James Banks Rankin--Life Sketch

James Banks Rankin was born February 7, 1863 at Woodside Cottage, Kilmaurs, Grennock, Scotland.  His parents James and Margaret (McClymont) lived in Rosemont (Livingston Villa) in Kilmarnock, Scotland.  He had two sisters and four brothers.  He is named after his grandmother's brother, Reverend James Banks, founder of the Holm United Presbyterian Church of Kilmarnock in 1849. Reverend Banks married James and Margaret in Glasgow, Scotland on June 21, 1816

James Banks Rankin studied to become a doctor at Glasgow University in Glasgow, Scotland.  He immigrated to America in 1889 and lived first in Chicago, Illinois where he attended medical school at Wayne University. He graduated probably in the year 1895.
.Wayne University college of Medicine

James married Louise Chilton Hanna in Chicago on April 14, 1891.  Louise was born in Belfast, Ireland, in August 1862.  Her parents are Reverend Hugh Hanna and Frances Spence Rankin. She had three sisters and three brothers who as far as we know stayed in Ireland.

Their first child, James McClymont, was born in Chicago in 1892
His daughter Irene(later changed to Eileen) was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1893.
She has middle names from her grandmother Frances Spence.
Amy Chilton was born in Buffalo, New York in 1895.
Son Ainsworth Hanna, was born in Buffalo, New York in 1896.

The family appears in 1900 census in Buffalo, New York, (192 Edward Street)
On the 1910 census the family is living Queens, New York (520 Himrod Street)
On the 1920 census James Banks, Louise, Ainsworth, Amy    Queens (1765 Gates Street)
1930 census records show James Banks, Louise, Ainsworth, Amy living at 195th Street, Queens,N.Y
In 1940 James Banks is living with Ainsworth and Amy in Hollis, Queens  109th Street- 194-15

Sometime between 1901 and 1907 the family lived in the Brighton area of England and they returned to New York on August 17, 1907 on the steamship Philedelpia.  They finally settled in Hollis, in the Long Island area of New York.  

Eileen, James M, Ainsworth and Amy
James Banks and Louise

Louise with grandaughterWinnie

James Banks with Ainsworth

Amy with her dad

James M with dad James Banks 1932

Louise passed away on Christmas Day,
December. 25, 1930 at age 68..
James had allergies and retired early as a physician, yet lived to the old age of 83.
He died June 25, 1946 and is buried in Fresh Pond Cemetery, Queens, New York.



James was nicknamed "Doc" by friends or "Popsie" by relatives.  He was a very meticulous man and quite conservative in his ways.  He was well-disciplined to the point of always doing his morning exercises even during old age.  He loved dogs and kids.  He was especially fond of his grandchildren.

1943 at Hollis NY

with grandchildren Billy and Winnie, and son Ainsworth

Eileen and children

1941 at  Hollis

1943 at Hollis

  He loved to read and was quite an intellectual.  He often spent vacations at their summer home in Huntington, where he enjoyed being in the great forest area of New York.




 In an official meeting assembled at Wayne University on May 16th of 1945 he received an "Honorary Life Membership  and a Gold Anniversary Diploma from Wayne University Alumni Association in recognition of his fifty years of faithful and honorable service in the Art of Science of Medicine"

Oct 1943  Major Ainsworth Rankin, Agnes Rankin, Dr. James Banks Rankin, ? Winifred?, Shirley Walton
Babs Rankin, Amy Rankin