Bio Update Feb 24, 2020: New research, aided by DNA matching with Gorman descendants in Ontario, Canada has determined positively when and where James was born and who his father was. James Arthur's g-grandson, William, was found to share DNA in the amount of 38 cM over 2 segments with a half second cousin, once removed on Ancestry.com who descends from a common ancestor Patrick Gorman, born 1821 in Ireland through Patricks son, Thomas Sylvester Gorman (1859-1914) by his second wife, Anne Doran. Thomas Sylvester was James Arthur's half-brother.
James was most likely born 1 or 2 years earlier than the date on his tombstone. He was recorded as 8 years of age in the 1850 US census, 18 years of age in the 1861 Canadian Census for Storrington, Frontenac County, Ontario and 28 years of age in the 1870 Census. It looks like he most likely was born in 1842 in Kent, New Castle County, Delaware, USA to Patrick Gorman and Patrick's unknown first wife. His father Patrick moved his family to Philadelphia about 1848, then to Storrington, Frontenac County, Ontario, Canada in 1854.
As an adult, he became a teamster by trade, owning several teams of oxen, mules and wagons which he used to carry freight for hire in the post-Civil War American Frontier. He was found in the 1870 US census record for Ellsworth County, Kansas where he was working on the "D & B Powers Farm" for recruiting and wintering stock. The census recorded his age as 28, born in Canada, occupation as Wagon Master.
James got into the buffalo hunting business when the Union-Pacific railroad started pushing west through Kansas. As a teamster, he hired out his wagons and drivers to haul the buffalo meat back to the kitchens feeding the railroad workers. Then, he later got involved in hauling buffalo hides when they became more valuable than the meat. By 1875, most of the Northern Buffalo herds had been hunted to extinction and the Buffalo hunters moved their operations to West Texas to hunt the Southern Herd there. It was in the fall of 1876 that James showed up in Waco, Texas at Christmas time. Waco was a stopover point for him while hauling freight from Galveston to Fort Griffin in Shackleford County. He may have used Waco as his base of operations for he had a number of friends there. It was in December of 1876, when he laid over in Waco on his way Fort Griffin, that he had to have some work done on his wagons and horses and mules shoed by blacksmith Robert Patterson. During this time, he met Robert Patterson's sister-in-law, Frances Catherine Hines and thus began a two year romance and courtship.
For the next two years, James operated out of Fort Griffin by hauling Buffalo hunters and their supplies (food, lead and gun powder) out onto the Texas High Plains at Camp Reynolds near the Double Mountain Fork of the Brazos River. He also narrowly missed being scalped by Indians who left the Oklahoma reservation trying to drive off the hunters. He and Catherine exchanged letters and the relationship grew.
By the end of 1878, most of the Southern Buffalo herd in Texas had been eradicated and James returned to Waco. He married Frances Catherine Hines in Waco, Texas on 9 December 1878. He was thirty-six years old and she 22 at the time. The newly married couple settled near Telico, a small farming community on the west bank of the Trinity River about 3 miles east of the town of Ennis. He may have initially engaged in several business activities related to freighting and hauling. (My grandmother said that he was a contractor and that he built the first dam for Lake Ennis about 1890 that supplied water to the railroad steam locomotives that ran from Dallas to Galveston). About 1896 he moved to Rankin in Ellis County were he accepted the position as manager of "The Old Red" cotton gin that was owned by the Waxahachie Cotton Seed Oil Company. He and Catherine had 12 children, 5 girls and 7 boys, during 20 years of marriage. 4 of the girls died in infancy and one son, Alvin, died at the age of 16 in a horse riding accident. James died suddenly on 30 August 1898 at the age of 56. Catherine was just 40 years old and never married. She lived another 40 years.
James was most likely born 1 or 2 years earlier than the date on his tombstone. He was recorded as 8 years of age in the 1850 US census, 18 years of age in the 1861 Canadian Census for Storrington, Frontenac County, Ontario and 28 years of age in the 1870 Census. It looks like he most likely was born in 1842 in Kent, New Castle County, Delaware, USA to Patrick Gorman and Patrick's unknown first wife. His father Patrick moved his family to Philadelphia about 1848, then to Storrington, Frontenac County, Ontario, Canada in 1854.
As an adult, he became a teamster by trade, owning several teams of oxen, mules and wagons which he used to carry freight for hire in the post-Civil War American Frontier. He was found in the 1870 US census record for Ellsworth County, Kansas where he was working on the "D & B Powers Farm" for recruiting and wintering stock. The census recorded his age as 28, born in Canada, occupation as Wagon Master.
James got into the buffalo hunting business when the Union-Pacific railroad started pushing west through Kansas. As a teamster, he hired out his wagons and drivers to haul the buffalo meat back to the kitchens feeding the railroad workers. Then, he later got involved in hauling buffalo hides when they became more valuable than the meat. By 1875, most of the Northern Buffalo herds had been hunted to extinction and the Buffalo hunters moved their operations to West Texas to hunt the Southern Herd there. It was in the fall of 1876 that James showed up in Waco, Texas at Christmas time. Waco was a stopover point for him while hauling freight from Galveston to Fort Griffin in Shackleford County. He may have used Waco as his base of operations for he had a number of friends there. It was in December of 1876, when he laid over in Waco on his way Fort Griffin, that he had to have some work done on his wagons and horses and mules shoed by blacksmith Robert Patterson. During this time, he met Robert Patterson's sister-in-law, Frances Catherine Hines and thus began a two year romance and courtship.
For the next two years, James operated out of Fort Griffin by hauling Buffalo hunters and their supplies (food, lead and gun powder) out onto the Texas High Plains at Camp Reynolds near the Double Mountain Fork of the Brazos River. He also narrowly missed being scalped by Indians who left the Oklahoma reservation trying to drive off the hunters. He and Catherine exchanged letters and the relationship grew.
By the end of 1878, most of the Southern Buffalo herd in Texas had been eradicated and James returned to Waco. He married Frances Catherine Hines in Waco, Texas on 9 December 1878. He was thirty-six years old and she 22 at the time. The newly married couple settled near Telico, a small farming community on the west bank of the Trinity River about 3 miles east of the town of Ennis. He may have initially engaged in several business activities related to freighting and hauling. (My grandmother said that he was a contractor and that he built the first dam for Lake Ennis about 1890 that supplied water to the railroad steam locomotives that ran from Dallas to Galveston). About 1896 he moved to Rankin in Ellis County were he accepted the position as manager of "The Old Red" cotton gin that was owned by the Waxahachie Cotton Seed Oil Company. He and Catherine had 12 children, 5 girls and 7 boys, during 20 years of marriage. 4 of the girls died in infancy and one son, Alvin, died at the age of 16 in a horse riding accident. James died suddenly on 30 August 1898 at the age of 56. Catherine was just 40 years old and never married. She lived another 40 years.
Bio Update Feb 24, 2020: New research, aided by DNA matching with Gorman descendants in Ontario, Canada has determined positively when and where James was born and who his father was. James Arthur's g-grandson, William, was found to share DNA in the amount of 38 cM over 2 segments with a half second cousin, once removed on Ancestry.com who descends from a common ancestor Patrick Gorman, born 1821 in Ireland through Patricks son, Thomas Sylvester Gorman (1859-1914) by his second wife, Anne Doran. Thomas Sylvester was James Arthur's half-brother.
James was most likely born 1 or 2 years earlier than the date on his tombstone. He was recorded as 8 years of age in the 1850 US census, 18 years of age in the 1861 Canadian Census for Storrington, Frontenac County, Ontario and 28 years of age in the 1870 Census. It looks like he most likely was born in 1842 in Kent, New Castle County, Delaware, USA to Patrick Gorman and Patrick's unknown first wife. His father Patrick moved his family to Philadelphia about 1848, then to Storrington, Frontenac County, Ontario, Canada in 1854.
As an adult, he became a teamster by trade, owning several teams of oxen, mules and wagons which he used to carry freight for hire in the post-Civil War American Frontier. He was found in the 1870 US census record for Ellsworth County, Kansas where he was working on the "D & B Powers Farm" for recruiting and wintering stock. The census recorded his age as 28, born in Canada, occupation as Wagon Master.
James got into the buffalo hunting business when the Union-Pacific railroad started pushing west through Kansas. As a teamster, he hired out his wagons and drivers to haul the buffalo meat back to the kitchens feeding the railroad workers. Then, he later got involved in hauling buffalo hides when they became more valuable than the meat. By 1875, most of the Northern Buffalo herds had been hunted to extinction and the Buffalo hunters moved their operations to West Texas to hunt the Southern Herd there. It was in the fall of 1876 that James showed up in Waco, Texas at Christmas time. Waco was a stopover point for him while hauling freight from Galveston to Fort Griffin in Shackleford County. He may have used Waco as his base of operations for he had a number of friends there. It was in December of 1876, when he laid over in Waco on his way Fort Griffin, that he had to have some work done on his wagons and horses and mules shoed by blacksmith Robert Patterson. During this time, he met Robert Patterson's sister-in-law, Frances Catherine Hines and thus began a two year romance and courtship.
For the next two years, James operated out of Fort Griffin by hauling Buffalo hunters and their supplies (food, lead and gun powder) out onto the Texas High Plains at Camp Reynolds near the Double Mountain Fork of the Brazos River. He also narrowly missed being scalped by Indians who left the Oklahoma reservation trying to drive off the hunters. He and Catherine exchanged letters and the relationship grew.
By the end of 1878, most of the Southern Buffalo herd in Texas had been eradicated and James returned to Waco. He married Frances Catherine Hines in Waco, Texas on 9 December 1878. He was thirty-six years old and she 22 at the time. The newly married couple settled near Telico, a small farming community on the west bank of the Trinity River about 3 miles east of the town of Ennis. He may have initially engaged in several business activities related to freighting and hauling. (My grandmother said that he was a contractor and that he built the first dam for Lake Ennis about 1890 that supplied water to the railroad steam locomotives that ran from Dallas to Galveston). About 1896 he moved to Rankin in Ellis County were he accepted the position as manager of "The Old Red" cotton gin that was owned by the Waxahachie Cotton Seed Oil Company. He and Catherine had 12 children, 5 girls and 7 boys, during 20 years of marriage. 4 of the girls died in infancy and one son, Alvin, died at the age of 16 in a horse riding accident. James died suddenly on 30 August 1898 at the age of 56. Catherine was just 40 years old and never married. She lived another 40 years.
James was most likely born 1 or 2 years earlier than the date on his tombstone. He was recorded as 8 years of age in the 1850 US census, 18 years of age in the 1861 Canadian Census for Storrington, Frontenac County, Ontario and 28 years of age in the 1870 Census. It looks like he most likely was born in 1842 in Kent, New Castle County, Delaware, USA to Patrick Gorman and Patrick's unknown first wife. His father Patrick moved his family to Philadelphia about 1848, then to Storrington, Frontenac County, Ontario, Canada in 1854.
As an adult, he became a teamster by trade, owning several teams of oxen, mules and wagons which he used to carry freight for hire in the post-Civil War American Frontier. He was found in the 1870 US census record for Ellsworth County, Kansas where he was working on the "D & B Powers Farm" for recruiting and wintering stock. The census recorded his age as 28, born in Canada, occupation as Wagon Master.
James got into the buffalo hunting business when the Union-Pacific railroad started pushing west through Kansas. As a teamster, he hired out his wagons and drivers to haul the buffalo meat back to the kitchens feeding the railroad workers. Then, he later got involved in hauling buffalo hides when they became more valuable than the meat. By 1875, most of the Northern Buffalo herds had been hunted to extinction and the Buffalo hunters moved their operations to West Texas to hunt the Southern Herd there. It was in the fall of 1876 that James showed up in Waco, Texas at Christmas time. Waco was a stopover point for him while hauling freight from Galveston to Fort Griffin in Shackleford County. He may have used Waco as his base of operations for he had a number of friends there. It was in December of 1876, when he laid over in Waco on his way Fort Griffin, that he had to have some work done on his wagons and horses and mules shoed by blacksmith Robert Patterson. During this time, he met Robert Patterson's sister-in-law, Frances Catherine Hines and thus began a two year romance and courtship.
For the next two years, James operated out of Fort Griffin by hauling Buffalo hunters and their supplies (food, lead and gun powder) out onto the Texas High Plains at Camp Reynolds near the Double Mountain Fork of the Brazos River. He also narrowly missed being scalped by Indians who left the Oklahoma reservation trying to drive off the hunters. He and Catherine exchanged letters and the relationship grew.
By the end of 1878, most of the Southern Buffalo herd in Texas had been eradicated and James returned to Waco. He married Frances Catherine Hines in Waco, Texas on 9 December 1878. He was thirty-six years old and she 22 at the time. The newly married couple settled near Telico, a small farming community on the west bank of the Trinity River about 3 miles east of the town of Ennis. He may have initially engaged in several business activities related to freighting and hauling. (My grandmother said that he was a contractor and that he built the first dam for Lake Ennis about 1890 that supplied water to the railroad steam locomotives that ran from Dallas to Galveston). About 1896 he moved to Rankin in Ellis County were he accepted the position as manager of "The Old Red" cotton gin that was owned by the Waxahachie Cotton Seed Oil Company. He and Catherine had 12 children, 5 girls and 7 boys, during 20 years of marriage. 4 of the girls died in infancy and one son, Alvin, died at the age of 16 in a horse riding accident. James died suddenly on 30 August 1898 at the age of 56. Catherine was just 40 years old and never married. She lived another 40 years.
Family Members
Siblings
Children
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Arthur William "Artie" Gorman
1880–1958
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Albert Ford Gorman
1883–1928
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Alford John Gorman
1883–1964
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Annie M. Gorman
1886–1886
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Aldon Rufus Gorman
1888–1925
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Jesse Athion Gorman
1891–1969
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Allie Ellen Gorman
1893–1893
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Alvena May Gorman Rogers
1894–1971
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Alvin Edwin Gorman
1896–1912
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Alfonso Rubin "Curtis" Gorman
1898–1970
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