[2][3] His father James had been raised a Muslim in Madras and had moved to Mauritius to work as[2][4] an interpreter to Magistrate Edward Henry Martindale at Wilhelms Plaines.
He probably then moved to Melbourne to begin studying medicine, but he developed typhus, with subsequent shakes making a future in surgery impossible.
[10] In the memory of Daniel's son, John Kerr Matthews, "the result was that Mr James offered to assist in the mission work without remuneration".
Then, when Matthews formally resigned as official teacher at Maloga in August 1883, the department installed "The gentle Indian schoolteacher, Thomas James, who was much liked by his pupils...".
[12] He continued to preach and evangelise, not just at Cummeragunja (where he was the Sunday School teacher), but out of town too, to Aboriginal people and to white farmers, in places like Nathalia and Picola.
[13] He would also take Aboriginal people to Sunday school, in order to "assist in preaching the Gospel of Salvation to the settlers on the Victorian side of the Murray".
[14] During his career, he had many struggles with authorities, including some mission managers, such as Mr Harris; as well as, at times, the Department of Education and the NSW Board for the Protection of Aborigines (known as APB).
Mrs Harris, the manager's wife, wrote that James was being "disloyal to the APB who were trying to bring about friendly relations between the blacks and whites".
The APB blamed him for unrest at Cummeragunja, and the Board and managers began speaking openly about their fears that he was giving the people ideas – enabling them to write petitions and complain.
The APB tried to sack him twice; however, this was not easily achieved, as he led a very successful teaching team, with marks for children, both black and white, being above average for the state.
[6] Over the course of his four decades of teaching James taught many Aboriginal people who later rose to prominence, including Douglas Nicholls (his nephew), William Cooper (his brother-in-law) and Bill Onus.
He taught them reading and writing (according to a letter he wrote to Chief Inspector Thomas Pearson on 28 August 1891);[19] however it seems he also gave these leaders rhetorical skills, an understanding of government and rights.
Mr James, the teacher, was to be marreid to Miss Ada Cooper, one of our earliest half-caste Mission girls, and who has been a pupil of her affianced for several years.