James William Terman (I)

James William Terman ( noted as # I in genealogies to separate from his great-great grandson James William Terman II [1939- ]) was born the 11th of 12 children of John H. Bunyan Tarman and Ann Jones. He also was the only son of the family to survive, marry, and continue the family name, which he also changed from Tarman to Terman. There were descendants of his uncle William Tearman who also adopted the Terman spelling. Confusingly, many of these cousins also lived in Johnson County, Indiana. James William was born to the John Tarman family during a stop on their westward migration from Virginia to the western frontier (now midwest). That migration sometime in the early 1820s stopped at Muskingum County, Ohio, north of Zanesville. There the youngest 9 children were born, James William in 1834. In 1847 the family again migrated to Ohio Township, Bartholomew County, Indiana, about 9 air miles west of present-day Columbus, and a short distance from the hamlet of South Bethany. At the age of 20 he left home and moved north to work on the Shelby County farm of William Cutsinger. On October 12, 1854 he married William Cutsinger's daughter Martha Parthenia . With the help of his father in law who gave them the land, the Termans established a farm of 210 acres in Clark Township, Indiana. They operated that farm from 1855 to 1906. [Of note, that farm still exists in its original acreage, and after passing through several hands, the farm is now owned by Donald and Donna Copeland at 6532 N. Co. Rd 575E, Franklin, IN, 4 1/2 miles ENE of Whiteland, Indiana]

From the biography of his son Dr. Lewis M. Terman: "James Terman was known for his industry, honesty, and persistence. But his family was large, and although there was enough for necessities, there was little for necessities. Books, however, were among the necessities for him. His library included 120 to 200 books and a set of Encyclopedia Brittanica. In his spare time he read a great deal -- newspapers, magazines, and the Bible as well as books in his library. He was a family-centered man, self-sacrificing, infinitely kind and patient, and fond of his children. To others he seemed quiet, seldom attending church or social gatherings. His health may have been less than robust, for most of his aunts and uncles had died of tuberculosis, and he himself had (lung) hemorrhages as a young man."

"When the Civil War came, James served in the Home Guards and cared for his wife and the three daughters born to them before the war began. Two more daughters and two sons were born during the Civil War. Soon after the war, two more daughters arrived. By 1870 the family included nine living children; two sons had died in infancy. It was a gay and lively family, with little or no quarreling and much mutual affection. Along with the warmth there was a definite sense of discipline and order, and of work that must be done."

From "Johnson County, Indiana History, 1888", by Banta, pp 499-500: " He is a prominent farmer and stock-raiser of Clark Township." "He and his wife are members of the Christian Church. In politics he is an ardent Republican, casting his first vote for John C. Fremont. He was chosen by his party in convention as their candidate for trustee in the spring election of 1888. He ran against an opposing majority of twenty-five and reduced it to eleven votes. He now owns 210 acres of well-improved land."

In 1906 the Termans sold their farm and moved to 248 Yandes St. in Franklin. In 1908 his wife, Martha became ill with gallbladder disease and died on Oct. 8. He thereafter went to live with his daughter, Flora Terman Coons and her husband,David in the Hurricane District of Johnson County. He died May 31, 1910. He was buried alongside his wife, Martha in the Greenlawn Cemetery, Franklin, Indiana.