IV. William A. James, a hypothesis A. William A. James
William James was one of the hands under road overseer Samuel
Driskell appointed on 7 May 1821 to work on the road from the Forks of Iron
Works road to the mouth of Jone’s cave (cove?). While Linda Anne Watson
indicates he does not appear in the tax lists, another source indicates he
appears on a tax list in White County in 1825. [early White County records have
not been exhaustively examined; nor has it been determined that all the William
James records relate to the same man].
No William James or Jones is in the 1840 White County census, but a William A. James was enumerated in the 1850 census in District No. 10, White County (p.70B; 15 Sep 1850):
William A. James was an eligible voter in District No. 9 in White County as of 1 January 1851.52 The family seems to have removed to Buchanan County, Missouri sometime prior to 1860, by which time William A. James may have been dead. Manerva Adeline James was married to Theodore Ehlers on 13 May 1860 in Bloomington township, Buchanan County. It was probably her mother Cynthia James who was a head of household enumerated on 31 July 1860 in Bloomington township, Buchanan County, Missouri (P.O. DeKalb), p. 80:
B. Analysis
It is not certain that John L. James and Henry James were brothers, but that
seems very likely.58 Aside from their being both named James and being resident in
the same tax district of the same county and of a similar age, they married the
sisters Tabitha and Elizabeth Whitley.59 John L. James also assisted Henry's widow
in obtaining a pension after Henry's death in the Mexican War and also served as
guardian of Henry's children, although that could have been due to his wife
having been their aunt. John also named a son "William Henry" and Henry named a
son "John Henry." • The only male names occurring among their children other than John and Henry
were William, Boling and Samuel. Of these, a William James of an appropriate age
to be their father was in White County certainly by 1820 and probably by 1813.
• William James' household in 1820 contained two males under 10 and his
household in 1830 contained two males 15 and under 20. Such males appear to fit
John and Henry. John L. James was born in October 1810 and so would have been 9
and 19 at the time of those two censuses. Judging by his having married a wife
three or so years younger than John's wife, Henry James may have been the
younger of the two. • William James having given John L. James a power of attorney in 1851 suggests
a familial relationship between them, although unfortunately the subject of the
power is not stated. Perhaps William James was leaving White County. • At least the elder Cynthia James, and perhaps William James also, followed the
same migration path as John L. James, having removed to Buchanan County,
Missouri by 1860, at least four years ahead of John. • Henry James had daughters named Martha, Manerva and Eliza, also names of
daughters of William A. James. Particularly with respect to Manerva, this
suggests a connection. • Henry had another daughter Mary Elizabeth, while John L. James had a daughter
Mary E.
C. Genealogical Summary Endnotes: 52. The Upper Cumberland Researcher, XVII, #3, p. 103 (Upper Cumberland Geneal. Assoc. 1992). 53. Burials in Jefferson County of potential relevance include: James, John, Jr. 29 Jan 1818 – 2 Aug 1896 02WK cem James, E.S. 1828 – 1908 PLVW cem James, G.W. 23 Aug 1834 – 18 Dec 1916 FTVF cem James, J.H. 1844 – 1932 GRTV cem James, John 15 May 1841 – 2 Aug 1896 MRDN cem 54. Index to Jefferson Co., Kansas 1885 Census (Jefferson Co. Geneal. Soc.). 55. Mr. Huffman formerly maintained a webpage, now available on the Way Back Machine at http://web.archive.org/web/20010429023322/www.geocities.com/Heartland/7230/ 56. Research done by Sharlene K. Miller, July 2003 (photocopies furnished). 57. The name "William Henry" has been inferred from the reference to "William H." age 10 in John L. James' household in the 1850 census and the reference to "Henry" age 20 in his household in 1860. 58. While Strader and Benbow, in Our Wandering Whitleys, p. 37, state that "John L. James was a brother of Henry James," the basis for that statement appears to be reference to a Mrs. Tabithia Jones having taken on a trust having something to do with a petition to sell land, heard in court on 20 Nov 1872, naming John M. Whitley as a defendant, he having since died leaving a minor heir (see p. 148). Strader and Benbow identify this Mrs. Tabithia Jones with John L. James' daughter, Tabitha James; however, she had been, since 1865, Mrs. Charles August Carsh, and was resident in Nebraska. Moreover, even if she had been the petition's Mrs. Jones, that would not tend to establish that John L. and Henry James were brothers. 59. Both Elizabeth Graham and J.L. and Sinthia James, formerly Sinthia Whitley, joined in a petition, dated 16 Jun 1866, of John M. Whitley, administrator of the estate of Sharp R. Whitley, concerning sale of land owned by the estate. Helen Whitley Strader and Routh Whitley Benbow, Our Wandering Whitleys, p. 145 (1974). 60. While Henry James' precise age is unknown, he was married in 1836, which would seem to rule out a birth after 1820 (although Elizabeth Whitley appears to have been very young at her marriage). 61. Jefferson Co. Genealogical Soc., Marriage Licenses of Record, Jefferson County, Kansas, 1855-1930, p. 206. 62. The oldest child in 1870 was Sarah Hale, age 21, b. Ky. Ira is probably the Ire Hale listed in 1850 in District No. 1, Lewis Co, Ky. He was then age 24, b. Ky, with wife Rebecca, age 23, son James E., age 3, and dau Sarah, age 1. 63. Buchanan marriage recs., B:363 (by Thomas Crumpacker, JP) (photocopy furnished by Sharlene K. Miller). |