Jake Daubert (1884 - 1924)

In 1908, Jake Daubert was signed by the Cleveland Indians. However, Daubert never played for Cleveland as they released him shortly thereafter. He left Cleveland and signed with the Nashville club of the Southern Association. He spent the remainder of the season with Nashville. Jake Daubert returned to Ohio for the start of the 1909 season. […]

Jake Dengel (1933 - 1994)

Actor. Dengel appeared in the films, “Twelfth Night” (1964), “Ragtime” (1981), “Something Wicked This Way Comes” (1983), “Best Defense” (1984), “His Mistress” (1984), “The Best Of Times” (1986), “At Close Range” (1986), “Ironweed” (1987), “The Tracker” (1988), “Manhunt: Search For The Night Stalker” (1989), “Blind Faith” (1990), “Lucky Chances” (1990), “Bloodsucking Pharaohs In Pittsburgh” (1991), […]

Jake Ehrlich (1900 - 1971)

Trial lawyer. His slogan, “Never plead guilty”, was known throughout the legal profession and his courtroom skills, strategies and successes gave him national acclaim. His first major case was defending Alexander Pantages in 1931, and following his successful defense, Hollywood celebrities entrusted him with their legal problems. Actors, writers, directors, musicians, sports figures, and assorted […]

Jake Lingle (1891 - 1930)

Journalist, Mob Figure. A reporter for the Chicago Tribune, he covered the city’s organized crime beat during the bloody reign of Al Capone. He was not a writer but a “leg man”, someone who gathered information and phoned it in to the editor’s desk. On June 9, 1930, he was shot dead at close range […]

James “Big Jim” Fisk (1835 - 1872)

Financier. One of the most prominent bankers and money men of the post-Civil War era, he teamed with fellow financier Jay Gould to corner the New York City, New York gold market in 1869. This attempt to consolidate the wealth in the hands of the two men resulted in the Financial Panic of 1869 (called […]

James “Jimmie” Grier (1902 - 1959)

Actor, Composer, Orchestra Leader. He appeared in the films “Nobody’s Baby” (1937), “Small Town Girl” (1936), “Times Square” (1935), “Transatlantic Merry-Go-Round” (1934), and “The Cohens And Kellys In Hollywood” (1932). He wrote the songs, “The Object Of My Affection,” and “What’s The Reason (I’m Not Pleasin’ You?).”  Family links:  Spouse:  Margaret Elizabeth Grier (1917 – […]

James “The Urban Peasant” Barber (1923 - 2007)

Author, Cook, Television Show Host. He gained international fame as “The Urban Peasant” with a culinary program broadcast in over 120 countries. The show ran for ten years on CBC in Canada and aired on PBS in the United States. Mr. Barber also wrote 12 cookbooks, two restaurant guides, a children’s book and regularly contributed […]

James A. Allison (1872 - 1928)

Businessman. Indianapolis Speedway Co-Founder. In 1927, he became the sole owner of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and it was he who sold it to World War I Hero Eddie Rickenbacker. Rickenbacker sold the track to Anton Hulman, Jr. in 1946. (bio by: Warrick L. Barrett)  Family links:  Spouse:  Sara Willis Cornelius Allison (1875 – 1938)* […]

James A. Boarman (1919 - 1943)

Criminal, American Folk Figure. He was a young, violent criminal who found trouble early on in Indianapolis. He was convicted in October 1940 of a Denver bank robbery and sentenced to Alcatraz. He soon threw in with an escape attempt which included Floyd Hamilton, Fred Hunter, and Harold Brest. On April 14, 1943 they made […]

James Agee (1909 - 1955)

Author, Motion Picture Screenwriter. He wrote the books, “A Death In The Family” (1957), which was posthumously awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1958 and adapted for the stage as “All The Way Home” (1960), and “Let Us Now Praise Famous Men.” He wrote the film scripts for the motion pictures “Face To Face” (1952), “The […]

James Alexander (1914 - 1961)

Actor. Born in Indiana, he appeared in a handful of motion pictures during his brief acting career. He made his film debut in the 1952 motion picture “Jack and the Beanstalk.” His other film credits include: “Port of Hell” (1954), “Treasure of Ruby Hills” (1955), “Las Vegas Shakedown” (1955) and “Night Freight” (1955). His television […]

James Alexander Reed (1861 - 1944)

Admitted to the bar in 1885; moved to Kansas City, Missouri and became prosecuting attorney from 1898-1900, Mayor of Kansas City from 1900-1904; elected as a Democrat to the US Senate in 1910; reelected in 1916 and again in 1922 and served until march 3, 1929; US Senator from Missouri 1909-1928; political ally of Jim […]

James Allen (1864 - 1912)

Born in Leicester, England, into a working-class family, Allen was the elder of two brothers. His mother could neither read nor write while his father, William, was a factory knitter. In 1879 following a downturn in the textile trade of central England, Allen’s father travelled alone to America to find work and establish a new […]

James Alonzo “Jim” Bishop (1907 - 1987)

Writer, Author. He was a newspaper columnist and author whose works include “The Day Christ Died,” “The Days of Martin Luther King, Jr.,” and “The Day Kennedy Was Shot.” (bio by: Ron Moody)  Family links:  Spouse:  Elizabeth Bishop (1929 – 2012)* *Calculated relationshipCause of death: Respiratory Failure

James Anderson (1921 - 1969)

Actor. Born in Wetumpka, Alabama. James was the brother of actress Mary Anderson who played the part of Maybelle Merriweather, in Gone with the Wind. James was best remembered for his role as a villain, Bob Ewell in To Kill a Mockingbird. James made over 120 appearances, mostly in television and several films between 1941 […]

James Anthony Bailey (1847 - 1906)

Circus Showman. Along with Phineas T. Barnum, he helped found Barnum and Bailey Circus, which became known as “The Greatest Show On Earth”. In 1872, he partner with Philadelphian James E, Cooper to form “Cooper and Bailey’s Circus”, and toured the United States, Java, New Zealand and South America. In 1873 Cooper died and James […]

James Arness (1923 - 2011)

James Arness Actor. He is best remembered for his role of ‘Marshall Matt Dillon’ in the long-running television Western “Gunsmoke” (1955 to 1975). Born James King Aurness, his father was a traveling salesman, his mother was a newspaper columnist. He briefly attended Beloit College in Wisconsin before his service with the USA Army during World […]

James Arthur Baldwin (1924 - 1987)

Author.  Family links:  Parents:  Emma Berdis Joynes Baldwin (1900 – 1999)  Spouse:  Lucien Happersberger (1932 – 2010)* *Calculated relationshipCause of death: Stomach cancer

James Athearn Folger (1835 - 1889)

Businessman. Born in Nantucket, Massachusetts, the son of Samuel Brown Folger and Nancy Hill, the second youngest to nine children. At the age of 14, James and his brothers Henry and Edward headed for California in search for gold. James remained in San Francisco to work for his travel costs while his older brothers proceeded […]

James Aubrey (1947 - 2010)

James Aubrey Tregidgo was born in 1947 in Klagenfurt, Austria. His parents were Major Aubrey James Tregidgo and Edna May Tregidgo (née Boxall). He was educated at the Wolmer’s Boys’ School in Kingston, Jamaica, the Windsor Boys’ School (Germany) and St. John’s School (Singapore). He married Agnes Kristin Hallander, although the marriage ended in divorce. […]

James Avery (1945 - 2013)

James Avery James LaRue Avery (November 27, 1945 – December 31, 2013) was an American actor. He played patriarch and Judge Philip Banks in the sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (1990−96). This character was ranked #34 in TV Guide’s “50 Greatest TV Dads of All Time.” He also provided the voice of Shredder in […]

James Bacon (1914 - 2010)

Columnist, Author, Actor. Born James Richard Hughes Bacon, the son of a journalist, he studied at the University of Notre Dame and Syracuse University from where he received his degree in Journalism; he began his career initially as an intern with the South Bend News-Times, before joining the Associated Press. Following service in the US […]

James Baldwin (1924 - 1987)

One of the 20th century’s greatest writers, Baldwin broke new literary ground with the exploration of racial and social issues in his many works. He was especially well known for his essays on the black experience in America. Baldwin was born to a young single mother, Emma Jones, at Harlem Hospital. She reportedly never told […]

James Barry (1741 - 1806)

Artist. He is best remembered for his six part series of paintings entitled The Progress of Human Culture in the Great Room of the Royal Society of Arts. Born in Cork, Ireland his father was a builder and later a coastal trader between Ireland and England. He convinced his father to allow him to study […]

James Barton (1890 - 1962)

Actor. Starting out as a vaudeville and Broadway performer,  he was playing older roles while only in his 40s.  He made his motion pictyre debut in “Captain Hurricane” (1935) and became a regular in Republic B westerns, among them “The Shepherd of the Hills” (1941),  starring John Wayne. His most memorable performances were as Kit […]

James Baskett (1904 - 1948)

Actor. He is fondly remembered for his portrayal of ‘Uncle Remus’ in the 1946 Walt Disney live action/animated musical film “Song of the South” that was based on the Uncle Remus stories by Joel Chandler Harris. He studied pharmacology as a young man but gave it up to pursue an acting career. He moved to […]

James Beck (1929 - 1973)

British actor. Famed for his role as “Private Walker” in the legendary BBC comedy series “Dad’s Army”. Beck also appeared in “Love Thy Neighbour” and “Romany Jones”. A potentially highly rewarding career for Beck was sadly cut short in 1973 following a burst pancreas which caused his premature death. (bio by: Kieran Smith)

James Bell (1856 - 1919)

James Bell was born to John Wilson and Sarah Margaret Venable (Allen) Bell in Shelbyville, Kentucky. His mother died when he was young. Thereafter, two most important women in his life were the black woman who looked after him as a child and the white woman who became his step mother. During the Civil War, Shelby […]

James Benson Irwin (1930 - 1991)

Astronaut. After he graduated from the US Naval Academy in 1951, he joined the US Air Force, earned his pilot wings and became a flight instructor. After various services assigned to a top-secret test missions, he was accepted in the astronaut program in 1966. At NASA, he was put in charge of the testing program […]

James Benson Irwin (1930 - 1991)

Astronaut. After he graduated from the US Naval Academy in 1951, he joined the US Air Force, earned his pilot wings and became a flight instructor. After various services assigned to a top-secret test missions, he was accepted in the astronaut program in 1966. At NASA, he was put in charge of the testing program […]