#2 Louis St. James

Louis Benjamin St. James
Born:    04 Feb 1833 –Madison, Dane, Mississippi
Death:  01 Jun 1914 – Prescott, Yavapai, Arizona

Entered Pioneer Home Feb 6, 1911 at age 77
Lived there three years, four months

Family:
Son of Lasondria St. James & Mary
Married Carrie Eddy Pine on 14 May 1879 in Prescott (divorced)
  1 daughter -
      Mary St. James born Aug 1880 in Arizona Territory
       His daughter later married and settled in California
      (married name unknown)

Carrie Pine St. James 2^nd marriage to George F. Faulkner on 06 Apr 1892 in Monterey, California

***
Louis B. St. James came to Arizona Territory in 1863, when he would have been about thirty years old, (1)(2)  and shortly after the region (formerly part of the territory of New Mexico) became designated as its own new and separate territory of the United States (3).  By the following year St. James was managing a store on the Plaza of what was then called “Fort Whipple, Arizona”. The newspaper “Arizona Miner” reported that “He has a large stock of goods, and will be glad to see his old friends” (4).   

St. James shows up in numerous records around Arizona Territory in the early years, hauling freight, prospecting, and defending settlers from Indian attacks.  In 1866 he became a member of the original Arizona Pioneer Society, along with several other early Arizona miners and businessmen who would become part of his cohort at the Pioneer Home in his later days (5).  He was also involved in other civic matters, such as the formal ball held on July 4, 1866 at the Montezuma Hall to raise funds for a school in Prescott (6).­­

In 1867 St. James was hauling wood and ore for a mill near a quartz mine in Big Bug, a small mining settlement twelve miles southeast of Prescott established in 1862 (7) (8).  Two or three years later, L. B. St. James prospected in White Pines County, Nevada, but feeling there were no more big discoveries to be made there, he sent word to his Arizona friends to stay put and that he was going to be returning (9).

In 1879 St. James married Carrie Eddie Pine, the 17 year old daughter of Charles Andrew Pine of Vermont and his wife, Louisa Wasgatt Pine of Massachusetts.  The marriage took place on 14 May, 1879 in Prescott when Louis was 46 years old (10).  One daughter, Mary, was born to this union in August of the following year, (11) but the marriage was not to last.  Apparently life in rough mining towns married to a man nearly 30 years her senior was not the life Carrie wanted. The couple divorced and Carrie returned to her native state of California, where she married a veterinarian named George Faulkner who was only six years older than herself (12).

For a period of time in the 1870’s, St. James ran the post trader store of the military at Camp Apache, where he accumulated “quite a snug little fortune”.  However, according to some, “His generosity in later years led to his financial downfall, and with that unfortunate occurrence, his physical vigor started to decline as old age was creeping upon him” (1).

In his later years, St. James served as magistrate in Jerome. “He was totally deaf and couldn't hear the proceedings, but he seemed to know most of the defendants personally and ruled accordingly”… He also seemed to be able to assess “just how much money they were carrying  and fined thusly” (13).

In the 1910 census, Louis was listed as a "Lodger" at the Brinkmeyer Hotel in downtown Prescott at age 77. He is listed as a "widower", although Carrie was very much alive at the time (14).  It is possible he had taken another wife who had died.  Another possibility is that St. James simply did not care to admit his wife had left him and married another. No records for a second marriage were found.

According to the register ledger of residents of Pioneer Home (2)  L.B. St. James was the first person to sign in when he entered the new facility on the opening day of February 6, 1911.  However, a newspaper account of the first men to be accepted states that Louis St. James was actually the second to come, right after Judge N. L. Griffin (15).  Whatever the case, Louis B. St. James remained there among his fellow “Hassayampers” until his death in 1914.  He is buried at the Arizona Pioneer Home Cemetery (16)(17). 

Works Cited for Louis Benjamin St. James 

       1. Obituary. Weekly Journal-Miner. Prescott, Arizona. 03 Jun 1914, Wed. Page 2

https://www.newspapers.com/image/42315581

2.  Register Ledger of Residents of Pioneer Home is available on Microfilm at Sharlot Hall Archives in Prescott, Arizona and online at FamilySearch.org https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:7V8V- XW2?from=lynx1UIV8&treeref=GQ39-WJK

       3. National Archives. Educator Resources. “The Treaty of Guadalupe Hildalgo”. 2018.
https://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/guadalupe-hidalgo.  Retrieve 14 Aug 2020.

 

       4. Newspapers.com.  Arizona Miner.  Fort Whipple, Arizona.  14 Dec 1984, Wed. Page 3
https://www.newspapers.com/image/39802219/?terms=St.%2BJames

       5. Newspapers.com. Arizona Miner.  Fort Whipple, Arizona 24 Jan 1866, Wed. Page 2 https://www.newspapers.com/image/39801637/?terms=St.%2BJames

       6. Newspapers.com. Arizona Miner. Fort Whipple, Arizona.  27 June 1866, Wed. Page 3
https://www.newspapers.com/image/39799673/?terms=St.%2BJames

       7.  Newspapers.com. Arizona Miner. Fort Whipple, Arizona. 01 Jun 1867, Sat. Page 2
https://www.newspapers.com/image/39801478/?terms=St.%2BJames

       8. Wikipedia. Big Bug, Arizona.  Retrieved 8/8/2020
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Bug,_Arizona

       9. Newspapers.com. The Weekly Arizona Miner. Prescott, Arizona. 10 Jul 1869. Sat. Page 2
https://www.newspapers.com/image/88321927/?terms=St.%2BJames

1    10.  Arizona Marriage Collection, 1864-1982.  Upper Snake River Family History Center and Ricks College (Rexburg, Idaho) and Ancestry.com. Published 2007.  Retrieved 8/2/2020.

      11. 1900 United States Census.  Census Place: Alisal, Monterey, California; Page: 3; Enumeration District: 0002; FHL microfilm: 1240094 Published on Ancestry.com 2004.

      12. California, County Birth, Marriage, and Death Records, 1849-1980
California Department of Public Health, courtesy of www.vitalsearch-worldwide.com. Digital Images.  Published on Ancestry.com 2017.
 

      13.  Trimble, Marshall.  “Arizona, A Cavalcade of History”.  (1989)  Rev. Edition 2003.  Page 145.  Tucson, Arizona. 
 

      14.  1910 United States Census.  Census Place: Prescott, Yavapai, Arizona; Roll: T624_42; Page: 27A; Enumeration District: 0127; FHL microfilm: 1374055 .  Published on Ancestry.com 2006.

 15. Newspapers.com.  Weekly Journal Miner. Prescott, Arizona. 08 Feb 1911. Wed. Page 8.

https://www.newspapers.com/image/42314219/?terms=Pioneers%2BNamed%2Bto%2BEnter%2BHome

      16. Arizona Death Records, 1887-1960.  Arizona Department of Health Services; Phoenix, AZ, USA.  Published on Ancestry.com 2016.

17.  U.S., Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current.  https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/11142817

Obituary

 

  Weekly Journal-Miner (Prescott, Arizona)

03 Jun 1914, Wed. Page 2
https://www.newspapers.com/image/42315581

 

Sorrow was universally expressed yesterday morning when it was learned that Louis B. St. James had passed away at the Pioneer Home from pneumonia, after an illness of less than one week, the summons coming shortly after midnight on Sunday.

Aside from another pioneer ending his earthly career, in this particular instance the death of Mr. St. James removes one of the figures of the early days in the life of Northern Arizona and also one of the best known of its good citizens.  He came to the territory as early as 1863, being a member of the old and well known firm of St. James & Barnum, which dealt in merchandise, and were the the first to open up the northern part of the country by introducing freight teams, entering via Hardyville, on the Colorado river. Practically speaking, this firm blazed the way for wagon road communication, and under dangers that were attended with the possible loss of life, and property. 

Abandoning this pursuit later, the deceased engaged in local traffic as well did he follow merchandising, mining and other pursuits, in all of which his methods were stamped with honesty and his dealings with all were characterized, with a just regard for the trials of those who were struggling to gain a foothold in the new land.

In the 70’s the deceased was given the post trader store of the military at Camp Apache, where he accumulated quite a snug little fortune.  His generosity in later years led to his financial downfall, and with that unfortunate occurrence, his physical vigor started to decline as old age was creeping upon him.  No relatives survive, except a married daughter, residing in Oakland, Cal.  He will be laid away in the Pioneer’s cemetery of Miller valley this morning, services being conducted at Ruffner’s.  With the closing of another Hassayamper’s career, it may truthfully be said that L. B. St. James was one of the best of men, was true to his friends and an exemplary citizen.