Robert S. James
{{Short description|American Baptist minister}}
{{infobox person
| name = Robert James
| image = Robert Sallee James.JPG
| caption =
| birth_name = Robert Salle James
| birth_date = {{birth date|1818|7|17}}
| birth_place = Lickskillet, Logan County, Kentucky, US
| death_date = {{death date and age|1850|8|18|1818|7|17}}
| death_place = Placerville, California, US
| other_names =
| parents =
| spouse = {{marriage|Zerelda James|December 28, 1841}}
| children = 4 (incl. Frank and Jesse)
| occupation = Farmer, Baptist preacher
}}
Rev. Robert Salle James (July 17, 1818 – August 18, 1850) was an American Baptist minister and one of the founders of William Jewell College in 1849 in Liberty, Missouri.{{Cite web|url=http://www.jewell.edu/william_jewell/gen/william_and_jewell_generated_pages/A_Brief_History_m21.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070416084204/http://jewell.edu/william_jewell/gen/william_and_jewell_generated_pages/A_Brief_History_m21.html|url-status=dead|title=History of Jewell College|archive-date=April 16, 2007}} He was the father of the outlaws Frank and Jesse James.
Biography
Robert Salle James was born near Big Whippoorwill Creek at Lickskillet, Logan County, Kentucky.Steele, Philip W. "Jesse and Frank James: The Family History". Pelican Publishing, 1987, p. 27. He was the son of John M. James (1775–1827) and Mary "Polly" James (née Poor).Steele 1987, p. 24. Through his mother Robert was a descendant of Jamestowne Society qualifying ancestor Dr. John Woodson.Dornan, John Frederick. "Adventurers of Purse and Person: Virginia, 1607-1624/25", Fourth Edition, Volume 2. Genealogical Publishing Company of Baltimore, 2007, p. 841. Woodson, an Oxford-educated surgeon, arrived at Jamestown, Virginia in April 1619 from Devon in the service of Colony of Virginia Governor George Yeardley.McCartney, Martha W. "Virginia Immigrants and Adventurers, 1607-1635: A Biographical Dictionary". Genealogical Publishing Company of Baltimore, 2007, p. 763. Robert's maternal grandfather Robert Poor served as a Cornet (military rank) in the Revolutionary War.Gwathmey, John H. "Historical Register of Virginians in the Revolution", orig. 1938. Reprinted Genealogical Publishing Company of Baltimore, 1979. P. 631.{{Cite web|url=http://services.dar.org/public/dar_research/search_adb/?action=full&p_id=A090853|title = DAR Genealogical Research Databases}}
Robert married Zerelda Cole on December 28, 1841. His children were Alexander Franklin, Robert, Jesse and Susan Lavenia. He attended Georgetown College in Georgetown, Kentucky, graduating in 1843 with honors and a Bachelor of Arts. The family soon relocated to Clay County, Missouri, where Zerelda's mother and stepfather were living, but Robert commuted back to Kentucky and eventually received a Master of Arts from Georgetown.Yeatman, Ted P. "Frank and Jesse James: The Story Behind the Legend". Cumberland House Publishing, 2003, p. 26. He was considered a gifted student and a skilled orator.
James was a noted revivalist. He was among the founders of William Jewell College in 1849. In April 1850, James left his family for California to visit his brother Drury Woodson James, who had already relocated to the state.[http://www.sanluisobispo.com/2014/04/03/3004509_the-founders-of-paso-robles.html?rh=1 The Founders of Paso Robles]The Tribune {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140905141756/http://www.sanluisobispo.com/2014/04/03/3004509_the-founders-of-paso-robles.html?rh=1 |date=2014-09-05 }} He also planned to prospect for gold and preach to the crowds of goldminers during the California gold rush. Shortly after arriving in California in August 1850, he contracted cholera and died on August 18, 1850, in the Hangtown Gold Camp{{citation needed|date=June 2020}}, later known as Placerville. He was buried there in an unmarked grave. Probate records show that at his death he owned six slaves and was a commercial hemp farmer.
James's death left his family saddled with debts and many of his possessions, including one of the slaves, were auctioned off to pay them. His widow Zerelda married Benjamin Simms, a wealthy farmer, on September 30, 1852. This, however, did not last and they soon separated, with Zerelda marrying a third time to a country doctor.
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Jesse James}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:James, Robert}}
Category:Baptists from Kentucky
Category:American people of English descent
Category:People from Logan County, Kentucky
Category:American slave owners