It may be difficult for we modern day James’s to realize but somewhere in the neighborhood of 400 years ago, some of our ancestors were fighting and dying “For God Country and King”. So states the Latin inscription shown on the Coat of Arms below. Other James’s, questioning the necessity to die for Country and King and protesting religious persecution, fled to America in search of freedom. And are we glad! Had they not come to America, many of us might now be subject to the whims of the present playboy English Prince of Wales. Yes, the James’s originally came from that part of the United Kingdom known as Wales.
I have gathered considerable information on the James ancestry from various sources which I am going to share with the family through a new feature of our Newsletter called “Richard’s Corner”. I intend to include some of our history, biographical sketches, and anecdotes from the family past. It all began when I went to the Church of Latter Day Saints (Mormon) in Arlington. The Mormon church is recognized as the leading authority on genealogical information in the US, if not in the world, and my original reason for going there was to research James names for a computer program I have that records and plots ancestry. While at the church, I happened to meet a second cousin of mine (and others in the family) Sabina James Murray who is also into the same thing. Among other things, I picked up some 1000 additional family names from her, but perhaps what is more important, I got some of our forebears and a crude sketch of the coat of arms which both she and I believe to be from our ancestors. Harry Watts made the rendering shown below.
She also steered me to Homerville, Georgia where much James history is recorded. I have been there to the Huxford Library and purchased 8 books on The Pioneers of Wiregrass, Georgia in which there is a wealth of information on our forebears. I even found a letter that Daddy Red had written to someone at the library. Recently while playing golf in Jacksonville, I met two Englishmen who became quite interested in my efforts to trace our ancestry back to Wales. One of these new found friends lives not more than a stone’s throw from Wales and has eagerly promised to do some research in our behalf and send it to me. I’ll pass on anything of interest through the Newsletter. So much for the background on my efforts. The information following in this newsletter, and perhaps the next one, may be a little dry but I’m going to tell it anyway, It gets better later on.
ORIGIN OF THE FAMILY
James is a surname found in early records in Pembrokeshire, Wales. The name was originally Jacob, but was changed to English from Hebrew. It means, “He who supplants”.
Wales is one of the four countries that make up the United Kingdom of Great Brittan and Northern Ireland. The other countries are England, Northern Ireland and Scotland. Wales is slightly larger than the State of New Jersey. Cardiff is its capital and is the largest city. Wales has been united with Great Brittan for more than 400 years. The dragon has been a Welsh symbol since the Romans occupied the country nearly 2,000 years ago.
Most of the Welsh are descended from peoples who began settling in the British Isles thousands of years ago. The earliest known settlers were the Iberians. Later called, Romans, Anglo-Saxons, Vikings, Normans and Englishmen invaded Wales. Struggles against invaders and efforts to earn a living from the harsh, rugged land helped shape the strong, independent character of the Welsh people. The language is a form of the Celtic language and was influenced by each group of invaders. Wales is a country of poets and singers. The traditions of Welsh literature and music date back more than 1,000 years to the “bards” (poet singers) of the middle ages. Most Welsh people love to sing, either alone or in a group. According to an old saying, “When two Welshmen get together, they form a chorus.” Editors Note: What more proof do we need that we James’s are Welsh?
The church of England became the official Welsh Church in 1536. But by 1811 so many Welsh people had joined the Methodist Church that Wales formally separated from the Church of England. Because of religious persecution in England, William Penn, an English Quaker, founded the colony of Pennsylvania. It was during William Penn’s early expeditions that the James family came to America from Wales. Penn began by sending agents to six Welsh counties, enticing the dissenters of all faiths to come to the New World. Those first contacted were all of the highest social caste of the Landed Gentry of Wales. They readily embraced Quakerism. So, it must have been that, in general, the first travelers were equals and peers of William Penn.
(Be sure to read next month’s exciting issue. We emigrate to America and come to the South. The major characters in this saga will also begin to be developed.)