Robert Sallee James was one of the founders of William Jewell College

William Jewell College

William Jewell College is a private, four-year liberal arts college of 1,100 undergraduate students located in Liberty, Missouri, U.S. It was founded in 1849 by members of the Missouri Baptist Convention and other civic leaders, including Robert S. James, a Baptist minister and father of the...

 in 1849 in Liberty, Missouri

Liberty, Missouri

Liberty is a city in Clay County, Missouri and is a suburb of Kansas City, Missouri. At the 2007 population estimate, the city population was 29,993...

.

Biography

Robert Sallee James was born in Logan County, Kentucky

Logan County, Kentucky

Logan County is a county located in the southwest area of the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of 2000, the population was 26,573. Its county seat is Russellville...

. He was the son of John M. James and Mary G. Poor James. His ancestor John James came to America from Pembrokeshire

Pembrokeshire

Pembrokeshire is a county in the south west of Wales. It borders Carmarthenshire to the east and Ceredigion to the north east. The county town is Haverfordwest where Pembrokeshire County Council is headquartered....

, Wales in the mid-17th century. He married Zeralda Cole on 28 December 1841. His children were
Alexander Franklin

Frank James

Alexander Franklin "Frank" James was a famous American outlaw. He was the older brother of outlaw Jesse James.-Childhood:...

, Robert, Jesse and Susan Lavenia.

James was a noted revivalist. Probate records show that at his death he owned six slaves and was a commercial hemp

Hemp

Hemp is mostly used as a name for low tetrahydrocannabinol strains of the plant Cannabis sativa, of fiber and/or oilseed varieties. In modern times, hemp has been used for industrial purposes including paper, textiles, biodegradable plastics, construction, health food and fuel with modest...

 farmer. He was among the founders of William Jewell College in 1849. In April 1850, James left his family for California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

 to prospect for gold and preach to the crowds of goldminers during the California gold rush

California Gold Rush

The California Gold Rush began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The first to hear confirmed information of the gold rush were the people in Oregon, the Sandwich Islands , and Latin America, who were the first to start flocking to...

. Shortly after arriving in California in August 1850, he contracted cholera

Cholera

Cholera is an infection of the small intestine that is caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. The main symptoms are profuse watery diarrhea and vomiting. Transmission occurs primarily by drinking or eating water or food that has been contaminated by the diarrhea of an infected person or the feces...

 and died on August 18, 1850, in the Hangtown Gold Camp, later known as Placerville

Placerville

Placerville is the name of several places in the United States:* Placerville, California* Placerville, Colorado* Placerville, Idaho...

. He was buried there in an unmarked grave.

James's death left his family saddled with debts and many of his possessions, including one of the slaves, were auctioned off to pay them. His widow Zerelda married Benjamin Simms, a wealthy farmer, on September 30, 1852.