About Burton James

Burton Hulon (B.H.) James was my Great-Grandfather who played professional baseball from 1908 to 1919. Over his career, he played in multiple cities including Galveston, TX, St. Louis, MO, Nashville, TN, New Orleans, LA, Austin, TX, and Waco, TX. Most of his career was spent playing in the Texas League with the last 6 years as the star right fielder with the Waco Navigators. He was given the nick name of Jesse James due to his ability to steal bases and his outstanding speed in catching and throwing from right field, robbing hitters the opportunity to get on base.

Burton James was born in Coopertown, TN July 7, 1884. He met my Great-Grandmother, Estelle, when she was shopping for ingredients at the general store where he worked in Springfield, TN. They began dating, eventually married, and traveled together for his baseball career but always called Estelle’s family farm in Adairville, KY home.

Burton and Estelle were given an opportunity to buy the family farm, so in 1919 he retired from baseball, and they permanently settled in Adairville, KY. He opened & operated B.H. James Grocers from 1921 to 1939. He was highly involved in the local dark fired tobacco industry as the Director of the Eastern Dark Fired Tobacco Association from 1933 until 1959. He also served as Vice President and Director of the First National Bank in Adairville from 1944 until 1959, and was elected a Logan County, KY Magistrate in 1931 and served until his death in January 1959.