Biography of Ira James
Ira James, wholesale dealer in coal oil, Mattoon; was born in Dearborn (now Ohio) Co., Ind., May 24, 1826; his father was a cotton and woolen manufacturer; at. the age of 17, he left home and engaged in boating on the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers for a period of about ten years; he commanded during the time seven steamboats; his first boating was in the packet trade from Rising Sun to Cincinnati; afterward he entered the trade from New Orleans and Cincinnati; in 1853, he went to California and spent three years; engaged a portion of the time in milling … Read more