The Early Years of Stewart James

The Early Years of Stewart James. “The Einstein of Magicians”. Stewart James, who became known to magicians internationally. was born, raised and lived an outwardly simple life that defied his international reputation as "The Einstein of Magicians". John George Stewart James (later given his mother's surname as his first name) was born on May 14, 1908 in Courtright to John W. James and Annie L. Stewart of Courtright. Stewart was the youngest child and only son. His father, John W. James, had been born in Wales. He built a tin model of a house and then constructed the house he named "Aberystwyth", after their home in Wales. In 1917, the family moved into their newly constructed home when Stewart was 9 years old. The house had been built with mysterious hiding places, and creative little nooks and crannies. Stewart would spend the rest of his life in this home, with the exception of the period of time when he served with the Canadian army in World War II., His mother, Annie Stewart, was a descendant of an early prominent family of historic Moore Township. The Stewart family played a prominent role in the region around Courtright. His maternal grandfather, Lt. Col. George Stewart, had established the Moore Mounted Militia during the Fenian Raid scare of 1866 and 1870. He built the Stewart Presbyterian Church on Charlton Street and Stewart Hall in Courtright., Stewart's mother was a strict and humourless woman. Her insatiable demand for attention would dominate his life to the very end. His father, a tinsmith, was highly complex and creative but cold and mean. Stewart described him as a genius at making things of wood and tin. Stewart's father was superintendent of the Stewart Presbyterian Church Sunday School. He would get a small Christmas gift for each child including Stewart and his two sisters. At home, there was no tree or gifts in the house., Stewart's parents kept him out of school for years. They were eventually forced to send him to school, but would not allow him to associate with other children. He could only stand on the verandah and dream while watching the river flowing by and the other children playing. He would place a barrel of stones on one end of a plank so he could see-saw. He was ridiculed by the other children. In order to avoid that he would stay indoors after school and invented imaginary companions. His imaginary companions and magic were not ways for him to regain childhood, but a way to escape childhood.