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The Stamp Act passed by the parliament of King George III instructed the grandfather of Frank and Jesse James in the power to disobey.
John M. James was informed by his uncle Henry Field, a son of Henry Field Sr. and Esther James. Putting his life and the lives of his family on the line, John’s Uncle Henry was a judge on the Culpeper Court who had resigned his judgeship to oppose the king.
As This Bloody Ground, Volume II of Jesse James Soul Liberty, points out,
“Parliament recently had imposed a cider tax, plus a sugar tax. Now, a stamp tax was to be paid. The revenue stamp was to affix to most every paper item generated throughout the Colony, including documents issued by the Culpeper Court in its jurisdiction over churches and preachers. The stamp equally applied to countless other documents and papers as well, such as a gazette, a bill of sale, a land transfer, or even a will. Payment to the Crown was required in sterling, scarcely found in the colony where barter was the principal currency. Feeding upon every official and non-official act of the colonists, the stamp tax amounted to economic enslavement.”
How egregious were these taxes to cause the James family to turn to revolution?
A recent article titled “What 11 Common Objects Would Cost in 2015 if Colonial Taxation Still Existed” outlines the financial burden in the dollar values of 2015.
Everything in print bore a tax. A magazine tax would add $294.56. A printed diploma would bear a tax of $234.84; a deck of cards, $5.87 in taxes. A printed calendar bore $1.96 additional tax.
Previously levied taxes already were proving burdensome. A pound of tea bore $1.46 in tax. Foreign coffee was expensive, costing $350.86 in tax. Foreign sugar carried a tax burden of $129.16.
The preferred beverage to water was wine. But wine was getting very expensive, too. A ton of wine imported from Spain or Portugal bore a tax of $58.72. Wine imported from Madeira, the favorite of Thomas Jefferson, carried a tax of $821.94, fifteen times more than European wine. The paper on which a license to sell wine was printed, added $469.68 in tax to the license cost.
Indeed, these tax excesses amounted to economic enslavement. Absent relief, revolution became the only recourse. The lessons of economic oppression have remained with the James family since.
Stray Leaves Daily
Daily updates from the official website for the family & friends of Frank & Jesse James with stories, photos, & two searchable genealogy databases.
So says the Leaf Blower.
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When this happens, it’s usually because the owner only shared it with a small group of people, changed who can see it or it’s been deleted.WELL, PULL MY TEETH! Dr. Timothy Michael Huckabee & staff wear Huckabee Dental’s own brand of dental scrubs in Southlake, TX. Dr. Tim is a 4th great-grandson of Rev. Joseph Martin James & Rhoda May, and a 3rd great-grandson of Cyrenius Wait James & Amanda Hall. That’s how his James genes from Pulaski Co KY took root in TX. Dr. Tim’s grandmother is Anna Ruth James-Wingo. With her degree in journalism, Anna later studied at Cambridge University in England. Back home, she was an officer in the Parent Teachers Association, a charter member of the Wills Point Historical Society, special correspondent to the Dallas Morning News, and was chosen Woman of the Year by the Rotary Anns in 1976. The Wills Point High School named the Wingo Library in honor of her and her husband David Stimson Wingo in 1998. Anna wrote books for her grandchildren and a legacy of memory stories for the James family titled “Roots and Wings”. Dr. Tim is also a 3rd cousin of Frank & Jesse James. When requesting services, be sure to ask him for "the outlaw discount."
NEW POST ON SL – Joan Oates is a 1st cousin of Frank & Jesse James. Her story and her ancestral James line give you a full picture of just how monumental is the James family’s contribution to teaching, education, schools, and the arts. Think you know Jesse James? Wait until you meet his family.
ericjames.org/wordpress/2021/11/16/joan-olmsted-oates-arts-in-education/
Joan Olmsted Oates – Lioness of the Arts in Education & First Cousin of Frank & Jesse James
ericjames.org
Being a first cousin of America’s historic icons Frank & Jesse James meant nothing to Joan Olmsted Oates. When imagining a purpose and destiny for herself, Joan could point with pride to a constellati…JESSE JAMES & JIM YOUNGER? Stray Leaves responded to this submission, saying, "Following the recent 6-year fiasco of a tintype image and its claims, wanna-be images keep on coming our way, as you surmise. They add to the hundreds already on file with the James Preservation Trust. While you may see ‘a passing resemblance,’ our experience takes us way past any such consideration. However, old tintypes are always fun to see. Thank you.