His grave marker shows only the years of birth and death, but an old Crim Family Bible gives the dates shown here. James Thomas Crim was the oldest of the three known children born to John Wesley Crim and his second wife, Harriett E. Daniel. His full siblings were William Henry "Henry" and Wesley Lafayette.

It seems likely that Jim was named for his father's youngest brother, James T. Crim; the brothers were known to have remained close throughout their lives with John Wesley almost a father figure for James who was his junior by 22 years.

At the time of his birth, Jim had ready-made playmates in the form of four half-siblings from his father's first marriage, to Sarah Ann Drucilla Moore. They were Eli, Nancy Elizabeth "Bettie", Peter, and John Akin Crim.

Jim was about five years old when his mother died. Harriett is believed to have died between December 1857 (perhaps at the birth of her youngest child) and June 1859 when Henry's father remarried. All accounts are that his step-mother, Minerva, was an exceptionally loving mother and took on John Wesley's brood of seven as her own. Eventually, eight more children were born to the family: Joshua, Mary Anjaline, Martha Jane, Abraham (died in infancy), Zillah Catherine, Ammie Zoniah, Robert "Bob" David, and Jesse Lee.

Although too young to be a combatant in the War Between the States, Jim was strongly affected by both the war and the difficult times in its aftermath. Thus, it was in the early 1870's that Jim and John, his only slightly older half-brother, left Alabama to find their fortunes elsewhere. They settled first in Louisiana where it appears they worked as farmhands for a Mr. Akin. A letter from Jim to his father, written in November 1873 from Cane Ridge, Louisiana describes in glowing terms the cotton crop they were harvesting. Jim also urged his father to leave Alabama and join them as Mr. Akin had offered the use of his shop and tools as well as a home to help John Wesley get established in his trade as a blacksmith -- also land to rent to make a crop.

Later, Jim wrote to his father that he would not be coming home that fall of 1873 but would be going to Texas the first of December, apparently after fall crops had been harvested in Louisiana. Jim and John planned to "make a crop with A. B. Crim", a relative who had taken his family out to Rusk County, Texas to make a new start after the war. Eventually their oldest brother, Eli, would also move to Texas where for a number of years he had a blacksmith shop in Overton, Texas.

The 1880 federal census for Rusk County, Texas lists Jim as single and living in the household of Eli and his family. However, within a few years both Jim and Eli moved back to Alabama. Only brother John would remain in Texas.

On Valentine's Day, February 14, 1889, James and Matilda "Tilda" E. Walls were married by Justice H. W. Bowers at the residence of Robert T. Dunham, near Helena, Shelby County, Alabama. James and Tilda did not have children.

In Alabama, Jim's trade was carpentry. Life had improved for his father's family and, along with farming, the family members ran several small businesses. It is thought that Jim joined in those endeavors and also worked in the family woodworking shop where everything from ax handles to wagons and furniture were made.

Jim's obituary was published in the ADVOCATE (Shelby Co., AL), May 10, 1923:
"J. T. Crim Dead.
"J. T. Crim died suddenly at his home at Longview on Friday morning of last week at 2 o-clock. Heart trouble was the cause of his death.
"He was born and reared in this county, and was well known and highly esteemed.
"At the time of his death he was 69 years old.
"He is survived by wife, step-mother, five brothers, Henry Crim, Calera; John Crim, Texas; Josh Crim, Siluria; R. D. and J. L. Crim, Longview; three sisters, Mrs. Mary Wyatt, Mrs. Mark Wyatt and Miss Ammie Crim of Longview.
"Funeral services were conducted Saturday morning and interment made in Ebenezer cemetery."

Jim's wife, Tilda, lived another 17 years. She died on March 11, 1940 and was buried next to Jim at Harless Cemetery. Harless Cemetery is a very old cemetery originally known as Ebenezer Cemetery because it was in the Ebenezer community.

[Dates and biographical information added by Patricia Crim Dietlein.]