James Emory was the youngest of six children born to Emory and Frances (HINTON) VANN. He was probably born in Jefferson County FL. and came to Taylor County FL. as a young child when his parents purchased 120 acres from Jacob MOTT on January 3,1859. An additional 120 acres were purchased from Joshua REAMS on October 4, 1859.

James learned reading, writing and arithmetic in a near by school. He went to church with his parents who were very early members of the Mount Gilead Baptist Church. When he was grown he became a minister and at one time filled the pulpit at the Mount Gilead Baptist Church. Taylor County marriage records show he performed many marriages during his ministry, including the marriage of his eldest son, David Wilson, to Annie Bell PAGE. He served as an itinerant minister to many small churches in the Counties of Madison and Jefferson as well as Taylor County. His children can remember him riding his mule to serve in this capacity and frequently being gone for a couple of days at a time.

James married first Tinnie A. MORRIS January 13, 1878 in Jefferson County. This marriage was short lived. Family tradition holds she and her child both died in child birth in late 1878 or early 1879.

James next married Mary Elizabeth (Lizzie) HARRIS on December 28, 1880 in Jefferson County. Lizzie was the daughter of James Alexander (1835-1873) and Cynthia (JONES) (1838-1919) HARRIS.
James HARRIS was born in Georgia and came to Florida with his parents in the middle 1850's when they settled in Madison County. Cynthia was born in Jefferson County to William and Elizabeth (Rowell) JONES. Her parents had come from Georgia about 1825. James A. HARRIS and Cynthia (JONES) were married December 25, 1859 in Jefferson County.

Four, possibly five, children were born to the marriage of James Emory and Lizzie VANN. David Wilson VANN remembered a sister, Jettie Austilla, who was a couple of years younger than himself. She died when he was 6 or 7 years of age, placing her life between 1883 and 1888. It seems odd but James named two of his sons, James. To distinguish between the two, James Thomas was called Tom and James Columbus was called Jim.

James married a third time to Ellen Virginia REAMS (1874-1933) on December 17, 1891 in Taylor County. Ellen was the daughter of Draden REAMS. Draden was the son of Joshua REAMS from whom James' father, Emory, had purchased property in 1859. The marriage of James and Ellen produced twelve children. Ellen is buried in the Winter Beach Cemetery just north of Vero Beach where she died September 12, 1933. Following her death James Emory was living in Lamont with his oldest daughter, Sally Timmons, where he died August 4, 1937.

In summarizing his own life, James was known to have said, "I came to know the Lord and I served Him the best I knew how. By His Grace, I have out lived three wives and fathered 18 children". He is buried next to his second wife, Mary Elizabeth (Lizzie), in Simpson's Cemetery in Jefferson County. This cemetery is just across the Aucilla River from where James grew up as a child and lived as a man.

Julia S. Vann (1924-1991)