Frank Younger, Jesse James author John Koblas, & Eric James
A CHRISTMAS WISH by Frank Younger
Once again we celebrate the festive Christmas Day With fellowship and joy and song and love. The tiny Baby Jesus in a manger full of hay, The chorus of the angels from above.
There’s food and decorations, there’s Santa and his toys, And families gathered close from far and wide – Moms and pops and cousins, uncles, aunts and girls and boys All congregated round the warm fireside.
Let the spirit of this special time be with us all the year, Let the gladness in our hearts guide what we do. Let the smiles and generosity sincerely shine forth clear – Let the Christmas Spirit live in me and you.
Years later, yours truly still is quoted on my challenge to chopper celebrity Jesse Gregory James, aka Jesse James. I’m still waiting for his DNA profile. … See MoreSee Less
THE FIRST IMMIGRANT TO AMERICA OF OUR JAMES FAMILY . . .
Stray Leaves, our website below, now reaches back into the 17th century to bring you the story of our first immigrant, John James, in narrative form.
John’s story comes to us through original documents and seasoned source citations, which are also provided.
What John James Tells Us • He arrived at Jamestown. • He transported 10 indentured people. • He was rewarded with a land patent. • The location of his land can be visited today. • He and his neighbors comprised the important founding families of Virginia. • The location of origination of the James in the Old World, as Jesse James family historians say is Pembrokeshire, Wales is disputed and unproven. • The name identity of John’s wife as formerly stated by traditional genealogists is disproved. • John James arrived as an oligarch and royalist with no pretensions to democracy or self-rule. • Early James family wealth was accrued in the tobacco culture and by land speculation. • John and his family were followers of the Church of England. • His children and grandchildren remained savvy and street-wise, relating well with common people. • Generations beyond the grandchildren of John James produced significant diversity in America’s people and culture.
The first foothold of the James family in the New World was secured by John James, the Immigrant. John was born about 1623. Sometime before 1690, he died.