Talk:Joseph Stephen James

Name

When I started this article, there were differences of opinion on the middle name of Joe James. But the weight seemed to lean toward "Summerlin". In his well-researched new book The Makers of the Sacred Harp, Dr. Warren Steel concluded his middle name was "Stephen". Seems it should be changed. Anyone have thoughts on this? Rlvaughn (talk) 20:56, 17 March 2011 (UTC)

I agree, and have put in a change.

I recently noticed that in the preface of Makers you are warmly thanked for your research contributions to the project. I would like to add my own thanks--indeed, the book is wonderful. I anticipate it will take quite a bit of time to update Wikipedia to reflect this new scholarly standard. Opus33 (talk) 03:32, 6 May 2011 (UTC)

While "Joseph Summerlin James" is the official citation in OCLC, and might seem to have considerable authority, at least two authors have picked up on the middle name Stephen well before the publication of The Makers of the Sacred Harp. Wallace McKenzie in his 1989 Musical Quarterly article "The Alto Parts in the 'True Dispersed Harmony' of The Sacred Harp Revisions" and Karen Willard in her liner notes to The Shapenote Album by the Tudor Choir both call him Joseph Stephen James. Finn Froding (talk) 18:02, 10 May 2011 (UTC)

Just stopped by to check on this. Finn thanks for the further info. I had probably noticed that at some point in McKenzie and either glossed over it or forgot it. Thanks, Opus, for the kind comments. I mostly worked on this from the aspect of genealogical research. I am very well pleased with the outcome. There are a number of accomplishments I am proud of regarding the book -- one of the greatest to me was our combination (Warren, John Plunkett and I) in discovering the elusive Lancaster sisters. My brother actually put us on to that with his census work, basically saying here is probably the only family in Georgia that fits. Then John made a wonderful discovery of one of the sisters letters in the Georgia State Archives! Thanks for making the name change. -- Rlvaughn (talk) 23:40, 20 May 2011 (UTC)

The focus of this article is on the wrong subject

This article could be significantly improved if the focus was less on James' contributions to Shape Note Singing and more on his vastly more significant contributions in politics, industry and the economic development of Douglasville, Ga. 72.148.238.106 (talk) 18:39, 7 January 2012 (UTC)

Thank you. Can you suggest any reference sources on which we might rely? Opus33 (talk) 19:36, 8 January 2012 (UTC)

One source that details James's political involvement and is available on Google Books is the 1895 Memoirs of Georgia: Containing Historical Accounts of the State's ..., Volume 1. A short biography of James that focuses on his involvement in politics and business runs from 617–618. Another source that collects a number of newspaper articles by James is less accessible: Fannie Mae Davis and Virginia Voss Pope's Douglas County, Georgia: From Indian Trail to Interstate 20. WorldCat shows copies in 50 libraries. Silversand (talk) 18:23, 10 November 2014 (UTC)

Ok, I've reordered and lightly edited the prose to put his life as a community leader up front and Sacred Harp participation second; I agree that this produces a more balanced portrayal. On the other hand I have not tried to amplify or otherwise edit the straight-biography section, since I think that ought to be done by editors who have some grasp of the local history, which I don't. Opus33 (talk) 02:02, 11 November 2014 (UTC)

reply to suggestion about changes

I do not know how to respond to your post except by starting a new section. Additional information about the more significant contributions made by Mr. James to the commercial and political development of Douglas County, Ga., might be had through the scholarly writing of Stephanie Aylworth, president of Douglasvilles' Main Street program. I do not know her, but her Master's Thesis deals with the subject matter in considerable detail. Perhaps the author can contact Ms. Aylworth, whom I do not know, or find her writings online. 72.148.238.106 (talk) —Preceding undated comment added 15:39, 22 January 2012 (UTC).