James West Sr. was the oldest of three borthers, born in 1821 in Killynure, Donegal, Ireland. His two younger brothers, Robert and Samuel were born in 1825 and 1826 respectively. The boys' father, we think, was James West and we think he might have been from Scotland but haven't been able to verify that or who was their mother. James married Sarah Jordan in 4 April 1844 in Donegal. They were parents to nine children which included three girls, one of whom died in infancy. All their children were born in County Donegal.
James was a tenant farmer as evidenced from 1858 for Killynure (or Wilson's Fort), Convoy Parish, Stranolar Union, Raphoe (South) shows owned by M/M Charles Edward Stewart with 44 acres (House, offices and land) leased to James West and a house, forge and garden owned by James West and leased to William Ewin which was taxed at 1 pound, The 1857 Griffiths valuation for Carnshannagh, Parish of Taughboyne with 51 acres leased from Rev. William Knox as well as a building owned and used by James taxed at 5 shillings.
Their oldest son, James, left for the United States in late 1870 and specifically for relatives just north of Edwardsville in Madison County, Illinois. His son was to initially live with a cousin, Thomas Moorhead and work on Thomas's farm while scouting out potential farmland for the family nearby. They also had other cousins and close relatives in that same area. James Sr. and most of his children followed a few months later, planning to be established for the spring planting season by immigrating on February 9,1871 on the Prussian and arriving at Quebec on February 21. It is very likely that they then took the long train ride down (1,525 miles by rail) to the St. Louis area over about 4 days like their oldest son had done a few months earlier. St. Louis was already a large city, more than 300,000 population and the 4th largest in the USA at that time. James Jr. actually met a neighbor of Thomas's on his first day in the Edwardsville area whle walking toward Thomas's farm. James ended up intially working for the man he met, who had 180 acres to farm.
Because several generations of West family remained in the Edwardsville Illinois area and kept letters from that period, we know that among the relatives and friends that James Sr. and Sarah left back in Ireland were Samuel Huston, Bernard Donnell and John Black. Some of their correspondence dwells on cattle and grain prices, on James Jr's new experiences of shucking corn in the United States, the wonder of the sheer size of their new country, the plentiful trees and surprise at the disregard for resting on the Sabbath in this new land.
While they did settle in, buying land eventually, sadly James Sr. was killed in a runaway horse and carriage accident just two and a half years after arriving in the United States while his oldest son James Jr. also died a year earlier in September 1873.
James and Sarah are our 2x great grandparents. Their youngest son, Alexander is my great grandfather. He and many other siblings remained in the Edwardsville area.
James and Sarah's oldest daughter Nancy married Samuel Cobine who was born in County Donegal. They had five sons, two of whom were born in Missouri after the family moved further west into west central Missouri.
James and Sarah's son Robert decided to move with his wife, two of their four daughters and two sons to just east of Calgary, Alberta, in western Canada in 1909 at age 43 after 22 years of marriage. One daughter stayed behind to enter into missionary work and as a school teacher in India met Mahatma Ghandi.
| Additional Information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Date of Birth | 1st Oct 1821 | |
| Date of Death | 8th Aug 1874 | |
| Associated Building (s) | Raphoe Presbyterian Church | |
