James Voss Price

James Voss Price received his Christian name from his maternal grandfather Voss, a soldier of the Revolution. The Voss and the Price families settled in North Carolina almost at the same time.

James was born and raised in Barnes County, Kentucky. Here he met his wife and started a family. In 1852, he and his family went to southern Illinois, to what is now known as "Little Egypt," arriving on Christmas day.

Although from the South, when Co. H, 81st Illinois Volunteer Infantry was instituted, he responded to the call for troops and enlisted 12 Aug 1862. He entered as second lieutenant and was promoted to first lieutenant. But after a few months, he was compelled to resign on account of a crippled foot and ankle he had lived with since age 12 when wagon ran over his foot. He was mustered out at Memphis, Tennessee on or about 1 February 1863. His two sons, Sylvester and Euclid, were both soldiers of the Civil War and members of the same company. The regimental history is given in the account of Euclid.

James began his career by working on a farm near Bowling Green, Kentucky where for three years he received $5.00 a month. He was next overseer of the McCutchin plantation in Logan County, Kentucky. Here he received $100 a year. His employer offered him $150 a year if he would stay with him but Mr. Price bought 40 acres of land, married Lucinda Hall and established a home. Her people were slave owners and she received two slaves upon her marriage to Mr. Price as a dowry from her father. Their children all died before she did.

His second wife was Frances Jane Withers of Virginia. She was from one of the pioneer families of Dinwiddie Co. She was Welch and English. She was the 11th child and had 4 brothers that were subjects of the King of England. The 4 brothers never came to this country. Many of her father's people were in the Confederacy, though the maternal side furnished several Union soldiers. Mr. Price was a near relative of General Albert Sidney Johnson who was killed in the first days of the Battle of Shiloh.

He was born on 23 Dec 1812 at Barnes County, Kentucky. He married Lucinda Hall circa 1835. He married Francis Jane Withers, daughter of Benjamin Weathers and Temperance Johnson, in 1842. He died on 24 Jan 1907 at Hollis, Cloud County, Kansas, at age 94. He was buried at Hollis Cemetery, Hollis, Cloud County, Kansas.