This is an excerpt from the book Compiled records of BIBB COUNTY, ALABAMA PIONEERS VOLUME I: Biographies Genealogy Reports, Notes & Records
ADAM JAMES
BIOGRAPHY and GENEALOGY
(1800-1884)
Bibb County, Alabama
Adam James was born 1800 in North Carolina to Daniel Milton and Rebecca (Mossle) James. He was the brother of Frederick Monroe James and the two brothers traveled together with their families from Tennessee and arrived in Bibb County, Alabama around 1821. Adam married Synthia Elizabeth “Betsy” Henry July 13, 1825 in Bibb County, Alabama. They had the following children:
- Mary Minerva “Polly Ann” James born September 1, 1829 in Alabama. She married Allen M. Cox March 15, 1838 in Bibb County and they had four known children and remained in Bibb county, Alabama. Allen died before 1860.
- Sarah “Sally” James born 1832 in Alabama. She married Thomas W. Peters July 19, 1851 in Bibb county, Alabama. He was the son of George Peters of Italy. They had one son Henry A. Peters and they lived in Scotts (name unknown) before the 1890 census and they had a grand-son, Thomas A. born 1885 but their daughter-in-law may have died because Sally and Thomas were living with their son, Henry and grandson Thomas A. in the 1890 Perry county, Alabama census. Then Henry married again to Olivia (last name unknown) but his parents continued to raise their grandson in their household. Thomas and Sarah (James) Peters sometime after the 1900 census. Thomas Peters was very involved in the probate of Adam James estate and seemed to cause some contention.
- Daniel James was born Oct. 1833 and is thought to have died Aug. 11, 1859
- Hannah James was born ca. 1836 but nothing is further known about her.
- Roxanne James was born Jan. 25, 1836. She married Elisha Pearson, son of Samuel Pearson, another pioneer to Bibb County. According to the census , they had seven children. They lived in Tuscaloosa when her father died according to the probate of his estate. She died September 27, 1891.
- Absalom Harrison “Abb” James was born April 13, 1838. He served in the Confederacy in the 11th Alabama Infantry Regiment as a Private. He enlisted March 1862 in Centreville, Alabama and continued his service until he was wounded and discharged at Selma. He married Emily Arabella Brown June 16, 1860 and lived in Centreville, Bibb County, Alabama. They had four daughters by 1870. Emily died before 1880. Abb married again after her death. He married Emily’s widowed sister Melissa (Brown) Rice who was living next door to Abb and his four daughters. Absalom died around 1914.
- Adam Frederick James was born Dec. 3, 1842 and he married Elizabeth Miller, daughter of Bibb county pioneers Theopolis and Alade Delphia (Phelps) Miller. Elizabeth was born around 1847 and died before 1910. Adam Frederick and Elizabeth had nine children. Adam served in the Confederacy. He enlisted immediately on May 1, 1861 and served as a private in Co. F 10th Alabama Reg until surrender on 9 April 1865.
- Cynthia James was born 1847 in Bibb county, Alabama. She married William H. Parker, the grandson of Bibb County pioneers Isaac and Mary “Polly” (Howard) Parker. William and Cynthia (James) had three known children.
- Ella James was born 1856 in Bibb County, Alabama. Nothing more is known about her.
- Margaret James born 1860 in Bibb County, Alabama. She married Taylor Parker, the step-brother of Cynthia James husband William H. Parker. In 1880, Adam James, age 80, was living next to Cynthia and Margaret’s families in Avery, Bibb County, Alabama.
Adam James outlived his wife Synthia Elizabeth by many years. He lived through the Civil War and all the deprivations and managed to keep his family together even though many of the children were young when their mother died.
During the “Alabama Fever” period of United States history, early settlers migrated to Alabama from North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Mississippi, Georgia, Kentucky, and Tennessee in search of more land to grow tobacco and/or distance themselves from the Revolutionary War. Bibb County, Alabama Pioneers Volume I focuses on the pioneer families of FREDERICK MONROE JAMES (b. 1793-d. 1863) ADAM JAMES (1800-1884) HOPKINS LEE (b. 1765-d. 1834) STEELE FAMILY (who immigrated from S.C. ca. 1780), WILLIAM WRIGHT, (b. 1778 SC) and GEORGE PETERS (b. 1790 Italy) Genealogy reports with supporting evidence, notes, brief biographies, wills, deeds and census records, when available are included – descendant surnames include: ADAMS, ARNOLD, AVERY, BAKER, BAMBERG, BARNES, BATES, BLAKE, BISHOP, BOLING, BOLLING, BOSCHUNG, BOYD, BRACKNELL, BRADLEY, BRAG, BRANSDORF, BROADHEAD, BURNS, CANTERBURY, CARDEN, CARR, CARROLL, CAUSEY, CATES, CHAMPION, CLARY, CONWAY, COOK, COOPER, COTTINGHAM, CREEL, CREWS, CROCKER, CRUNK, DAUGHERTY, DAILEY, DIXON, DOCKERY, DOVER, DREOLIA, DUGGAN, EASTERWOOD, ERVIN, FAIR, FARMER, FAUCETT, FAUCETTE, FERGUSON, FIKES, FONDREN, FRANCIS, FRIDAY, FRY, FULGHAM, GEORGE, GOLDEN, GREATHOUSE, GRIFFIN, HANCOCK, HAND, HART, HAYES, HILL, HOLLAND, HORTON, HUBBARD, INGRAM, ILES, JACKSON, JAMES, JOHNSTON, KINNAIRD, KIRBY, KORNEGAY, KROUT, LAGRONE, LAND, LARKIN, LEE, LEMLEY, LEWIS, LEVERT, LIGHTSEY, MADDOX, MAJOR, MARTIN, MASON, MCALLEN, MCBRIDE, MCCALEB, MCCULLEY, MCDOWELL, MCLEOD, MCMILLAN, MEDDERS, MEIGS, MERPHY, MESSER, MILLER, MILLS, MITCHELL, MONTGOMERY, MUELLER, MURPHY, MYRICK, NICHOLS, OGLESBY, OWENS, PALMER, PARKER, PEARSON, PETER, PETERS, PETERSON, PHELPS, PIERSON, QUINN, RAGLAN, RAGLAND, RAINES, REACH, REED, RITCHIE, ROAN, ROBINSON, SATTERWHITE, SHAW, SHOWS, SHUTTLESWORTH, SMITH, SNIPES, STACEY, STACY, STAMPS, STARLING, STEELE, STEFANICK, STEWARD, STEWART, STRICKLAND, THOMPSON, TIBBS, TUCKER, TURNER, VARNEL, VERNON, WAGGONER, WAGONER, WALKER, WALLACE, WARD, WOOD, WOODWARD, WOOLLEY, WRIGHT, WYATT, YEAGER, YOUNG
