The James Family

By Frederick James

History of Floyd County, Kentucky 1800 – 1992 pages 260 – 261

 

“The branches of an 11 generation tree in America still grow and continues to flourish in Floyd County, Kentucky.

The seed was planted in 1711 when John and Elizabeth James and family arrived from the parish of Riddellyn, Pembrokeshire, South Wales, to Bucks County, PA. They settled in what was then Montgomery Twp. (now Montgomery County), Philadelphia County, PA.

The James family remained there until Samuel James born 1767, four generations later, in 1785, one year after the Revolutionary War, started the migration west. At 18 years old and with a new bride, he left for North Carolina.

Samuel remained there in the Yadkin Valley for 25 years. He then moved on to the sweet waters of John’s Creek in Floyd County, Kentucky in 1810. He came there as builder and always tried to make it a better place in which to live.

Samuel was commissioned to lay out the first road from the mouth of Brushy Creek to the Ball Alley curve in Prestonsburg. Samuel had three wives and 15 children.

I. Married 1785 to Elizabeth Cornell. They hd three children: Elizabeth, born 1795, married James Justice March 24, 1822; John, born 1798, married Mille Vaughan Jan. 16, 1817; Isaac, born 1799, married Margaret Giddens Aug. 10, 1820.

II. Sarah Charles, born 1779, died 1810, married 1802. Their children were: Abner, born 1804, married Margaret Campbell April 24, 1823; David born 1806, married Vina?, date unknown; Celia born 1808, married Robinson Brown Jan 1, 1829.

III. Perninah Dean, born 1794, married June 30, 1811. Their children were: Miranda, born 1814 married Hugh Harkins; Perninah, born 1816, married John W. Smith; Sarah (Sally), born 1817, married William McCoy Dec. 23, 1836; Rachel, born 1819, married Ira Russell, Dec. 26, 1844; Samuel, born 1827, married Minerva?, Mahala, born 1829, married John Priest, Feb 27, 1848.

All of these represented the family with distinction. One of Samuel’s sons, Abner when he was 56 years old went with his son William Campbell James to fight on the side of the Confederacy in the Civil War.

Abner James had four wives and eight children.

I. Married April 24, 1823 to Margaret Campbell, born 1804 in Virginia. Their children were: William Campbell, born 1830, married Disa Ann Fraley April 21, 1849; George, born ?, died young; Susannah (Susie) born 1836; Rachel, born 1842, married ? Mutters.

II. Married July 12, 1854 to Elizabeth McVeigh, no children.

III. Married Jan. 24, 1856 to Millie Young, born 1822. Their children were: Charlette, born ?’ Sarah, born 1859, married William Mills; John P.M., born and George D. (twins), born 1856.

IV. Married 1888 to Eliza Gray, born 1834, no children. Abner died 1889.

William Campbell James, son of Abner married April 21, 1849 to Disa Ann Fraley, born 1834. They had eight children in their family. Susannah (Susan), born 1853, married John H. Blackburn; Thomas Jefferson, born 1854, married Candis Maynard; Daniel Webster, born 1857, married Sarah Maynard; Margaret E. born 1862, married Allen H. Blackburn on Sept. 29, 1881; William Harrison (Bud), born 1864, married Loulie Scott; Abraham Lincoln (Womp), born 1868, married Emma Spears on May 3, 1892; Victoria Bell, born 1871, married Flemming Maynard on May 12, 1892.

These continued to represent the James family that came to America from Wales.

One of William James’s family was Thomas Jefferson James who became a noted timberman. He floated timber from Johns Creek down the Big Sandy River to Catlettsburg, which was one of the hardwood capitals of the world. Thomas had 12 children and three wives.

I. Married 1878 to Nancy Jackson, born 1857. They had six children: William Malcomb, born 1879, married Litha Bell Scalf, born 1885; Lucy born 1883, married Hawk Collins, born 1876; Pearl, born 1888, married Millard Harvell on Nov. 16, 1905; Ballard Monroe, born Feb. 22, 1890, died March 4, 1951, married Ginerva Williams born Aug 16, 1890, died Feb. 19, 1971, married Dec. 28, 1913; Hawkins Fuller born Feb. 12, 1892, married Virgie Damron; Myrtle, born 1881, married Robert Clark.

II. Married July 3, 1898 to Mary Boyd, born 1873. They had two children (twins), Baby girl died at birth. Thomas born Aug. 14, 1900, died December 1975, married Edith Fitzpatrick, died 19898.

III. Married Angeline Fields, born 1881, died 1951. They had four children: Elmer, born Jan. 21, 1908, died June 15, 1985, married Nina ?; Nora, born Jan 5, 1912, married Henry P. Scalf, born Feb. 20, 1902; Ollie, born 1916, married Viola, born 1918; Jesse, born 1917, died 1976, married Sallie born 1919.