He married Elmira in 1808. They moved to Chili, New York and cleared 1
00 acres of wild land in order to farm. His wife Elmira, died on Februa
ry 6, 1812.

On June 29, 1812 he was drafted into Elias Streeter's Company of Militia ‎(
Lt. Col. Daniel Davis Regiment)‎. The company marched to Batavia whe
re it was mustered into the service of the United States. His brother Nee
dham was also in the same company. The company went to Bufflo and was dis
charged from there. James was honorably discharged at Batavia on July 1
0, 1812.

He recieved a license to preach in the Methodist Episcopal Church in Augu
st 1812 at Dansville, Stueben County, New York. He married Phoebe Ha
rt on January 24, 1814; farming and keeping his family in a log farm hous
e. His six children ‎(four sons and two daughters)‎ were all born in Chil
i, New York. He joined the Genesee Conference of the Methodist Episcop
al Church and continued in the itineracy of the church until 1841 ‎(eight y
ears as presiding elder)‎. He formed a class in 1821 in the southwest pa
rt of Ogden at Whittiers Settlement. This class was absorbed by the Prote
estant Methodist Movement. The third society of the M.E. Church of Hinriet
ta was organized on River Road in 1830 and a house of worship was soon ere
cted. Reverend James Hemingway was included among the pastors. The fir
st society of the M.E. Church of Chili was organized in the west part of t
own at Buckbee Corner in March 1832. The list of members included Zara Li
ttle. The first years were under the charge of and services were conduct
ed by, the Reverends John Widen and James Hemingway.

In 1833 he moved to South Dansville in Steuben County with five children.

He preached the first sermon in Hadley, Lapeer County, Michigan on July 1
0, 1835. In 1836 he left South Dansville and was in Angelica, Allegany Cou
nty ‎(and possibly Rogersville)‎. He was in Rushford until 1841 when he to
ok superannuated status and moved to Hadley, Michigan and lived with his c
hildren. Phoebe, his wife, died August 11, 1846. The 1850 census shows h
is living with his daughter, Elmira, and her family in Hadley Michigan. J
ames applied for bounty land in 1855 with the help of his son, William, b
ut it was denied due to insufficient service time. On July 14, 1878 he pr
eached at the school house in Hadley to a congregation of several hundr
ed on his 90th birthday.

His funeral was attended by at least 500 persons at Hadley church on Sunda
y, August 28, 1881. Before his death he had lived with his som, John, f
or several years in Hadley. The date of his death was August 27, 1881, ag
ed 93 years, 1 month, 13 days.

He had good health most of his life. When he was 88 he raked and bound af
ter a reaper once around a field. At 89 he was said to be of clear intell
ect, full strong voiced, and to have a retentive memory. He seldom vote
d, was known to be a Jackson man, a Republican, was anti-slavery before t
he Civil War, and opposed to slavery in all forms.