Horace James (May 6, 1818 – June 9, 1875) was a minister who served as a

chaplain A chaplain is, traditionally, a cleric (such as a minister, priest, pastor, rabbi, purohit, or imam), or a lay representative of a religious tradition, attached to a secular institution (such as a hospital, prison, military unit, intellige ...

in the Union Army during the American Civil War. He served in the 25th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment and was tasked with assisting

freedmen A freedman or freedwoman is a person who has been released from slavery, usually by legal means. Historically, slaves were freed by manumission (granted freedom by their owners), emancipation (granted freedom as part of a larger group), or self- ...

in North Carolina in 1863. James was born in

Medford, Massachusetts Medford is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. At the time of the 2020 United States census, Medford's population was 59,659. It is home to Tufts University, which has its campus on both sides of the Medford and Somervill ...

, to Galen C. James and Mary R. Turner, who was from

Scituate, Massachusetts Scituate () is a seacoast town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States, on the South Shore, midway between Boston and Plymouth. The population was 19,063 at the 2020 census. History The Wampanoag and their neighbors inhabited the ar ...

. James graduated from

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

in 1840. After President

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 until Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, his assassination in 1865. He led the United States through the American Civil War ...

issued the

Emancipation Proclamation The Emancipation Proclamation, officially Proclamation 95, was a presidential proclamation and executive order issued by United States President Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863, during the American Civil War. The Proclamation had the eff ...

freeing all slaves in rebel territory in April 1863, John G. Foster appointed James, an experienced

Congregational Congregationalism (also Congregational Churches or Congregationalist Churches) is a Reformed Christianity, Reformed Christian (Calvinist) tradition of Protestant Christianity in which churches practice Congregationalist polity, congregational ...

chaplain, as "Superintendent of Negro Affairs for the North Carolina District" to support the transition to freedom for former slaves. He was to develop a colony from the

contraband Contraband (from Medieval French ''contrebande'' "smuggling") is any item that, relating to its nature, is illegal to be possessed or sold. It comprises goods that by their nature are considered too dangerous or offensive in the eyes of the leg ...

(escaped slaves) camp that had developed on

Roanoke Island Roanoke Island () is an island in Dare County, bordered by the Outer Banks of North Carolina. It was named after the historical Roanoke, a Carolina Algonquian people who inhabited the area in the 16th century at the time of English colonizat ...

. It became known as the Roanoke Island Freedmen's Colony and was active from 1863 until 1867. James also managed other camps for freedmen in the state, such as one at Trent River near his base at

New Bern New Bern, formerly Newbern, is a city in Craven County, North Carolina, United States, and its county seat. It had a population of 31,291 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is located at the confluence of the Neuse River, Neuse a ...

. Foster directed James to settle the people, give them farming tools, and prepare them for a "free and independent community.""The Roanoke Island Freedmen's Colony"
, provided by National Park Service, at North Carolina Digital History: LEARN NC, accessed 11 November 2010 He issued a report on his department's activities in 1864. Some of his letters, orations, and sermons were published. including one he gave July 4, 1862 to the Twenty-fifth Regiment Massachusetts Volunteers at

Newbern, North Carolina New Bern, formerly Newbern, is a city in Craven County, North Carolina, United States, and its county seat. It had a population of 31,291 at the 2020 census. It is located at the confluence of the Neuse and the Trent rivers, near the headwa ...

. Some of his letters were to his father's newspaper ''The Congregationalist''. He was photographed with a bushy mustache and beard.

James City, North Carolina James City is an unincorporated area and census-designated place (CDP) in Craven County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 5,899 at the 2010 census. It is part of the New Bern, North Carolina Metropolitan Statistical Area. Hist ...

, established as a colony of freedmen, was named for him.

Personal life

James married Helen Leavitt in Medford in 1843 and they moved to

Wrentham, Massachusetts Wrentham ( ) is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 12,178 at the 2020 census. History In 1660, five men from Dedham were sent to explore the lakes near George Indian's wigwam and to report back to th ...

where he served as pastor of the Wrentham Original Congregational Church. They had one son, Horace Melville James (born March 28, 1846).

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:James, Horace 1818 births 1875 deaths People of the Reconstruction Era