1861-1945
Adoniram Judson James
Physician Wisconsin/Texas WI/TX
Adoniram Judson James was born on January 21, 1861, in Dodgeville, Wisconsin, to Reverend William Eynon James (1830-1906) and Hannah Edmund James (1831-1904), who were new immigrants to America from Wales. The family had pastoral stops in Wisconsin, Iowa and Illinois but eventually migrated to Texas where Judson graduated from high school. His father pastored in Caldwell, Texas, and was a strong supporter of Baylor University in Waco, Texas, and the Baylor Seminary in Fort Worth which eventually became Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.[1]
Rev. W. E. and Hannah James had a total of 10 children with 8 living into adulthood. Three children were named for missionaries to Burma: Adoniram Judson James (1861-1945), Claudia “Calista” Vinton James (1865-1894), and Johnathan Wade James (1870-1953). A fourth child was named Francis Wayland James (1868-1949) in honor of the president of Brown University and author who scribed A Memoir of the Life and Labors of the Rev. Adoniram Judson in 1853, just three years after the missionary Judson died. Additionally, Judson James’ great niece, Carla (James) Gonyo, served with the International Mission Board of Southern Baptists in Burma for 8 years in the early part of the 21st century.[2]
Adoniram Judson James married Annie C. Moore in 1893 and they had 4 children. He taught in Dallas, TX, high schools 1890-96 while working on his medical degree. Dr. A. J. James was one of the first graduates of Baylor Medical School and served his career as a physician in the Houston area. He was the family historian and passed away on August 25, 1945. Judson James is buried in Forest Park Lawndale Cemetery in Houston.
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[1] Wings of a Dove: A History of First Baptist Church, Caldwell, Texas, p. 26.
[2] Email from Carla (James) Gonyo to the compiler, 11-14-82.