by Marvin T. Jones
George James, one of my great-grandfathers, was born in 1859 around Hobgood in Halifax County. It is said, by the old folks, that when he was eight or nine years old, he was looking at a newborn baby girl when he declared that he was going to marry her one day, which he did. Harriet Jones and George married in 1881, and six years later, they began a phenomenal run of17 births that ended in 1911. I call George and Harriet's children "The Great Jameses." They were my grandmother and her brothers and sisters. They all had forceful personalities, and in my young eyes, they walked among the giants of the earth.
Harriet was 58 when she died in 1925 and, by that time, George was a farm and gristmill owner at Montgomery Pond - between the communities of Brantley's Grove and Newsome's Grove. Eventually, George started courtinga widow in Cofield. The widow was a generation younger than George. He'd drive up in his horse and buggy and sit with the widow in her living room. Frequently, while George was visiting, her teenage daughter was entertaining a young fellow on the front porch by the name of Tupper Jones, who'd later marry one of George's granddaughters.
It must have been in 1931 when George, after living near Cofield for 12 years, finally decided to join Phillipi Baptist Church. The great Dr. Calvin Scott Brown was pastor. Years earlier, while living in Halifax County, George sent his son, Jeff, by train to Dr. Brown's Waters Training School in Winton. It was probably the first step the family made toward moving to Hertford County.
Dr. Brown had seen the prosperous George James attending church with Harriet, the children, grand-children and in-laws, and probably wondered why George hadn't transferred his membership from the Hobgood Church. That reason is not known. But, George finally told the head deacon that he was ready to join.
On the third Sunday that month in 1931, after Dr. Calvin Scott Brown had given his sermon, the chairman of the deacons announced,"Today we can rejoice in the addition of a new member who has chosen to move his letter to our church. This man has been living in our community for many years and has children and grandchildren at this church. And he made this decision at the age of 75 years old!"
Before the deacon could continue, George, who was
mindful of the young widow he was courting, rose as quickly as he could
and forthrightly cried out, "I'm only 72!"
George James, himself.
Photograph courtesy of Lynell James Eure.
For over forty years,
Dr. Calvin Scott Brown was pastor
of Cofield's Phillipi Baptist Church.
Copyright 2005, Marvin T. Jones - all rights reserved