Robert Sallee James (17 July, 1818 - 18 August, 1850) was a pastor and father of four children including the James outlaws. Born in Logan County, Kentucky, U.S. he met Zeralda Cole they married on 28 December, 1841. He was the son of John M. James and Mary G. Poor James. His ancestor John James came to America from Pembrokeshire, Wales in the mid 1600s.

His children were

• Alexander Franklin James - (January 10, 1843 ? February 18, 1915).
• Robert James - (July 19, 1845 ? August 21, 1845).
• Jesse Woodson James - (September 5, 1847 ? April 3, 1882).
• Susan Lavenia James - (November 25, 1849 ? March 3, 1889).

The Reverend Robert James was a noted revivalist. Probate records show that at his death he owned six slaves, and was a commercial hemp farmer.

James was among the founders of William Jewell College in 1849 in Liberty, Missouri.http://www.jewell.edu/william_jewell/gen/william_and_jewell_generated_pages/A_Brief_History_m21.html

In April 1850, the Reverend James left his family behind, put his farm in the care of a neighbor, Garland Gentry, and departed for California to prospect for gold where he also intended to preaching to the crowds of goldminers who had recently gathered there, during the California gold rush. But shortly after arriving in California, in August 1850, he contracted a fever. It has been suggested that as a result of drinking contaminated water he fell prey to cholera. Tradition has it that the Reverend James died on August 18, 1850, in the Hangtown Gold Camp, later known as Placerville. He was buried there in an unmarked grave.

Reverend James's death left his family saddled with debts, and many of his possessions, including one of the slaves, were auctioned off to pay them. His widow Zerelda married Benjamin Simms, a wealthy farmer, on September 30, 1852.