Vol III File 1: The Paternal Ancestry of Homer Beers James
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Vol III File 1: The Paternal Ancestry of Homer Beers James
Untitled
Revision Date: November 27, 1995
The Genealogy of Homer Beers James
Volume Three of Three Volumes
First American Settlers From England, Wales, and Ireland in 1500's to Present Day
The Paternal Ancestry of Homer Beers James
(Contains Several Early American Families, Eventually Through Jennie Negus to Charlie Negus James and Finally to Homer Beers James and His Descendants)
Compiled and Written by
Homer Beers James
Published by
JANDA Consultants
1636 Jamestown Place
Pittsburgh, PA 15235
1995
Copyright (c) Homer Beers James 1996
Introduction
The initial source that triggered my efforts was a small, privately
printed, pamphlet on the Negus family. I obtained a copy through
my cousin, Barbara Gervang, living in Novato, California. This
document was written by Rev. Ira E. Nolte, of Minneapolis, Minnesota.
"The Negus Family Ancestry Through Terrell - Wing - Coppock
Lines." It is undated, but it was published circa 1950. It
lists ancestral lines back to King Egbert of England, 802 A.D.,
extending downward to King Edward I, the last royal ancestor of
England. The many names of the Middle Ages includes Plantaganet,
De Clare, Fitz Alan, Muscegros, Beauchamp, Bassett, Bohun, Quincy,
Berkeley, Lygon, and many others. The line progresses to the early
pioneers who came to America in the 17th Century, where the Negus
name first appears. As originally written, this book did not include
my ancestral line beyond Shaidlock Negus, Sr. However, the author,
Rev. Ira E. Nolte, as an after thought, added Shaidlock Negus,
Jr., and his descendants, after he noted that there were a number
of Neguses in Springdale, Iowa, not in the lines he was investigating.
But even this did not include my line beyond me great grandfather,
Albert Bracken Negus. The most recent information of Jameses and
the last few generations of Neguses came from the personal papers
of my grandfather, Walter James, and was substantiated by the
records of several different Monthly Meetings of the Society of
Friends in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Iowa, as well as the U. S.
Census Records.
Later, in order to have a means to collect and correlate genealogical
information, I obtained a copy of Brother's Keeper,
an IBM-compatible computer program which facilitates the systematic
compilation of genealogical records. This program has been used
to collect over 4,000 names. The program has features that permit
many different pedigree trees and ancestral charts. This was used
to maintain control of the linkages between all the people involved.
From this point I started a serious study of available information
in public libraries, university libraries, The Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints Family History Library, and other
sources, using the names of the various ancestors in the Negus
records.
This was augmented by hand-written records on the James family,
prepared by my paternal grandfather, Walter James, in the late
1930's, through my cousin, Barbara James Gervang. These records
were used for this volume to verify and establish the details
of the more recent ancestors of the James and the Negus families
in Volume III.
This Volume III.. covers primarily the period of time from the
16th Century in England, Wales, and Ireland, the early immigrants
to America, up to the present day. It is part of a four volume
set on the ancestry of Homer Beers James. See Volumes I. and II.
for paternal ancestors of the Negus Line from 1500 BC to 1600
AD A separate volume, Volume IV., covers the maternal ancestors
(Beers Line and others).
Homer Beers James
December 31, 1993
Foreword
In the early days of civilization, the preservation of a pedigree
was necessary to maintain all that was valuable in blood, station,
and property. Without a pedigree a man was an outlaw; he had no
clan, consequently no legal rights or standing. Genealogies were
guarded with extreme jealousy and recorded with painful exactitude
by the bards of each clan. On the public reception into the clan
of a child at the age of fifteen, his family genealogy was proclaimed,
and all challengers of it commanded to come forward.
Today we are not so deeply committed to our ancestors as in those
ancient times, but the knowledge of where each of us derives our
genetic heritage, the varied experiences of out forbearers, can
enrich our overall understanding of where we came from and where
we are in the great web of existence.
The ancestors described in this volume emigrated to America from
England and Ireland. They settled initially in Massachusetts New
England, near Philadelphia, PA., and in the Virginia Colony. From
there they spread up and down the eastern seaboard, then inland
toward the west in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Iowa, and finally to the
far west in California. They settled the land as pioneers and
were some of the early adherents to the Quaker religion, spreading
it across the continent as they moved from one place to the other.
Table of Contents
Volume III. American Genealogy with English, Welsh, and Irish Ancestry
-
1. James Line (Welsh Ancestors) Complete
-
2. Negus-Line (English Ancestors) Complete
-
3. Wing Line (English Ancestors) Complete
-
4. West Line (English Ancestors) Complete
-
5. Batchelor Line (English Ancestors) Incomplete
-
6. Pennock Line (Irish Ancestors) Complete
-
7. McBride Line Complete
-
8. Ball Line Complete
-
9. Mayhew Line (English Ancestors) Complete
-
10. Lygon Line (Partial) (English Ancestors) Complete
-
11. Berkeley Line Partial) (English Ancestors) Complete
Volume III. Paternal Ancestry of Homer Beers James
English, Welsh, and Irish Emigrants to America
(1635 to 1993)
1. James Line
References for the James Line are as follows:
-
1. Hinshaw, "Encyclopedia of American
Quaker Genealogy".
-
2. Personal notes of Walter James, grandfather
of Homer B. James, dated 1938.
-
3. "The General Register of the Members
of the Springdale Monthly Meeting, IA.," obtained from
Mildred Mather, Chief Librarian, Herbert Hoover Memorial Library,
West Branch, IA.
-
4. "History of Cedar County, Iowa,"
written in 1875.
-
5. "U.S. Census for 1850 of Iowa Township,
Cedar County, IA."
-
1. Thomas James, born in Wales, emigrated
to the United States and settled in Virginia, according to handwritten
records of Walter James, grandfather of Homer Beers James. He
married Sarah Stranton(?).
They had the following children:
-
1. John James.
See below.
-
2. Isaac James, born in Elkrun Twp., Columbiana
Co., OH, August 31, 1763, married in 1785 in Lynchburg (South
River), Campbell Co., VA, Sarah Barker, born 1768. They had ten
children as follows:
-
1. John James, born in either Lynchburg, Campbell
Co., VA or Columbiana Co., OH, on September 30, 1787, married
at Elkrun, Ohio, June 14, 1809, Esther Richards, daughter of Abijah
Richards and his wife Esther, Columbiana County, Ohio. They had
the following children:
-
1. Benjamin James, born June 16, 1813.
-
2. Miriam James, born December 23, 1814.
-
2. Elizabeth James, born in either Lynchburg,
Campbell Co., VA or Columbiana Co., OH, April 18, 1789, married
December 18, 1806, Simon Dixon (Dixson).
-
3. Joseph James, born in either Lynchburg,
Campbell Co., VA or Columbiana Co., OH, March 30, 1791, married
Ann Harrison.
-
4. Mary James, born in either Lynchburg, Campbell
Co., VA or Columbiana Co., OH, February 29, 1793, married April
12, 1809, Latham Harrison.
-
5. Catherine James, born in Columbiana Co.,
OH, March 5, 1795, married October 15, 1817, Caleb Hawley.
-
6. Rachel James, born in Columbiana Co., OH,
December 25, 1796.
-
7. Sarah James, born in Columbiana Co., OH,
December 1, 1798, married August 13, 1817, Atticus Siddall.
-
8. Isaac James, born in Columbiana Co., OH,
April 3, 1801.
-
9. David (Davis ?) James, born in Columbiana
Co., OH, May 11, 1803.
-
10. Jesse James, born in Columbiana Co., OH,
April 30, 1805, married Elizabeth Smith, daughter of Joseph Smith
and his wife, Joanna, Beaver County, PA. She was born November
11, 1806. They had the following children (from records of the
Society of Friends, Sandy Spring Monthly Meeting, Ohio):
-
1. Jonathan James, born March 15, 1825.
-
2. Joseph Smith James, born June 11, 1827.
-
3. Phebe S. James, born June 11, 1829.
Jesse and Elizabeth and son, Jonathan, received
on certificate from the Carmel Monthly Meeting, dated April 16,
1825. Jesse and family were granted a certificate to the Carmel
Monthly Meeting, dated December 23, 1831. He appears on the 1860
census for Springdale, Cedar County, IA.
-
3. Thomas James, born March 21, 1774, died
April 1, 1840, married Sarah _______.
-
2. John James
was born in 1774(?) and raised in Virginia. He married in 1799(?)
Martha Bingham (Also shown as Bangham).,
also born and raised in Virginia. This information was obtained
originally from the handwritten records of Walter James. They
later moved to Columbiana County, OH. at the end of the 18th century.
John and the family were granted a certificate to the Salem Monthly
Meeting, Ohio, dated January 11, 1806. The family received a certificate
from the New Garden Monthly Meeting, dated May 13, 1813. John
and wife, Martha, and children, Mary, Rachel,, and John, were
granted a certificate to the Upper Springfield Monthly Meeting,
OH, November 8, 1832. They had the following children, all born
in Columbiana County, OH:
-
3. Thomas James was born December 3,
1809 in Columbiana County, Ohio. He died November 29, 1887 in
Springdale, Cedar County, Iowa. He was buried in Springdale, IA.
He married May 10, 1841 in Columbiana County, Ohio Hanna McBride, daughter
of Evan McBride, born in Virginia, died in 1825 in Columbiana
County, OH, and his wife, Jane Pennock, said to be born in Virginia
(but possibly born in Philadelphia) in 1794, died August 12, 1892,
aged 98 years, at the home of Walter James, her grandson, in Springdale,
IA. See elsewhere in Volume III. for additional ancestral lineages
of the McBride Line and the Pennock Line.
Hanna McBride was born May 10, 1817 in Columbiana County, Ohio,
and died November 16, 1913 in Springdale, Cedar County, IA. Thomas
James was disowned for disunity from the Middletown Monthly Meeting,
November 12, 1829. Hanna (McBride) James was condemned for marriage
out of unity by the Sandy Spring Monthly Meeting on March 25,
1842. They came to Iowa with their family in the spring of 1851
and settled near what was afterwards known as Springdale, Iowa
Township, Cedar County, IA. He appears on the 1860 census for
Springdale, Cedar County, IA.
The following is taken from "The History
of Cedar County, Iowa", written in 1875.
"The first goods were sold in 1851,
by Louis Schofield and Thomas Winn, who built a store on the southeast
corner of the southwest half of the southeast quarter of Section
1, and opened a store....About 1853, Jesse Bowersock built a store
on the southeast corner of the southwest quarter of Section 1,
on the site of the present store of Elwood Macy and Thomas Fawcett,
having previously kept a store on his farm, the northwest half
of the northeast quarter of Section 6, Iowa Township, where he
settled in 844. After several years, Mr. Bowersock moved to West
Liberty, thence to California. Heald and Macy's stock was transferred
to Thomas James and Ignatius Hook. James Smith
and Edward Manfull bought them out."
"One great impediment which the early
settlers encountered, was the soft and miry condition of the sloughs
in many places. There were bottomless, so far as was known at
the time; most of them were without channels, and the water spread
out over the entire bottom. When there were channels, the only
bridges were of poles and went down stream with every heavy rain,
and had to be hunted up and carried back by hand, as teams could
not get to them."
According to a newspaper clipping of his obituary,
"Thomas had, prior to moving to Iowa,
twice visited the state. He held the office of County Coroner
two or three times and was Justice of the Peace and a Notary Public
for many years (Walter James, his son, still had his official
seal in his possession in 1938). After a successful career as
a farmer and stock raiser he retired from active life and moved
into the town of Springdale. His intelligence was above average
and he was always ready to join in a political or philosophical
discussion. He was also one of the old time Abolitionists, supporting
James G. Burney, candidate for president."
According to the handwritten notes of Walter
James, her son,
"Hannah McBride spent some years teaching
school before her marriage to Thomas James. She was always known
as a well-educated woman and her life was dominated by a fine
Christian spirit and was often called by neighbors in sorrow for
comfort and consolation. She retained all her facilities to the
end of a long and useful life, aged 95 years and 6 months at her
death, on November 16, 1912, in Springdale, IA."
Thomas and Hanna had the following children:
-
1. Leicester James, born September 16, 1842,
in Columbiana County, OH. He entered the Iowa State University
at Iowa City, IA, having chosen the law profession for his life work.
[The University of Iowa
founded in 1847 is at Iowa City. Iowa State University (originally Iowa State Agricultural College) is at Ames, Iowa].
After completing two years of study, he answered the call
of President Lincoln for recruits for a one-hundred-day service
at the beginning of the Civil War. After the expiration of this
term he returned home and died soon after from the effects of
his service in the war, on September 16, 1865, in Springdale,
IA, aged 23 years.
-
2. Homer James, born June 15, 1844, in Columbiana
County, OH. His birth is recorded as July 25, 1846 in the Quaker
records from the Springdale Monthly Meeting, but this must be
an error. He was dropped from the rolls of the Society of Friends
on February 19, 1887. He married, (1) Nina Michener, daughter
of Dr. George Michener, died October 6, 1864, and his wife Rebecca
Flanner, died February 18, 1870. Nina was born August 18, 1847.
From the first marriage, there was one son:
-
1. William F. James, born August 16, 1866,
married (1) Annie Brooks, (2) _________. There was a son from
the first marriage, Walter James, who was living in Cherokee,
IA in 1938. He suffered as a cripple from spinal meningitis, but
overcame his handicaps to become a fine musician and sign writer.
Homer married (2) Lucy (Johnson) Walker, daughter
of William and Elizabeth Johnson. She was born September 30, 1841,
died December 18, 1928. From the second marriage, there was one
son:
-
1. Calvin Calvert James, born October 11,
1877, at Vinton, IA, died December 19, 1909, in New York City,
NY. According to Walter James,
"He was one of the leading tenor singers
of his time, and when he died he was tenor soloist in Trinity
Church in New York. He traveled with a famous male quartet, and
he memorized the tenor solo parts of many of the fine oratories
of the great composers and was frequently called to large cities
to sing the solo parts when these oratories were being performed."
He married another fine singer, Lottie ________.
They had one child, Marie James, born 1905.
Homer died March 17, 1920, in Springdale,
IA.
-
3. Mary James, born June 18, 1846, in Columbiana
County, OH, died June 18, 1856, in Springdale, IA., age 10 years.
-
4. Martha James, born May 19, 1848, died November
28, 1926, in Pasadena, CA. She married Charles Apple in 1870,
but was later divorced. Martha James was educated at Iowa State
University and taught school many years.
[The University of Iowa
founded in 1847 is at Iowa City. Iowa State University (originally Iowa State Agricultural College) is at Ames, Iowa].
They had two children
as follows:
-
5. John Evan James, born April 9, 1850, in
Columbiana County, OH, died May 19, 1851, in Springdale, IA.,
about one year of age.
-
6. Angeline James, a twin, born January 21,
1857, in Springdale, IA, died February 21, 1858, in Springdale,
IA., one year of age.
-
7. Emeline James, a twin, born January 21,
1857, in Springdale, IA, died October 30, 1860, in Springdale,
IA., one year of age.
-
8. Walter James,
born October 28, 1861. See below.
-
4. Walter James, the eight and last child
in his parents' family, was born October 28, 1861 in Springdale,
Iowa Township, Cedar County, Iowa. He married August 18, 1884
in Springdale, Cedar County, Iowa (1) Jennie Iona Negus, daughter
of Albert Bracken Negus and his wife, Martha Ball.
She was born October 30, 1866 at Springdale, IA, died in Pasadena,
CA, April 13, 1911, following a similar move by many of his relatives.
Walter was engaged in several businesses in his career. There
is a record from the Springdale Monthly Meeting that Walter James
and Jennie Iona Negus joined the Methodist Episcopal Church on
April 22, 1893. The family moved to Pasadena in 1903. In retirement
he was active in the Methodist Episcopal Church of Pasadena, CA.
He also was an accomplished musician, playing the flute and piano
and singing in the church choir. They had the following children:
-
1. Wilfred McDonald (Donald) James, born August
8, 1893, in Springdale, IA, married Ruth Putnam, born May 23,
189(?), a direct descendant of General Putnam of Revolutionary
War fame. Wilfred (Donald) graduated from Pasadena High School
in 1914. In 1916 he graduated at the California State Agricultural
College, located at Davis, CA, with high honors. In January 1917
he went to Waterloo, IA to establish a residence in that state
and enrolled as a student at Iowa State College at Ames, IA. Before
the fall semester opened, the United States declared war on Germany
and he enlisted in the U. S. Army before the draft was called.
He was appointed to the rank of Sergeant in the Field Artillery
and was placed in charge of telephone lines in his Brigade and
served with honor in that capacity until the end of the war. After
the Armistice was signed, the U.S. Government gave him a complimentary
course of study of three months in the Royal Technical College,
in Glasgow, Scotland, in Civil Engineering. After returning home,
he continued the study of horticulture and landscape gardening
and made a reputation in this chosen field. He gave lectures to
many garden clubs and high schools and wrote numerous articles
on horticulture for gardening magazines. He was an accomplished
trombone player as well. He and his wife, Ruth, had the following
three children:
-
1. Robert Putnam James, born in Los Angeles,
CA, January 3, 1925, married Elizabeth (Betty) Jean Kolterman,
daughter of Edward William Kolterman and his wife, Agnes Condon,
both from Nebraska. Agnes Condon's ancestor was John Hart, signer
of the Declaration of Independence. Robert, raised in Santa Barbara,
CA., worked as an aeronautical engineer at the Lockheed Aircraft
"Skunk Works," where a number of advanced state-of-the-art
aircraft were developed, such as the U-2 and the SR-72. Robert
died in the late 1980's. Betty, resides in San Marino, CA. She
and Robert had the following children:
-
1. Roger Edward James, born in Pasadena, CA.,
July 30, 1949. He died January 1, 1972. He was unmarried.
-
2. Charles Robert James, born in Pasadena,
CA., April 18, 1953. He married Constance Cunz, March 31. 1973.
They are now divorced. They have the following children:
-
1. Michael Robert James, born December 10,
1980.
-
2. Jeffred Roger James, born February 25,
1982.
-
3. Cartlin Joy James, born July 23, 1986.
-
3. Linda Ann James, born January 12, 1955,
in Pasadena, CA. She lives in San Jose, CA in 1993, working for
the YWCA.
-
4. Thomas David James, born August 22, 1957,
in Pasadena, CA. He married September 18, 1982, Naidene Matsumoto.
They live in Valencia, CA. and he works for the Lockheed "Skunk
Works" as his father did before him. They have one son, Dylan
James, born April 23, 1992. Another child was born about October,
1993.
-
5. Laura Jean James, born June 5, 1961, in
Pasadena, CA. She married August 27, 1989, Gregory Glasgow, from
Ohio. They live in San Diego, CA. They have one daughter, Marlee
Jean Glasgow, born February 27, 1992.
-
2. Richard Allen James, born and raised in
Santa Barbara, CA, August 25, 1929, married in 1955, Jeanne Cassio.
She died in October 1995. He worked for IBM and Dysan in the field
of magnetic disks for memory storage in computers. He lives in
San Jose and Santa Cruz, CA. They had the following children:
-
1. Steve James, born in 1957.
-
2. Joanne James, born in 1959. She has two
daughters: Kristen and Nicole. A son, Patrick, was due to be born
around Novemeber 12, 1995.
-
3. Barbara Ruth James, born and raised in
Santa Barbara, CA, February 2, 1932, married William Gervang,
a native of Denmark. She was a school teacher and William works
in building construction. They live in Novato, CA. They have one
son, married, as follows:
-
1. James Gervang, born in 1960, married Kara
Cummings.
-
2. Letha Hanna James, born August 6, 1895
in Springdale, IA, died May 5, 1915, in Pasadena, CA. Cause of
death unknown.
-
3. Charlie Negus James, Sr See below.
Walter, following the death of his first wife,
married on June 18, 1913, at Pasadena, CA, (2) Mary Eleanor Case,
born October 30, 1866, at Waterloo, IA. It is interesting to note
that both wives of Walter James were born on the same day. There
were no children from the second marriage. Walter James died December
29, 1942, in Ojai, CA, at the home of his eldest son, Wilfred
(Donald), after a prolonged illness and following the death of
his second wife, Mary, which preceded his death by a short time.
-
5. Charlie Negus James, Sr was born February
11, 1898 in Springdale, Cedar County, Iowa. He died January 15,
1964 in Glendale, California. Charlie enlisted in the Army Air
Service on April 10, 1917, before the draft was issued for overseas
duty. He was sent to the Central Flying School near London, England
for three months of instruction and then entered the U.S. Air
Service in France, and he continued in that service until the
Armistice in November 11, 1918. He returned to South Pasadena,
CA and was later stationed at the U.S. Flying School at March
Field, in Riverside, CA as a flying instructor. He later was in
the California National Guard and spent some time flying in the
U.S. Fire Patrol over the mountains from Pasadena to Santa Barbara,
CA. He married June 15, 1923 (1) Helen Mae Beers, daughter
of Samuel Perry Beers, Jr. and his wife, Harriet Maria Beers.
She died by suicide March 26, 1935 in North Hollywood, California.
On April 17, 1926, the United States government established air
mail service in Southern California and Charlie N. James was the
first pilot hired in that service and piloted the first plane
which carried air mail from Salt Lake City, UT to Los Angeles,
CA. At the time he was nicknamed Jimmie (Jimmy) James and was
always known by that name in the aircraft industry. He flew regular
air mail and passenger schedules, from Los Angeles, CA. to Salt
Lake City, UT. from 1926 to 1934. In 1934 he was made Chief Pilot
and then Vice-President of Operations, for Western Air Express,
later Western Airlines. Still later in the 1980's Western Airlines
was merged into Delta Airlines. Charlie and Helen had the following
children:
-
1. Homer Beers James. See below.
-
2. Genevieve James, born July 13, 1925, in
Los Angeles, CA, raised in North Hollywood, Glendale, and Santa
Barbara, CA., died October 21, 1991, at age 66, in Santa Monica,
CA. She attended the University of Southern California where she
met and later married in Glendale, CA., Scott (Scotty) McKennan,
originally from Indiana. Genevieve was always very active in Christian
Science. She worked as a nurse in a home for the elderly. She
and Scott had two children:
-
1. Linda McKennan, born ???, married Winfried
Platzer, of West Germany, originally from the Sudetanland, now
a part of Czech.
-
2. Steve McKennan, born ???, unmarried.
-
3. Charlie Negus James, Jr., born October
29, 1929, in Los Angeles, CA, married (1) June Haraldson of Jasper,
MN, from whom he was divorced. She is remarried and lives in Escondida,
CA, managing real estate properties. He married (2) Rozanne Jarrett,
of Florida, also from whom he was divorced. She lives in Pensacola,
Florida, working as a medical sonar technician.
Charlie attended military academies from early
childhood through high school. He dropped out of school and joined
the U. S. Navy, following World War II, as a recruit seaman. He
was trained in electronics for the submarine service and served
in this capacity until he was selected for a college preparatory
training program in Rhode Island, aimed at sending navy personnel
to the U. S. Naval Academy at Annapolis. He withdrew from this
program and transferred to the Naval Cadet Program at Corpus Christi,
TX. He spent 33 years in the U. S. Navy, retiring as a Captain,
including the Korean War, as a Douglas AD-5 dive bomber pilot
through the Viet Nam War, being shot down in 1968 during a recon
mission in a North American RA-5C over North Viet Nam, and imprisoned
for a number years. After his release from prison in 1972, he
continued as Base Commander of the Dallas NAS and at Subic Bay
in the Philippines. He spent his last year at the Pentagon, after
which he retired from the Navy. He then flew commercial jets and
turbo prop aircraft for several companies. In Driggs, ID., he
flew gliders and balloons among the Grand Tetons. He was for several
years a senior pilot, under contract to the Navy and other government
agencies, with Flight International, Inc. in Palomar, CA. He is
now in 1993 associated with an independent flight operation planning
to fly tourists around Mt. McKinley in Alaska. He also towed gliders
and instructed in gliders on the weekends in the San Diego area.
He lived with Dana DeNault and her daughter,
Pilar, in Carlsbad, CA. up to 1994. He then moved to Sanford,
FL, near his daughter, Suzie and her husband, Jack Skipper. He
is currently towing and instructing in high-performance gliders.
He had two sons by his first wife, June Haraldson.
They were as follows:
-
6. Homer Beers James was born March
14, 1924 in Los Angeles, California. He married November 1, 1947
in Fort Wayne, Indiana, Genevieve Simmons, daughter
of Leonard Pierce Simmons and his wife, Dora Van Burkleo, both
of Harlingen, Texas. Homer, known as
"Jim", was raised in the Southern California area (Montebello,
Hollywood, North Hollywood, Burbank, and Glendale). He attended
Burbank Military Academy and graduated from Herbert Hoover High
School of Glendale, CA. As a high school student he worked for
three summers for Western Air Lines as a radio operator, ticket
agent, etc. in West Yellowstone, MT. He attended Idaho State University
for two years (1941-1943) before being drafted into the U. S.
Army in June, 1943. While in military service he was first in
Basic Training at Fort Hood, TX, then in the Army Specialized
Training Program, attending Texas A. and M. University, in Electrical
Engineering. Later he served in the Signal Corps and the Corps
of Engineers, stationed in Camp Crowder, MO, Fort Belvior, VA,
and Camp Beale, CA., being discharged as a Tech Sergeant in March,
1946. He served in the U. S. Army Reserve to March, 1949. He worked
for Western Air Lines in 1946 as a radio technician, and then
returned to school and graduated from Texas A. and M. in August,
1947 with a BS in Electrical Engineering. While in Texas; he also
worked part-time as a Physics Lab Instructor and Broadcast Engineer
for station WTAW(AM and FM), College Station, TX. He met his wife,
Genevieve, at that time. He then joined the Westinghouse Corporation,
where he worked as an electronic/electrical engineer and program
manager for 43 years in Lima, OH, and Pittsburgh, PA. He received
two Master's degrees from the University of Pittsburgh (MSEE,
1952; MBA, 1972). He also studied Spanish for five years at the
University of Pittsburgh in the 70's and 80's. He taught electronics,
control theory, and physics in parallel with his engineering career,
teaching at the University of Pittsburgh, and several other schools
in Ohio and Pennsylvania. He retired In February, 1989, and works
with electronic music, attends classes in all subjects at the
University of Pittsburgh, and teaches physics and physical science
at the Community College of Allegheny County, PA. Genevieve, his
wife, known as "Gene", has a Master's degree in Counselor
Education from the University of Pittsburgh, working at Shaler
Area High School as a guidance counselor, specializing in personal
crisis situations. She previous was an English teacher in Lima,
Ohio, having graduated from Bowling Green State University, OH.
Homer and Gene were married in Fort Wayne, IN, on November 1,
1947. They have four children, all of whom have undergraduate
degrees from Antioch College, as well as other schools. and they
have nine grandchildren as follows:
-
1. Randall Pierce James, married Ann Elizabeth McCrow of England, daughter
of Reginald C. McCrow and his wife, Elizabeth Baush, of Philadelphia,
PA, with two brothers and one sister. Her parents and brothers
reside in England and her sister lives in Toronto, Canada.
Randall was born July 24, 1949 in Lima, OH.
He grew up there and in Seattle, WA. He graduated from Antioch
College in 1972 with a BA in Philosophy with a minor in Art.
While attending the University of Leeds in
England, as a part of his undergraduate work, he met his wife,
Ann McCrow, who was also attending Leeds. She and her family had
lived in many different parts of the world, before coming to Leeds
(Rio De Janiero, Mexico City, Portugal, Evansville, IN., etc.).
Randall is the President of Pacific Holograms,
Inc. This company emerged from the Chapter 11 proceedings of Light
Impressions, Inc., for which Randall was the Production and Laboratory
Manager. Light Impressions was a company that made commercial
holograms. The new company is more concentrated in the business
of mastering of holograms. Randall also has many holograms which
he created in earlier years in his home laser laboratory in San
Francisco. They are on display in galleries and museums all over
the world.
Ann taught school in Dijon, France and worked
for the University of California, Berkeley, Press. She worked
as a part-time coordinator with the Santa Cruz Public Schools.
At present she is the director of non-profit educational foundation.
They currently live in Santa Cruz, CA. Both
Randall and Ann are very active in the Unitarian Church of Santa
Cruz, CA., where, in the past, he was the Board President and
she was in charge of Religious Education and other positions as
well. They have two sons as follows:
-
1. Nathan Samuel James, born January 25, 1981, in San
Francisco, CA. It is noteworthy that when his name was selected
there was no prior knowledge of the multitude of Nathans and Samuels
which exist in the Beers Line of his ancestry. He was honored
by a savings bond shortly after his birth from his great-uncle,
Samuel Beers, who erroneously thought he had been selected as
the namesake. For several years he was instructed in a home program
by his mother, Ann, in Santa Cruz, CA. He is now in Harbor High
School. He has spent the summers of 1994-1995 in Italy.
-
2. Leo Alexander James, born May 5, 1984, in San Francisco,
CA. He attends public grammar school in Santa Cruz, CA. He is
very active in sports, especially soccer.
-
2. Gary Scott James,
married Julie Martin
of Louisiana, Missouri, daughter of Dr. Joseph Martin and his
wife, Janet. Dr. Martin is now retired from practice in Louisiana,
MO. Gary was born December 2, 1950 in Lima, OH. He grew up there
and in Seattle, WA and Pittsburgh, PA. He has a BA in Psychology
from Antioch College, an MSW from Washington University in St.
Louis, MO, and a Master of Theology from Starr King School of
The University of California, Berkeley, CA. He is a Unitarian
Minister in Deerfield, IL, a northern suburb of Chicago. He had
previous assignments in St. Louis, MO. and Cincinnati, OH.
Julie graduated from Washington University
of St. Louis, MO and from the National School for Naturopathic
Medicine in Portland, OR. She has held a number of church positions,
such as office manager and director of religious education. She
is currently in practice as a Naturopathic Doctor in Lake Bluff,
IL.
Gary and Julie, have two children as follows:
-
1. Jennifer Lauren Martin James, born September 16, 1985,
in St. Louis, MO. She currently attends public school in Lake
Bluff, IL.
-
2. Joshua Kyle Martin James, born February 6, 1989,
in Cincinnati, OH. He currently attends public school in Lake
Bluff, IL.
-
3. Mark Simmons James, married Mary Poore of Butte, Montana, daughter of
Robert Poore, Esq., a retired corporate lawyer and his wife, Pauline.
Mark was born November 22, 1951 in Lima, OH. He grew up in Lima,
OH, Seattle, WA, and Pittsburgh, PA. He graduated from Antioch
College with a BA in Outdoor Education and Botany. He also attended
Prescott College in Arizona, and Oregon State University. He graduated
from the National School of Naturopathic Medicine, Portland, OR.
He is in practice with his wife, Mary Poore,
who also graduated from the National School of Naturopathic Medicine.
She is also a graduate in Pharmacology form the University of
Montana. They jointly run a naturopathic clinic in Flagstaff,
AR.
Mark and Mary are very active in the national
and state affairs of naturopathic medicine. They and their girls
are avid outdoors people, and Mark continues to run in marathons
and triathalons. He ran in the Boston Marathon in April, 1996.
They have three daughters as follows:
-
1. Cara Genevieve James, born October 10, 1985, in Portland,
OR. She currently attends public school in Flagstaff, AZ.
-
2. Emily James,
born January 6, 1988, in Flagstaff, AR. She currently attends
public school in Flagstaff, AZ.
-
3. Lily Ann James,
born October 10, 1991, in Flagstaff, AR.
Mark also has an older daughter, Juniper Painton, born about 1979, in Salem,
OR, prior to his present family. She lives with her mother in
Portland, OR., and attends public high school.
-
4. Janet Charlene James, married Galen Spielman of Larimore, North Dakota,
born October 12, 1937. She was born August 24, 1955 in Lima, OH.
She grew up in Lima, OH, Seattle, WA, and Pittsburgh, PA. She
graduated from Antioch College with a BA in Psychology, a MSW
from Case-Western University in Cleveland, OH, and an MBA from
the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Business. She
is a consultant in Business Administration, working with clients
in southwestern Pennsylvania. She was previously an Administrator
with the Western Pennsylvania High Technology Council and the
Enterprise Corp., both in Pittsburgh, PA.
Galen is a director with KDKA-TV in Pittsburgh.
Galen has three children by two previous marriages, and is a grandfather.
Janet and Galen have two children as follows:
-
1. Galen James Spielman, born July 3, 1987, in Pittsburgh,
PA. He currently attends the McEwan School in Pittsburgh, PA.
-
2. Jesse Ann James Spielman, born March 30, 1989, in Pittsburgh,
PA. She currently attends the McEwan School in Pittsburgh, PA.
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