Biography of James Warren Goldsmith

Our Goldsmith line started in England, possibly in Cheshire, England, or Kent, England. John Goldsmith was born in 1639 in Cheshire or Kent, England. He came to Virginia as an indentured servant to Anthony Hoskins. Click Here to find out more...
James Warren Goldsmith's grandfather, William, was the aforementioned John Goldsmith's great-great grandson. William, born in 1760, fought in many battles during the Revolutionary War. While in South Carolina, he met his first cousin, Elizabeth Rountree, and they fell in love. He promised to return after the War was over, and he did. They married around 1783 at her father's home in Fairforest, SC. Their first son out of nine children was Thomas, born 19 December 1787. Thomas married Sally Cook, daughter of Henry and Nancy Ann Cook of Chatham County, NC. After Henry Cook's death in 1806, his widow and children moved from Chatham to Greenville Co., SC.
Thomas and Sally had nine children: Nancy, Lizzie, William, Mary, Permelia (Amelia), Thomas, Sarah, Martha, and James Warren. Thomas, James' father, was a prosperous planter in Greenville County, owned a lot of land and slaves, and was well-known in Greenville and surrounding areas.
About three years after their last child, James, was born, Thomas and Sally Goldsmith welcomed the birth of their first grandchild, William Henry Goldsmith (1842-1864), the son of William and Mary Louisa (Stone) Goldsmith. James Warren Goldsmith and his nephew, William Henry Goldsmith, grew up like brothers. In fact, James was closer to his nephew than he was to his own brothers, presumably.
Shortly after the death of his closest sibling, Martha, in 1854, James joined the Baptist Church. He became a member of Clear Springs Baptist Church, in Simpsonville, on 13 September, 1854.
In 1859, James wed Sarah Ellen Woodside, primarily known as Ellen, sometimes called Ella or Elinor. She was the daughter of James Drayton and Jane `Jennie` (Woodside) Woodside, who were first cousins. They were married the 15th of February, 1859 at Sarah Ellen's home church, Fairview Presbyterian Church in Simpsonville/Fountain Inn, where they ended up attending at least until James' death in 1877. At the time of their marriage, James was 19; Ellen (called `Ella` in the marriage announcement - which, interestingly, was printed twice in separate issues, when others at that period were only printed once) was 16.
On the 1860 SC Census, they were living in Standing Springs, Greenville County, South Carolina, near Simpsonville. They had 7 slaves at that time: a 21 year old black male, a 16 year old black female, a 13 year old black female, a 12 year old black male, a 7 year old black male, and a black female of 7 months.
When the War for Southern Independence broke out, James enlisted in Company E, Infantry, Hampton's Legion. Family legend has it that he may of lost an arm or a leg, but we are unsure.
In 1864, James' nephew, William Henry Goldsmith, was killed at Kennesaw Mountain, in Georgia, at the age of 21.
James and Sarah Ellen's first child, James William, was born 17 Nov 1862. He was followed by Thomas Ross, who was born 15 Mar 1866. John Henry, the third boy, was born 4 Apr 1868. And finally, on 19 May 1870, a daughter was born, named Sarah Jennie, after her mother and her maternal grandmother. After her came Edward Woodside, born 8 Feb 1872, and lastly, Samuel Lewis, born 3 Sep 1875. Samuel was my 2x-grandfather. He was only 1 and a half when his father died, so not much is known about James' life, except what is provided here.
James died 3 Jun 1877. The day before, his will was written, and he actually signed his signature, which is at the top of this page. We know it was his signature, not someone else writing it for him, because `LS` (legal signature) was written after it.
It is very likely that James died of pneumonia. His son, Samuel, was always afraid of dying from pneumonia, probably like his father did before him.
James was buried at Fairview Presbyterian Church. When his wife died in 1893, she was buried right next to him. Their son, Eddie, who died in 1895, is buried on the other side of James.