Mabel James

As printed in 1880

ABEL JAMES, farmer; P. O., Andrews; is the second son of Henry W. and Hannah (Jones) James; he was born in Chester Tp., of this county, Sept. 8, 1819. He was eight years old when his father removed to the woods of Congress Tp., where he was engaged in clearing. He went to subscription school but a short time, his services being required at home for the support of a large family. At 21 he went to South Bloomfield Tp., where he cleared land for three crops on the same, and at the expiration of three years he married Rebecca McClain, March 23, 1843. He their returned to his father’s, taking charge of the farm for six years. He next removed to Wright Tp., Ottawa Co., Mich. Here he owned 83 acres in the green woods. He cleared 37 acres of his own land, and slashed 53 acres into windows for others; his skill and endurance enabled him to split six hundred rails in a day. He was here nine years and four months, and in the meantime his wife died, leaving him with four little children. Archibald, born Oct. 2, 1844, married Lovina Furston, and was in the army three years and wounded in the Battle of the Wilderness; he now lives in Muskegon Co., Michigan;

Charity J., born Jan. 2, 1846, now Mrs. Levi Myers, and lives in Northern Michigan; Adalbert J., born June 27, 1850; Mary, April 3, 1855, died when nine months old. He united in marriage with Eliza McClain, June 16, 1855. She is a daughter of John Harris, of South Bloomfield Tp., and widow of the late Evan McClain, Of this marriage two daughters were born — Rebecca, July 6, 1857; Hannah R., Oct. 24, 1859, died at the age of five years and twenty-two days. Mr. James returned to this township in September, 1858, and during the same month he purchased the home place, where he has lived ever since. He united with the Free Will Baptist Church about 1852, but withdrew from that church, and with others formed a Regular Baptist Church while in Michigan. He is now a member the Harmony Baptist Church. His father, Henry W. James, was born in September, 1781, in Pemrockshire, South Wales; his father died when he was six years old, and he went to live with an uncle by the name of Henry David, where he was employed in caring coal and lime until his eighteenth year. In Sept., 1799, he took shipping for America. The ship was carried by a head wind far to the south, and prolonged their voyage to nine weeks and three days. They Ended at Philadelphia, where he engaged in sawing and dressing marble for some time; from there he went to New York, and carrying but a short time in the city, he went to Steubenville New York, and there learned the double trade of miller, and millwright. He remained here about eight years, and owned a small farm. His brother, Elder David James, who had emigrated some fifteen months before Henry, lived here, and they both concluded to emigrate to Pennsylvania. They settled in Alexandria Co., where Henry found employment with a wealthy miller, by the name of Lowry. He united in marriage with Miss Hannah Jones, Oct. 30, 1807. She was born in Cardiganshire, South Wales in December 1788. She came over in 1801, after a journey on the ocean of six weeks and three days, and the family settled in Alexandria Co., Pa. After marriage, Mr. James remained in the mill until 1811, except for a short period in 1809, when he and a relative, by the name of Elder John D. Thomas, set out on foot for Ohio. They journeyed across the mountains and swam the Ohio river, and entered land in Chester Tp. While they were thus wandering in the wilderness of Knox Co., strange and sad events were transpiring at home. Before setting out Mr. James had moved his family, and household goods in the house of Mr. Thomas, where the two ladies lived together. One Sabbath they made preparations for going to church, carefully securing the smouldering members in the fire-place, as they supposed; but on their return from church, the house was in flames, and everything was lost, including over three hundred dollars in silver, for which Mr. James had sold his land in New York; all that remained was sixty dollars, which he had loaned, As the silver could not be found in the ashes, it is supposed that the house was robbed, then burned to conceal the crime. On his return, Mr. James labored in Pennsylvania, until the fall of 1811; when he, with his wife and two little girls, set out for Ohio, with an ox team. They landed at Licking Co., O. in September, where his brother, Elder David.Tames, had preceded him some months; they remained here two and a half years; while here the Indians became very troublesome, an 1 at one time fired at his cabin in the night, and he returned their fire-, aiming where he saw the flash of their guns, while his wife guarded the door with a large knife, and the Indians finally dispersed; he served in the war of 1812, under General Meigs, he and six others being detailed as scouts; they captured two hostile Indians, which were sent as prisoners to Delaware, O. At one time during this campaign, the soldiers’ rations were reduced to one pint of meal to three men, and Mr. James came home nearly starved, and his wife was obliged to give him food in small quantities at first; during his absence the wife often took her little ones and hid out to avoid the scalping-knife of the savages. After the war, probably about the spring of 1814, he removed forty miles west, to the fifty acres of land which he had entered in 1809, in what was then Chester Tp., Knox Co., O.; hardly had surrounded his little family with a few of the necessaries of life, when the devourum element swept away all again. It was in 1815, when he lived in a log cabin whose “ bat and '‘lay” chimney was built up but a short distance, and to prevent fire from blowing across the

" ' floor, it was covered each night with boards; on this particular morning he had gone to a log rolling, while the mother had gone to a neighbor’s with her babe, leaving four little girls, the oldest being six, at home; by some means the clap-boards had not been removed, and when the children built a fire, they caught and communicated a blaze to the roof; the youngest child was sleeping on the bed, and the other three heard the roaring of the flames and were bewildered, not knowing what to do; they were leaving when they suddenly remembered their little sister; the flames were creeping around the bed, when they went in and dragged her, sleeping, from the bed, out of the door, just as the roof fell in with a crash; they went to the woods, sobbing and frightened; they hid, and the little one, not conscious of her great danger, went to sleep again near the foot of a large tree; in the meantime, the news of the fire was borne to the men at the log-rolling, and the distracted father, wild with grief at not finding his little ones, would have rushed into the flames, saying, “Let me find my children’s bones,” but they restrained him, and diligent search was made, and there was great rejoicing when the little wanderers were found. Men came seven miles to raise them a cabin, and in three weeks they had another house, and received many contributions from the large-heai ted settlers of that day. He attended ten log rolling with his ox team on ten succeeding days. In every community in that early day, some means of grinding their grain was the most pressing need; hence, his services as millwright were sought far and near. In the absence of any other material, he used tne common country stone or “ N----- Head” for burrs, which required great labor and patience to dress them. He built or repaired many of the earliest mills in the country, among which may be mentioned Joseph Coles of Delaware Co., Judge Young near Lucerne, Kesslers of Marion Co., and the Waterford Mills; also many others in Knox and Richland counties. He rented his farm and was away from his family most of his time. He purchased two lots in Mt. Gilead, and erected the first frame ever built in that place about 1824; he moved his family there in April 1825, and took charge of Mr. Eustick’s mill for two years. He then removed to the new land in Congress

Tp., where he lived until March 183(3, when he moved to the present place of eighty acres, where he lived out the remainder of his days. He was a stone mason and brick-layer, and built many chimneys in this country. In constructing mills he was often required to work in the water, and this, with the many other hardships he underwent, began to manifest itself in broken health during the last thirty years of his life, in which he suffered very much. He and his faithful wife were both consistent and devoted members of the Regular Baptist Church during their lives. He united with the church in Wales at sixteen. He served the church as deacon for thirty-one years, to the full satisfaction of all. The companion of his joys and griefs, departed this life Sept. 20, 1855, and he passed away in the triumphs of a living faith.July 2, 1864, at the ripe old age of eighty-three. On his death bed he said: “ Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.” Twelve children were born to them, but two, Henry and John died young, while ten grew up to manhood and womanhood — Frances, widow of Hiram A. Hilliard, and resides in Harmony Tp.; Mary, widow of Thomas J. Hilliard, now resides in Ottawa Co., Mich.; Rachel, from whom this sketch was obtained, was born in Licking Co. O., Nov. 19, 1811. She lived in her father’s family until his death, caring for him in his declining years. She has always had delicate health, and her father secured her a life interest in the homestead, where she now lives, with her brother Abel. In her fifteenth year she was received into the Bryn Zion Baptist Church, by her uncle David James. She had been previously carried to the water for baptism, and even amid her infirmities, rejoiced in a Savior’s love. The church met at her father's in Mt. Gilead, on account of her ill health, and five candidates received the right hand of fellowship. Phebe, wife of James M. Hilliard of Knox Co.; Anna, now Mrs. Nelson Smith, of Knox Co., O. David now resides in Ottawa Co. Mich. Abel, subject of this sketch; Abigail, widow of John Parks, and lives in Crawford Co. O.; Samuel, (see sketch, among those of Franklin Township); Daniel T. farmer, of Congress Tp.

As printed in History of Morrow County and Ohio : containing a brief history of the state of Ohio ... a history of Morrow County ... biographical sketches, portraits of some of the early settlers and prominent men, (1880). See the original pages. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.