Biography

Catharine James (nee Barber) was the daughter of John Barber, of Montgomery, Orange County, NY. Her grandfather had been a judge in the Court of Common Pleas, and her father and two uncles were officers in the Revolutionary Army. In 1803 Catharine Barber married William James. She managed William James' estate, helped raise his three children from his prior marriages and had 8 children of her own. William James was a successfully Albany shopkeeper, landowner, and businessman. William and Catharine are the parents of the novelist Henry James, and grandparents of philosopher William James.