James Crawford Freeman (April 1, 1820 – September 3, 1885) was a

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to t ...

planter and slaveowner who after serving in the

Confederate States Army The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighting ...

during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by state ...

received a pardon and became a banker, jeweler and politician who served one term in the

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

as a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or again ...

Early and family life

Born in Clinton,

Jones County, Georgia Jones County is a county in the central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 28,347. The county seat is Gray. The county was created on December 10, 1807, and named after U.S. Representative Jame ...

, Freeman was the second son born to planter James Freeman and his first wife, the former Rebecca Rhymes. His younger brother Major John Rhymes Freeman would later move to

Rome, Georgia Rome is the largest city in and the county seat of Floyd County, Georgia, United States. Located in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, it is the principal city of the Rome, Georgia, metropolitan statistical area, which encompasses all ...

, and become a major slaveowner then a Confederate officer, although this James Freeman never received a commission. Educated in private schools, the younger James Freeman married Amanda Malvania Neal on May 9, 1843, in

Pike County, Georgia Pike County is a county located in the west central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 18,889. The county seat is Zebulon. History Pike County was made from part of Monroe County in 1822. It wa ...

. They had at least three sons—David Neal Freeman (1847-1911), Edmund Freeman (b.1849) and James Crawford Freeman Jr. (1860-1905), and daughters Mary Freeman (b.1851) and Frances Freeman Iverson (1863-1930).

Career

As an adult, Freeman farmed using slave labor. In 1850, he and/or his father owned 82 slaves in

and 10 slaves in adjoining Pike County. By 1860 this James C. Freeman lived near Flat Shoals in

Meriwether County, Georgia Meriwether County is a county located in the west central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 20,613. The county seat is Greenville, home of the Meriwether County Courthouse. The county was formed o ...

(adjacent to Pike County) and owned 16 slaves (8 of them noted as fugitives) as well as rented rooms to a local grocer and two clerks. His brother, the future Confederate Maj. John Rhymes Freeman, owned 60 slaves in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus ( legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

Floyd County, Georgia Floyd County is a county located in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 98,584. The county seat is Rome. Floyd County comprises the Rome, GA metropolitan statistical area. ...

by 1860. J.R. Freeman volunteered to fight for the Confederacy, and received a commission as a lieutenant in the Floyd legion, a Georgia militia company in October 1861, and was promoted to at least Lt.Col. In May 1862 this Freeman either volunteered or was conscripted into Company B of the 42nd Georgia Infantry, known as the Echols Guards, a Confederate unit formed in Meriwether County. He was mustered out on March 19, 1865, in

Salisbury, North Carolina Salisbury is a city in the Piedmont region of North Carolina, United States; it has been the county seat of Rowan County since 1753 when its territory extended to the Mississippi River. Located northeast of Charlotte and within its metropoli ...

. President Andrew Johnson pardoned Freeman in 1865. After the Confederacy's defeat and loss of his slaves, this James C. Freeman moved to

Griffin The griffin, griffon, or gryphon (Ancient Greek: , ''gryps''; Classical Latin: ''grȳps'' or ''grȳpus''; Late Latin, Late and Medieval Latin: ''gryphes'', ''grypho'' etc.; Old French: ''griffon'') is a legendary creature with the body, tail ...

, the county seat of

Spalding County, Georgia Spalding County is a county located in the west central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 67,306. The county seat is Griffin. The county was created December 20, 1851 and named for former United S ...

adjacent to Meriwether County (and similarly near Atlanta) and resumed his business activities. Relatives may have lived there. A slaveowning, 36 year old Methodist preacher named James D. Freeman and his wife, and another slaveowner named Adeline Freeman had been living in Spalding County in 1860, before the war began. This James Freeman also had business investments and was a banker. In 1872, Georgia voters from the 5th Congressional district elected Freeman as a

to the

Forty-third Congress The 43rd United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1873, ...

(March 4, 1873 – March 3, 1875). He succeeded former Confederate officer

Dudley M. DuBose Dudley McIver DuBose (October 28, 1834 – March 2, 1883) was an American lawyer, Confederate field officer and politician. He rose to the rank of Brigadier General in the Confederate Army during the American Civil War. Afterward, he later ...

, a protege of fiery former U.S. Senator and unreconstructed Confederate general

Robert Toombs Robert Augustus Toombs (July 2, 1810 – December 15, 1885) was an American politician from Georgia, who was an important figure in the formation of the Confederacy. From a privileged background as a wealthy planter and slaveholder, Toombs ...

, but who likewise only served a single term. As a congressman, Freeman appointed

Henry Ossian Flipper Henry Ossian Flipper (March 21, 1856 – April 26, 1940) was an American soldier, engineer, former slave and in 1877, the first African American to graduate from the United States Military Academy at West Point, earning a commission as ...

to the

U.S. Military Academy The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a fort, since it sits on strategic high groun ...

West Point The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known Metonymy, metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a f ...

, who became the first black person to graduate from that institution. After Freeman lost his bid for re-election to Democrat

Milton A. Candler Milton Anthony Candler (January 11, 1837 – August 8, 1909) was an American lawyer, Confederate officer and politician from an influential Georgia family of businessmen and politicians. He served two terms in the U.S. House of Representati ...

, he moved to nearby

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,71 ...

with his wife and youngest son and daughter. Freeman identified himself as a jeweler during the 1880 U.S. federal census.1880 U.S. Federal census for district 92, Atlanta, Fulton County, Georgia family 332

Death and legacy

Freeman survived his wife by less than two years, dying in Atlanta on September 3, 1885.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Freeman, James Crawford 1820 births 1885 deaths People from Gray, Georgia Politicians from Atlanta Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Georgia (U.S. state) People from Griffin, Georgia American slave owners 19th-century American legislators Burials at Oakland Cemetery (Atlanta)