Editor’s note: Information also was taken from The Advocate-Messenger archives and Ancestry.com.

James Pleasant Boling, a Boyle County native, spent his 42-year career as an educator. He was a school superintendent and teacher in various schools in Kentucky.

He attended Ewing Institute in Perryville and was a 1903 graduate of Centre College with a bachelor of science degree.

He was associated with Professor W.C. Grimstead in the Danville schools. He was principal of a Lewis County school for four years.

In 1913, he was elected principal of the Campbellsville school that met in a small building and had four teachers. During his 10 years there, the school system built an $80,000 plant with a college campus on 15 acres with 17 teachers.

“Boling is one of the most highly-trained and thoroughly competent educators in Taylor County, if not in this part of Kentucky,” according to a listing in Kentucky History, 1922.

“He devoted himself to the profession of teaching, and has a deep love for his work, as well as a natural aptitude for it, and under his wise and conscientious care the children of this community are developing students that are a credit to other preceptor and their state.”

In April 1919, Boling succeeded Professor H.C. Haggan as principal at the Perryville school.

“Everywhere Professor Boling has taught he has been a success and we believe the powers that be we are indeed fortunate in securing him to head the Perryville graded school,” according to an article in The Advocate-Messenger.

Five years later, in January 1924, Boling was elected as superintendent of the new Boyle County Board of Education to replace Professor O.B. Fallis, who did not seek re-election. Boling also was named secretary and treasurer of the board.

He left Danville in 1930 for a position as superintendent of the Mayslick School in Mason County, the first consolidated school established in Kentucky.

Prior to that, he did special work and taught at Kentucky University in Lexington.

Boling also taught at Bradfordsville in Marion County for a few years.

While teaching in Campbellsville, Boling registered for the World War I draft when he was 41 years old.

He was described as medium height and build, and had blue eyes and black hair.

Boling was a Democrat. He and his family belonged to the Christian Church where he served as deacon. He also was a Mason.

During his time in Campbellsville, he was legal advisor for the Taylor County draft board.

Born in Parksville

Boling was born Feb. 10, 1877, in Parksville, and lived in Boyle County most of his life. He died Aug. 23, 1945, at the age of 71. He was a son of Evan Boling Sr. and Mattie Tucker Boling of Parksville.

James P. and Elizabeth “Bettie” Cox (1810-1945) were married in November 1905 in Junction City. She was a daughter of F.M. and Martha Zachery Cox.

They had three daughters and one son:

• Martha Francis, (born 1907) graduated from Louisville High School and University of Kentucky. She was a supervisor chemist with DuPont Co.;

• Louise Porter, (born 1910);

• Sara Catherine, (1914-1977); and

• James P. Boling Jr., (1917-1997), was a civil engineer.

James Sr. and his wife, are buried in Bellevue Cemetery.

Virginia roots

James Boling Sr. was the grandson of William Boling, a member of one of the old families in Virginia, who came from Scotland to America before the American Revolution.

William Boling came from Virginia, later moved to Kentucky and settled in Lincoln County, before moving to Boyle County, where he died in 1888.