James Benjamin "Ben" Bynum was born in Jones County, Mississippi on August 27, 1875 to the marriage of
Prentice Montgomery Bynum and
Frances S. "Fanny" Welch. He was a brother to Aurelia and Mary "Mollie" and a step-brother to Ida Bertie, Prentice Buford, John Franklin, Felix Jefferson, Charity, Robert Everett, Willard William, and Nannie Nita Bynum.
At one year of age, Ben's mother died; leaving his father with the responsibility of rearing three young children. Aurelia was nine years old and Mary "Mollie", was six years old.
The story handed down is that Prentice was taking his daughters to the school at Enon, Mississippi when he met another wagon driven by G. W. Rawls and his daughter, Nancy "Nannie" Caroline. Nannie Rawls fell in love with Prentice's children.
On December 4, 1878, Prentice married
Nancy "Nannie" Rawls.
At the age of nineteen, Ben Bynum took on the responsibility of running the family farm. His father was in Birmingham, Alabama seeking medical treatment for Ben's younger step-brother, John Franklin, who had been diagnosed with a terminal disease.
On December 29, 1894, James Benjamin Bynum married
Annie Jane Sumrall in Lamar County, Mississippi. Several years later Ben purchased 160 acres on which he built their family home.
The acreage was covered with virgin long leaf pine trees of which Ben used to build the family home, barn and other buildings.
Ben also sold timber to the J. J. Newman Lumber Company in 1902 and Abner Hudson in 1904. An additional 160 acres of land was purchased in 1912 from which timber was sold in 1921.
Ben and Annie Bynum had the following children:
John Buel
Minnie Francis
Narvel Houston
Thomas Terrell
Robert Earl
Bertha Rebecca
Annie Roberta "Bertie"
Bessie Lee Anna
Nancy Arella
Daniel Gordon
Howard Ben
Margaret Evelyn
Mary Lois
James Benjamin "Ben" Bynum passed from this life on September 23, 1941. He is buried alongside his wife in the Military Baptist Church Cemetery in Sumrall, Lamar County, Mississippi.
