James H. (Jim) Forsythe

Jim Forsythe was born and grew up in Jackson, Madison County, Tennessee, and currently resides in Germantown, Tennessee (suburb of Memphis).  He and his wife, Patti, have one son, Chris Forsythe, who is an engineer with Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, New Mexico.  Jim is an attorney with a private civil practice in Memphis.

Jim traces his Forsyth(e) heritage back to James E. Forsyth, born in 1759, in Granville County, North Carolina.  Unfortunately, because the Courthouse was burned during the American Civil War, he has been unable to discover James E. Forsyth’s parentage. 

His great great grandfather, Simpson Forsyth, left Granville County, North Carolina, ca. 1848-1849, and went to Marshall County, Mississippi.  About  1853, he moved to West Tennessee.

Family legend says that Simpson Forsyth hired out to a local farmer.  Unbeknownst to him, his brother, James Epperson Forsyth, had migrated to the same area in West Tennessee.   One day the Forsyth brothers were unloading produce from their wagons in Bells, Tennessee when they unexpectedly came face to face for the first time since James Epperson left North Carolina in 1845.  There was a joyful meeting, as they clasped one another in an emotional embrace.

Jim’s maternal grandparent was Merrill Stewart, born ca. 1790, in Anson County, North Carolina.  He married Catherine Richardson around 1824.  Merrill died in 1841, and around 1848-1849, Catherine Stewart migrated with her eight children to West Tennessee.  Although the Stewarts were obviously quite prosperous in North Carolina, the ravages of the Civil War left Catherine in failing health, and nearly destitute when she filed for a pension application for which she was eligible through the loss of her son, John Stewart.  Coincidentally, Jim’s Forsyth(e) and Stewart forebearers both migrated from North Carolina to Western Tennessee in the mid-1800’s.  Therefore, Jim’s Scottish heritage is strongly rooted in the Scots that originally settled in North Carolina, and subsequently, migrated to Western Tennessee.  Of interest, Jim’s family seems to have added the “e” to Forsyth around the 1930’s, since family members had previously spelled Forsyth without the “e”. 

The latest generation in Jim's family is Jordan (Jordie) Loehr Forsythe, born July 13, 2000, and Kasey Loehr Forsythe, born July 20, 2002, to Chris and Christi Forsythe of Sandi Park, New Mexico (near Albuquerque).  Needless to say, Jim's future plans include retirement in New Mexico near Chris, Christi, Jordie and Kasey.