James was the husband of Melinda Jones. James Mayne was the son of Nicholas Mayne and Eliza Eudey Mayne. James Mayne was baptized on November 16, 1828 in Illogan Parish, Cornwall County, England.

Census listings for James in England:
Cornwall Online Census Project-1841
Transcript of Piece HO107/142 (Part 4)
Enumeration District 14; Civil Parish of Illogan; Book 6 Folio 34 Page 9;
Brea,1,Nicholas Mayne,38,,Miner,In county,
,,Eliza Mayne,,35,,In county,
,,James Mayne,13,,Miner,In county,
,,Elizabeth Mayne,,11,,In county,
,,William Mayne,9,,,In county,
,,Eliza Mayne,,8,,In county,
,,Asaneth Mayne,,5,,In county,
,,Alexander Mayne,4,,,In county,
,,Mary Mayne,2,,,In county,
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~kayhin/40142c.html

Cornwall 1851 Online Census - Excerpt
1851-Transcript of Piece HO107/1916 (Part 3)
Transcription/Checking Team was Sally Cann (NZ), Althea Johnson (NZ) and John Nance (Aus)
Table of Contents-1851
Back to HO107/1916 (Part 2); Enumeration District 1f; Civil Parish of Camborne, Eccl. District of Tuckingmill; Folio 223 Page 14
46,Riskidinick,Nicholas Mayne,Head,M,49,,Copper Miner,Illogan Cornwall,,
,,Eliza Mayne,Wife,M,,42,Miners Wife,Illogan Cornwall,,
,,James Mayne,Son,U,23,,Copper Miner,Illogan Cornwall,,
,,Eliza Mayne,Dau,U,,21,Dressmaker,Illogan Cornwall,,
,,William Mayne,Son,U,19,,Copper Miner,Illogan Cornwall,,
,,Elizabeth Mayne,Dau,U,,18,House Maid (Crossed Out),Illogan Cornwall,,
,,Asernath Mayne,Dau,U,,15,C. Mine Labourer,Illogan Cornwall,,
,,Alexanda Mayne,Son,U,13,,Copper Miner,Illogan Cornwall,,
,,Mary Ann Mayne,Dau,,,11,C. Mine Labourer,Illogan Cornwall,,
,,Nicholas Mayne,Son,,9,,C. Mine Labourer,Illogan Cornwall,,
,,Caroline Mayne,Dau,,,7,Scholar,Illogan Cornwall,,
,,Richard Mayne,Son,,5,,Scholar,Illogan Cornwall,,
,,Joseph Mayne,Son,,3,,Scholar,Illogan Cornwall,,
,,Ellan Mayne,Dau,,,2m,,Camborne Cornwall,,

James Mayne married Mary Jennings (28 Aug 1831 England - 21 Oct 1928 UK) (d/o Joseph Jennings and Mary Tabb Jennings) on December 2, 1852 in Parish Church, Beer Ferris, Devon, England. They had 2 Daughters:
1) Mary Jennings Mayne (27 Jan 1853 England - 09 Mar 1938 UK) who married James Thomas.
2) Azenath Jane Mayne (21 Nov 1854 Cornwall, England- 04 Nov 1857 Cornwall, England)

After some sort of incident in England, James and his father, Nicholas, had to leave the country expediciously. Consequently, they left from Liverpool, England on The Omega Ship arriving in New York, New York on 22 May 1856. They listed their destination as Wisconsin, USA. Perhaps, they knew family members in Wisconsin since there are several Mayne's residing there in 1856. They never arrived in Wisconsin; in fact, they may never have had any real intent to go there. The families they left behind apparently did not know what happened to them.

Family folklore says that they may have been in Pennsylvania for a short while because there is tale of them stealing a pig. And there were stiff penalties for stealing a pig during this period in American History.

Eventually, they arrived in Knox County, Kentucky. They are mentioned in Scott Partin's "Short Sketch of South America" --- Published in The Cincinnati Enquirer on January 3, 1938? --- as prospectors in the area of Greasy Creek and Poplar Creek with L.A. Jonathan and Shelton C. Partin; William and Edward Henderson; and a Jones man. J. A. Partin & Company acquired at least 200 Acres in Kentucky Land Grants in the area and they proceeded to dig a 300 foot tunnel looking for gold. Perhaps, this is how James met his next wife, Malinda Jones, daughter of William Jones. Were they looking for William Swift's Silver Mine?

James married Melinda Jones on August 1, 1859 in Whitley County, Kentucky. They had 15 children.

The prospecting stopped with the onset of the Civil War when almost all of the brothers of Malinda Jones enlisted in the 49th Kentucky Infantry along with so many other men in the area.

According to a passage in the book entitled "Knox Co. Kentucky History" by Elmer Decker, James Mayne took the oath of Citizenship in Court.

James Mayne was a merchant and a Farmer.

Many thanks to all those who have done so much work to bring our family history together: Sharon, Barbara, Betty, Alan, Mary Alice, Jimmy, Judie Perkins Mayne, Winnie Mayne Perkins and many others.

(bio by: April)