James H. Warren was born October 31, 1849, in Lincoln county, Tennessee, and departed this life November 27, 1890, aged forty-one years and twenty-seven days. he was a son of the Rev. John B. Warren, of Petersburg, Tenn., who survives him and who has long been a preacher in the Cumberland Presbyterian church. James H. Warren was a noble and industrious youth and young man. He made profession of religion and united with the church when he was very young. According to the records of Tennessee Presbytery, he placed himself under care of that body, as a candidate for the ministry, in the spring of 1870, was licensed to preach in the spring of 1874, and was ordained by the same presbytery at Cane Creek church, Lincoln county, in the fall of 1874, in company with R. M. Tinnon and A. H. Manley. During his probation for the ministry he was highly esteemed for his virtues by such men as M. H. Bone, G. W. Mitchell, N. T. Power and others. He entered and pursued a literary course in Cumberland University, at Lebanon, and was graduated in 1873.

He became pastor of the church at Shelbyville, Tennessee, and soon made himself felt as one of the most earnest ministers of the place. After a useful service there, he labored for a time with success at Franklin, and in April, 1878, he accepted a call to the pastorate at Murfreesboro, Tennessee, and remained in charge at that place for eight years, resigning in 1886. In this field he was instrumental in doing an excellent work for the congregation, and for the community, in which he lived much beloved and honored. Many souls were blessed under his ministry there, and the spiritual growth of the church was greatly promoted.

A feature of this pastorate that was quite noticeable was the work of the Sunday-school, which, under superintendency of J. D. Wilson, with Mrs. P. M. Ransom in charge of the primary department, W. G. Templeton as conductor of music, W. C. Osborn as blackboardist, and Pastor Warren as leader of probably the best teachers' meeting in the State, was one of the most successful schools in our church. In 1884, Brother Warren married Miss Lucie Ransom, daughter of Rev. L. C. Ransom and Mrs. P. M. Ransom, who was to him a gift of God in purity, devotion and usefulness. She lives to wait the further call of duty.

In 1880, Brother Warren accompanied the writer of this sketch to Chautauqua, where, side by side, day and night, the whole idea and the system of Chautauqua were studied, even in its detailed features. The basis of this investigation was personal improvement in every advanced line of biblical knowledge and practical Sunday-school and church work. The immediate uses to be made of this improvement of knowledge and of methods were, first, in the Sunday-schools and congregations represented by the two pastors, and second, in the institute and conventional Sunday-school work of our own State and Church. The zest with which Brother Warren laid hold of the Chautauqua studies was pleasing and stimulating. It was such companionship as an earnest student enjoys. He never flagged. In 1881, we returned to Chautauqua, and he pressed right on in the resolute pursuit of knowledge and familiarity with every method. When the summer of 1882 came, Brother Warren had realized the call of duty to establish a Southern Chautauqua at some suitable place. The zeal, wisdom, and success of his efforts in this direction are well-known to those who were associated with him in the preliminary Assembly which was held at Tullahoma, Tenn., and was an auspicious meeting. Men of intelligence and piety from Georgia, Alabama, and Tennessee united in an attempt to settle the question of location. Various places were visited by a committee of competent business men of Nashville, Atlanta, and other cities, and, after much care and research, Monteagle, on the Cumberland Plateau, in Grundy county, Tennessee, was agreed upon, and Brother Warren earnestly entered upon the preparation of a programme of exercises for the summer of 1883. In the same responsible and laborious service he continued from year to year, carrying through the work of eight successive Monteagle Assemblies, and, in spite of trials and obstacles, seeing the Assembly grow with a steady increase, so that the last he was permitted to see was the most successful of all.

In 1886, the General Assembly of the Cumberland Presbyterian church, at Sedalia, Missouri, elected him to the position of General Superintendent of Sunday-schools of the church, in which position he labored efficiently for two years. About the same time, he accepted the duties of agent for the Chautauqua Literary and Scientific Circle for the Southern States, and held that office for three years, afterward giving himself wholly to his labors as the leader in the important work at Monteagle, in all which abounding services he was greatly aided by his faithful, capable, and pious wife. Four years ago his health broke down and it was a constant struggle to maintain strength and even life itself for the responsible mission he was fulfilling. He loved the ministry of Christ, and showed his devotion during those last suffering years by work for the religious interests of Selma, Tracy City, and Monteagle especially, and incidentally at other places. Monteagle stands as the most fitting monument which could be erected in memory of his intelligence, his piety, and his zeal for doing good. In thousands of hearts all over the South his face, his name, and his influence are held dear, and will be so held until the many who knew his godly life shall go down to lie with him in the dust. The day on which he was buried, and the manner in which he was laid away to rest, just as the sun went down behind the western hills, together with the demeanor of the people of Fayetteville during the funeral, and all the accompanying circumstances, were a fitting and beautiful close of a life serene and worthy.
[Source: The Cumberland Presbyterian, January 1, 1891, page 2.