Family Histories of Coleman
County, Texas
JOE B. JAMES FAMILY
by Marie Britton
From
A History of Coleman County and Its People, 1985
edited
by Judia and Ralph Terry, and Vena Bob Gates - used by permission
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Joe B. James was born May 30, 1856 near Jefferson, Texas, the son of
Benjamin Franklin and Harriet (Thomas) James. He and his two brothers,
Thomas Franklin (see Asa Britton and Wesley Flint James) and William Love
James, moved to Coleman County from Jefferson County in the later part
of the nineteenth century. Joe B. came in the fall of 1885, shortly
after his marriage to Dovie Monetta Meadows in Bell County, born near Jefferson,
February 9, 1862, the daughter of Asa and Sarah (Fosque) Meadows. Joe and
Dovie settled near the headwaters of Home Creek as did his two brothers.
They had four children:
(1) George Flint, born and died in 1886, buried in Oenaville
Cemetery near Temple.
(2) Lucy Belle, born December 8, 1887, married Ethan A. Rodden, born
September 9, 1873 - died June 19, 1938, on March 16, 1911. (see Rodden).
They had two children: (2a) James Fosque, April 4, 1915, never married,
was killed in a car accident near Monte, Old Mexico, October 20, 1971;
(2b) David Brannon, November 14, 1920, married Lorene Dyer, May 25, 1946,
and now lives in Smithfield. He is retired from Exxon and he and
Lorene have one daughter, Regina, who was born to them after they had adopted
six children. After Regina’s birth, they adopted twelve more to be
a total of nineteen children. Lucy belonged to the Primitive Baptist
Church and Mr. Rodden, for many years, was a Bible teacher at the Valera
Baptist Church although he was a Presbyterian. Lucy worked for her
father in his dry goods store; Gates and Allen, during their “fire sale;”
Saunders-Smith; P. B. Shannon; Mrs. Cole’s Millinery Shop and Paul Maedgen’s
Drug Store. She and Mr. Rodden had their own hardware store, with
piece goods and dry goods. She ran the store for four years after
Mr. Rodden’s death, closing in 1942. Lucy also workd at J . C. Penney
Company in Coleman. She has lived in the same house in Valera for
72 years.
(3) Joseph B., born November 8, 1891, died August 27, 1961, never married.
(4) Bill Isham, born October 21, 1898, died April 13, 1971, married
(1st) Maggie Addison, August 23, 1924. Maggie passed away December
4, 1946. In December 1963, Isham married (2nd) Beth Arthur and he
farmed and ranched until his death.
Joe, fondly known as Uncle Joe to all, and Dovie’s first home was a small
two room house built from lumber bought in Abilene and hauled here by wagon.
It took two days each way to make the trip and it was necessary to camp
out at night. The year 1886 was very dry here and they found it necessary
to go to Bell County where he worked as a cotton hauler that year.
In 1906, they moved to Valera where he put in a wagon yard and sold feed.
Later, he also owned and operated a grocery store. Joe died December
29, 1944, and Dovie, January 2, 1956, both buried in Valera as are the
rest of their family who are deceased. Concerning the two brothers
of Joe, Tom (Thomas F.) is buried in Hughes Springs and Bill (Wm. Love)
is buried in Coleman.
(Images to be added)
Joe James “Home Creek” Home-1901. Tom Gaines, lived in Joe James’s
home, Joe s brother, Tom, J. B., Joe’s son, Dog Suzie, Joe, Isham, Joe’s
son, Carrie James, Tom ‘s daughter, Dovie James, Joe’s wife, Lucy, his
daughter, boy on cultivator is Wesley James, Tom’s boy, and boy on mule,
Nat James, also Tom’s boy.
Tom James’s Cotton Crop - 1912. Tom F. James, Lucy James Rodden and
her father, Joe James, standing in front of store, Hugh Testner, standing
by post, Emmitt Miller, Nat James with Warnock Simmons and E. Rodden, standing,
J. B. James, Wesley James and Tom Evans, on horse. Tom Evans was
manager of the P .O. Ranch (Anson Ranch). Picture taken in front
of the Joe James Feed Store, Valera.
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