James Lovelace.......................................................1779-1860.......................................................Columbia
James Lovelace was born in Rowan (now Iredell) Co., NC, on 12 Apr 1779, the third child of William and Margery Beall Lovelace. He was about 4 years old when his parents migrated to Richmond (now Columbia) Co., GA.
James married Mary Stapler, daughter of John and Jean/Jane Stapler, in Columbia Co. on 17 Apr 1805. He served in the War of 1812, enlisting at Cobbham in Columbia Co. on 12 Oct 1812 and was discharged at Camp Pinckney in Camden (now Charlton) Co., GA, on 2 Apr 1813. He was a first sergeant in Capt. Jeremiah B. Sanders' Company, in the 1 Reg't of the Volunteer Rifle Company.
In 1821 James Lovelace was a member of the Board of Trustees of Salem Academy. He was well
educated, wrote a fine, legible hand, and according to family tradition, was a Latin and Greek scholar. A listing of books in his library acquired by his son John Henry Lovelace included: . It is quite possible that James studied under, or at least was acquainted with, Moses Waddell, who was also born in Rowan Co. in 1770, taught school in Columbia Co. from 1794 until 1801, and in 1819 became president of the University of Georgia. James Lovelace named one of his children Waddell.
Between 1810 and 1824, James owned Rousseau Springs, later a popular resort located in present-day McDuffie Co., GA. In 1824 he bought a land lot in Henry (now Spalding) Co., GA, and moved there with his family. He moved from Henry Co. to Troup Co., GA in 1834 and lived on the main road between West Point and LaGrange, three miles north of West Point. His home was located a few hundred yards north of that of his daughter and son-in-law, Nancy and Jacob Miller, who had moved there in 1832.
Children of James Lovelace and Mary Stapler:
1. Lucius Beall Lovelace, b. 1 Feb 1806 Columbia Co., GA, d. 19 Nov 1875 Troup Co., GA.; m. Obedience Robinson 22 Dec 1829 Henry Co., GA
2. Mark Tully Cicero Lovelace, M.D., b. 8 Oct 1807 Columbia Co., d. 8 Jan 1872 Troup Co.; m. Eliza J. Smith (sister of GA Gov. James M. Smith) 16 Jan 1856 Troup Co.
3. Amanda Brooks Lovelace, b. 17 Mar 1809 Columbia Co., d. 24 Nov 1888 Louisiana; m. James
Robinson 1831 Henry Co.
4. Nancy Stapler Lovelace, b. 26 Sep 1810 Columbia Co., d. 13 Feb 1858 Troup Co.; m. Jacob Miller 15 Jan 1831 Henry Co.
5. Julia Powers Lovelace, b. 11 Apr 1812 Columbia Co., d. 22 May 1824 "after a long painful lingering disease call (sic) Peripneumonia, or inflammation of the lungs."
6. Elizabeth Shields Lovelace, b. 21 Jun 1814 Columbia Co., d. 10 Jul 1888 Troup Co.; m. Arthur B. Baker 18 Oct 1843 Troup Co.
7. William Ray Lovelace, M.D., b. 5 Oct 1815, Columbia Co., d. 12 Sep 1902 Burleson Co. TX; m. Martha Atkinson 21 Dec 1837 Troup Co.
8. Salina Waddell Lovelace, b. 26 Jan 1817 Columbia Co., d. 11 Dec 1819 Columbia Co. "occasioned by a burn on the 10 of Dec."
9. Mary Shaw Lovelace, b. 19 Nov 1818 Columbia Co., d. 13 Dec 1849 Troup Co.; m. Henry S. Hames 11 Jan 1838 Troup Co.
10. Allen Newton Lovelace, b. 19 May 1820 Columbia Co., d. 2 Jun 1830 Henry Co., "by inflammation of the Bowels."
11. Jane Crabb Lovelace, b. 20 Apr 1822 Columbia Co., d. 14 Mar 1890 Troup Co.; m. William P. Thompson 2 Jan 1855 Troup Co.
12. Louisa Ann Lovelace, b. 18 Sep 1823 Columbia Co., d. 24 Feb 1905 Troup Co.; m. Henry S. Hames (widower of her sister Mary) 22 Jun 1858 Troup Co.
13. John Henry Lovelace, b. 15 Dec 1825 Henry Co., d. 22 Apr 1879 Harris Co., GA; m. Sarah Whitfield Reese 15 Dec 1870 Harris Co.
14. James Russell Lovelace, b. 13 Sep 1827 Henry Co., d. 22 Sep 1836 Troup Co.
On 25 Nov 1850 James Lovelace applied for a pension in the form of Bounty Land, under an act passed 28 Sep 1850. Bounty Land Warrant No. 38900 for 80 acres was issued to him 25 May 1852. His widow Mary Lovelace applied for an additional amount of Bounty Land on 9 Jul 1860 under the Act of Congress approved 3 Mar 1855 for widows of soldiers.
James Lovelace died of "old age" at his home in Troup Co. on 18 Jan 1860. Mary Lovelace died "with Paralysis" on 30 Sep 1864. Their granddaughter, Flora Baker, wrote in 1905, "As I remember our grandfather at eighty, he was a strong man, tall, perfectly erect, with steel-gray eyes." Of her grandmother she wrote: "She was a modest, little woman with soft blue eyes and fair, silken hair. Her voice was soft and low with a touch of pathos, and she possessed a gentle dignity which commanded your love and respect."
Both James and Mary Lovelace were buried in the Lovelace Family Cemetery in Troup Co., along with eight of their children and their families. The cemetery is located in the rear of their home site; the house itself was demolished years ago.
Sources: The Lovelace Family From Frederick County Maryland to Troup County Georgia, Janie Lovelace Heard. (unpublished manuscript in possession of contributor, copies in Cobb Memorial Archives, Valley, AL, and Troup Co. Archives, LaGrange, GA; James Lovelace family Bible, reproduced in above reference, Bible in Troup Co. Archives, LaGrange, GA; Genealogical Abstracts From the Georgia Journal (Milledgeville) Newspaper, 1809-1838, Vol. 2, Fred
R. and Emilie K. Hartz, 1994. Volume Two, 1819-1823; "Rousseau Hotel Recalled", article in The Atlanta Journal and Constitution, 10 Oct 1971. Georgia 1860 Mortality Schedule.
Contributed by: A. Stephen Johnson, P.O. Box 7, West Point, GA 31833-0007. Phone: (706) 643-7851. Email: [email protected]