and 10 children of which his supposed youngest child Dan Rife James was born in 1886 three years before Abner died when he was 82 years old and bed-ridden with rheumatism. This was quite a guy!

Most of this is documented. On the documents page for the James family is the transcript of his murder trial, request for pardon and subsequent pardon from the Governor. I have the marriage certificates or documentation for his marriages. I have the document for his divorce from Elizabeth McVeigh. I also have his Civil War pension file which I have not transcribed which documents his marriage to Martha Rife and his fatherhood of Dan Rife. Although I must question if Abner was really Dan Rife’s Father, or if he said he was so that Martha would take care of him and in return she would receive his Widow’s Pension Benefits after his death. If someone would like to transcribe Abner’s Pension Document I would be more than happy to include it with Abner’s other documents. It should be very interesting.

On the documents page is a short story by Henry “Bud” Scalf which talks about Abner’s trial. Although there are some errors in the story, it is very interesting. Or, you can read the transcript on my documents page. Abner was also my 2nd great grandmother’s guardian so I have some interest in him. When she was 14 Abner was appointed her guardian. Again, why it took so long I don’t fully understand. Document from Floyd County 1845 film # 837276 Volume 8 pg 293 states: “David James, Mahala James and Samuel James, infant heirs of Samuel James, deceased, each being over 14 years of age came into official court and made choice of Abner James as their guardian. And it is ordered that said Abner James be appointed guardian of the said David James, Mahala James and Samuel James and also of Pernina Ann James infant heirs of said Samuel James deceased and who together with Hugh Harkins and Jacob made his security.”

Abner’s wives were: Margaret Campbell – George (died young probably), William Campbell (died during the Civil War, Nancy Jane, Susannah, Rachael; Elizabeth McVeigh – divorced; Milly Young – James P.M. and George D. – twins, Sarah Jane, Charlotte and Milly’s son from a previous relationship – Bobby; Elizabeth Gray; and Martha Rife – Daniel.

I have a lot of information on Abner with tax records, lawsuits and pension papers. Maybe transcribing them will be my winter project unless someone else is interested in doing it.

Mary Elizabeth

Mary Elizabeth is also a mystery that has been solved. Searchable census records are fantastic for finding lost children. Mary Elizabeth “Elizabeth” married James Justice in 1822. In genealogy records her birthday has been seen as early as 1795, I think because she was not listed as being a minor when Samuel petitioned the court to be custodian of his children. We now know from her census records that her birthday was about 1804 – 1805. I know this bumps up against Abner’s birthday but he lied so much about how old he was who know what year he was born. She also disappeared after her marriage.

Although I don’t know where she was in 1830 and 1840, in 1850 she is a widow in Floyd Township, Putnam County, Indiana. How she got there is a mystery. I suspect her family didn’t know where she was which is why she wasn’t listed as one of Samuel’s heirs in 1836. She only had one son David Justice born in 1833 in Indiana so I suspect James died shortly thereafter and she never remarried. Was her son named after her younger brother David? We will never know. In 1850 she is still in Putnam County, Indiana but in Morrow Township. She is not in the 1860 census, so I am assuming she died between 1850 and 1860. Her son David is still living in Putnam County in 1860 with his wife Elizabeth and his children: James B., Samuel Lehman, William, John, Eddie, Charles and Clarissa.

I cannot find David Justice in the 1870 census but he is back in Putnam County, Indiana in 1880 in the Cloverdale Township and his Mother Elizabeth Justice is living with he and his wife.

Daniel James

Daniel is another mystery that hopefully has recently been solved. Daniel born in 1806 is interesting because he often gets confused with David James who was Samuel’s son with Pernina. After Samuel is appointed his guardian in 1816 he just disappeared although he is listed as an heir to Samuel in a court case in the 1850’s. Daniel left Floyd County, Kentucky probably right after he got his inheritance from his Grandfather Charles and eventually ended up in the early 1830’s in Jennings County, Indiana. There he met and married Evie Fifer. They eventually had seven children: Samuel, Maranda, Amos, Allen, Solomon, John, Mary, Willis, Eliza Jane. All the children except for Willis and Eliza Jane were born in Indiana. Around 1849 they moved overland by ox team & crossing the river at Warsaw to Luray, Clark County, Missouri because they are living there for the 1850 census. Daniel lived in Luray until he died there March 22, 1862. Evie died 10 years later in 1872.

Celia James

Celia or Cecelia born in Ashe County, North Carolina in 1808 married Robinson Brown January 1, 1829 and just disappeared. She is another mystery that needs to be solved.

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