MSS 198 Uriah P. James Papers

              OHIO MSS 198
H I S T O R Y Uriah P . James Papers
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Standard i n v e n t o r y
C o l l e c t i o n Synopsis
Provenance: The Ohio H i s t o r i c a l S o c i e t y acquired the liriah P . James
Papers i n 1946. Robert W . Viol processed t h e c o l l e c t i o n in May 1984.
P r o p e r t y r i g h t s : The Ohio H i s t o r i c a l S o c i e t y owns the p r o p e r t y
r i g h t s t o t h i s c o l l e c t i o n .
C o p y r i g h t s : Copyrights have not been d e d i c a t e d t o t h e p u b l i c .
C o n s i d e r a t i o n of the r e q u i r e m e n t s o f c o p y r i g h t i s t h e r e s p o n s i b i l i t y
of t h e author a n d p u b l i s h e r .
Access: This c o l l e c t i o n i s open under t h e r u l e s and r e g u l a t i o n s
of t h e Ohio H i s t o r i c a l S o c i e t y .
C i t a t i o n : Researchers a r e r e q u e s t e d t o c i t e c o l l e c t i o n name,
c o l l e c t i o n number, and t h e Ohio H i s t o r i c a l S o c i e t y in a l l f o o t n o t e
and b i b l i o g r a p h i c r e f e r e n c e s .
Biographical s k e t c h : Uriah P i e r s o n James was b o r n i n Goshen,
Orange County, New Y o r k , on December 3 0 , 1 8 1 1 , t h e son of Thomas
and Rhoda Pierson James. In 1831 he and h i s b r o t h e r Joseph
a r r i v e d i n C i n c i n n a t i where Uriah began working as a p r i n t e r and
s t e r e o t y p e r . That same y e a r he published h i s f i r s t book, Eolian
S o n g s t e r . In 1847 Uriah a n d Joseph e n t e r e d i n t o p a r t n e r s h i p as
p u b l i s h e r s , p r i n t e r s , s t e r e o t y p e r s , and type f o u n d e r s , e s t a b l i s h -
ing J. A. and U . P . James P u b l i s h e r s . As the b u s i n e s s i n c r e a s e d ,
book pub1 i s h i n g played a more prominent r o l e and t h e firm became
widely known throughout t h e M i s s i s s i p p i vall. ey as t h e " Harpers of
t h e West."
Many of t h e hooks published by the firm and l a t e r by Uriah James
h i m s e l f were c i r c u l a t e d widely. The J a m e s ' s River Guide, and t h e
Western P i l o t , were s t a n d a r d works among r i v e r men on t h e Ohio
and M i s s i s s i o o i r i v e r s . These books c o n t a i n e d c h a r t s of r i v e r
c h a n n e l s , a n d ' a c c o u n t s of t h e c i t i e s and towns along t h e i r banks.
James was a patron of many of t h e e a r l y a u t h o r s of t h e West and
d i s t r i b u t e d t h e i r work nationwide. For many Years he e d i t e d a n d
p u b l i s h e d the Farmers and Mechanic's ~ l m a n a c , - p opular among
f a r m e r s of t h e Ohio V a l l e y .
U . P . J a m e s ' s personal i n t e r e s t s i n c l u d e d geology and p a l e o n t o l o g y .
He maintained a l a r g e f o s s i l c o l l e c t i o n and compiled and published
t h e f i r s t c a t a l o g of f o s s i l s of t h e C i n c i n n a t i a r e a . James served
as p r e s i d e n t and t r e a s u r e r of t h e Western Academy of Natural
S c i e n c e , a f o r e r u n n e r of the C i n c i n n a t i S o c i e t y of Natural H i s t o r y .
He married O l i v i a H a r r i e t Wood in 1847, and died a t h i s home near
Loveland, Ohio, on February 2 5 , 1889, a t t h e age of 78.
Source: Uriah P i e r s o n James, r e p r i n t from t h e American G e o l o g i s t ,
May 1889; and The Western Book Trade: C i n c i n n a t i as a Nineteenth-
C e n t u r y P u b l i s h i n g a n d Book- Trade C e n t e r , by Walter S u t t o n , t h e
Ohio H i s t o r i c a l S o c i e t y .
OHIO HiSTORlCAL SOCIETY
1982 Velnli Avenue. Columbus. Ohio 43211- 2497 pi?: 614297.2300 fx: 614.297.2411