James Athya, another update

James Athya, born in 1919 in Bellshill, Lanark, Scotland to Robert Durie Athya and Margaret Shaw, was the eldest of three siblings and a first cousin once removed to my husband. After losing his mother to encephalitis lethargica at age six, James emigrated to America in 1930 with his father and siblings, settling first in Pennsylvania and later in Ohio. His brief but adventurous life included a stint in jail for train-hopping en route to Mardi Gras, work at a mission in West Virginia, and family lore that he traveled with a carnival before his untimely death in a Florida car accident around 1941.

I don’t like leaving family history sketches unfinished, but James’ story has yet to be fully uncovered—though piece by piece, details continue to emerge through online records.

I first wrote about James in 2019 (link here), when I lacked both an accurate birth record and any documentation to confirm the family’s account of his death. In 2021 (link here), I published an update after locating his World War II draft registration card, which provided a birth date but listed an incorrect birthplace. Since then, I’ve obtained his official birth record from Scotland’s People, confirming both the date and location.

Today, I can confirm at least part of the family lore: James did die in an automobile accident. In early November, I received an alert from Newspapers.com linking to an article published in The Florida Times-Union (Jacksonville, Florida) on March 4, 1942. It reported that a man identified by his Social Security card as James Athya, age 22, of Steubenville, Ohio, died at a Jacksonville hospital the night before from injuries sustained in a car-truck collision near Kingsland, Georgia. Three others were injured, though no further details were provided. James, listed as a seaman, was taken to Estes-Krauss Funeral Home while officials attempted to locate his relatives in Steubenville. I searched for additional coverage in both Florida and Ohio newspapers but found no further information.

I also discovered a Find A Grave memorial created in 2023 (after my 2021 update) indicating that James is buried at Fort Steuben Burial Estates in Wintersville, Jefferson County, Ohio. The memorial notes that his burial location was found in the cemetery’s records on page 3 of the Digital Shoebox Project, though no plot number was listed. At this point, I cannot confirm whether his remains were returned to Ohio or if the stone was placed in his memory. I submitted a photo request earlier this year but have not received a response.

I hope to one day locate an obituary or other record that confirms whether James was indeed buried in Ohio. I also continue searching for any evidence that he worked with a carnival, as family stories suggest—another chapter in his adventurous life that remains just out of reach. Until then, his story remains open—unfinished, but not forgotten.

Reference

• Auto, Truck Collision Fatal to Ohio Man, Three Others Hurt, The Florida Times-Union, Jacksonville, Florida, March 4, 1942.
• Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/261178523/james-athya: accessed November 2, 2025), memorial page for James Athya (3 Oct 1919–6 Mar 1942), Find a Grave Memorial ID 261178523, citing Fort Steuben Burial Estates, Wintersville, Jefferson County, Ohio, USA; maintained by Syndi (contributor 18484625).
• James Athya, Statutory Registers Births 625/3 476, National Records of Scotland, 1919.