1861 James appears at Cadleigh Park, Ermington,Devon, aged 5 yrs, at his gm's house, Avis Barons Avis, with his uncle Haly & family, 2 sis. (no sign of parents).
He went to sea aged 11 yrs and records obtained from the National Maritime Museum show:-
1. Union Canal, smack of Plymouth, boy 1867, 36days.
2. Juniper ,brig of Swansea, boy 1867, 65 days.
3. Union Canal, smack of Plymouth, boy,1867,4 months.
4. Illegible, Wells, boy, 1868,76 days.
5. Fairy,brig of Swansea, boy 1868/1869 1 yr 1 month.
6.Geo Arkle, brig of Fowey, boy 1869/1870,3 months 27 days.
7 Prince Rupert, brig of Goole,O.S.1870, 6 months.
8. Eliza Fox, schooner, Plymouth, O.S.1871, 4 months 21 days.
9 Juan, schooner, Dartmouth, O.S.1871, 1 month.
10. Look Out, brig of London,A.B,1872, 64 days.
11. Theodoria, schooner of Brixham, A.A. 1872, 4 months 1 day. The Fairy, above, was also served in by Benjamin Edward Holman, same year.
12. Bohemiam Girl, schooner of Plymouth A.B. 1872, 34 days.
13. Queen, schooner of Plmouth, 1877, 5 months. He passed his second mates ticket on 31st October 1877 and is shown;
14. Flora,brig,of Charlotte Town, 1877/78, 10 months 16 days.
15 Flora, brig of Charlotte Town, 1878/1880, 1 yr,7 months,23 days.
16 Flora, brig,Prince Edward Island, Mate, 1880/1881, 1 yr and 26 days..
He passed his First Mates Ticket on 31st October 1881 for square rigged vessels and passed his Master Ticket on 12 November 1881 by the then Board of Trade, Cert.No 04136. Further records obtained from the Guildhall Library, London from the Lloyds Captains Register are;
1882 Mate on E.C.J. to France, Portugal, Spain, Azores.
1882 Master on Marion, to West coast of Africa,
1883/1887 Master on Effendi, Brazil, River Plate, South Pacific, West Coast USA.
1887? Family move to Swansea
1889 Mate on Swansea Castle,foreign.
1890 Master on Swansea Castle, Cape Colonies, Ascension Islands, St Helena.
1891 Mate on Daybreak, USA,
1892 Mate on Starlight, Mediterranean and Black sea.
1893/1896 2nd or 3rd mate on Acuba, to Mediterannean.
1896/1889 Mate on SS Simonside, Med, North America, Greenland, Iceland, Brazil.
1899 Master of SS Simonside. On 22nd September 1898,whilst Mate on SS Simonsidehe was involved in the rescue of the crew of the schooner Nevada of Lunenburg, Nova Scotia that was abandoned at sea about 500 miles north of Porto Rico, having sprung a leakand could not be controlled after 6 days pumping by her crew. After rescue they were landed at Biloxi on September 30th.He received a gold pocket watch[now in my possession] presented by the Govt of Canada and inscribed to James H.Holman,1st Officer of Simonside in recognition of his humane exertions in the rescue of the shipwrecked crew of the schooner Nevada 22 September 1898 .From Annual Report of Dept of Marine and Fisheries.1899, Ottawa.
1891 census at 29 Park Terrace,Brynmelin,Swansea,Glamorgan [Ref RG 12/4481]
Having retired from active sea service James became the Pilot at Swansea, can be seen in 1901 census with family 71 Terrace Rd Swansea[Ref RG 13/5077]
1891 29 Lamb St. Swansea
1901 71 Terrace Rd Swansea aged 44 Master Mariner/Harbour Pilot with wife, 2 sons, 2 daus.
1911 71 Terrace Rd Swansea aged 54 with wife and son Gerald