Battle, James Iverson
Title
Battle, James Iverson
Description
Once a janitor, James Battle may be the only African American to advance from a position of service on Cooper Street to heading his own household.
Biographical Text
James I. Battle is the only known African American to move from a position of service to head his own household on Cooper Street. Born in Georgia in 1876, by the 1890s Battle had migrated north and settled in Camden. From 1896 until 1899, he worked as a live-in janitor for the Camden Republican Club at 312 Cooper Street. He left this job and the housing it provided in 1899, when he married another African American migrant from Georgia, Hattie Daniels. They made their home at 403 Friends Avenue for most of the first quarter of the twentieth century, but for four years (1909-1912), they returned to Cooper Street. City directories and the U.S. Census of 1910 find them at 63 Cooper Street, a three-story brick row house that they rented just east of Front Street. At that time, their house and two adjacent (61 and 65) belonged to the Victor Talking Machine Company, where James also worked as a steward. Their departure from the Cooper Street home in 1912 coincided with Victor's plans to build its new headquarters on the same site at Cooper and Front Streets. The Battles, who had no children, returned to 403 Friends Avenue until the 1920s, when they moved to Atlantic City.
Time period on Cooper Street
1896-99, 1909-12
Location(s) - Cooper Street
312 Cooper Street (1896, 1897, 1898, 1899)
63 Cooper Street (1909, 1910, 1911, 1912)
63 Cooper Street (1909, 1910, 1911, 1912)
Location(s) - Other
Atlantic City: 131 Willow Avenue (1894)
Camden: 640 Cherry Street (1900)
Camden: 403 Friends ' Avenue (1901, 1902, 1903, 1904, 1905, 1906, 1907, 1908; 1916, 1917, 1920, 1921, 1922, 1923, 1924, 1926)
Atlantic City: 704 Arctic Avenue (1926, 1927, 1929)
Camden: 640 Cherry Street (1900)
Camden: 403 Friends ' Avenue (1901, 1902, 1903, 1904, 1905, 1906, 1907, 1908; 1916, 1917, 1920, 1921, 1922, 1923, 1924, 1926)
Atlantic City: 704 Arctic Avenue (1926, 1927, 1929)
Occupation
Janitor for Camden Republican Club (1896-1899)
Steward / Waiter
Steward / Waiter
Birth Date
October 3, 1876
Birthplace
Georgia
Death Date
Unknown
Associated Individuals
Hattie (Daniels) Battle, wife, married 1899 in Camden
John W. Battle, relationship unknown, co-worker at Camden Republican Club
Anna Daniels, mother-in-law
John W. Battle, relationship unknown, co-worker at Camden Republican Club
Anna Daniels, mother-in-law
Sources
Camden City Directories (Ancestry.com)
U.S. Census (Ancestry.com)
U.S. Census (Ancestry.com)
Research by
Charlene Mires
Posted by
Charlene Mires
Collection
Citation
“Battle, James Iverson,” Learning From Cooper Street, accessed February 12, 2025, https://omeka.camden.rutgers.edu/items/show/35.