author

James Strange French

1807–1886

Best remembered as a Virginia lawyer who defended people accused after Nat Turner’s 1831 rebellion, he also turned his frontier interests into fiction. His life moved through law, engineering, and writing, giving his work an unusual mix of drama and firsthand historical curiosity.

1 Audiobook

Elkswatawa : or, The prophet of the west. A tale of the frontier

Elkswatawa : or, The prophet of the west. A tale of the frontier

by James Strange French

About the author

Born in Dinwiddie County, Virginia, in 1807, James Strange French studied at the College of William & Mary and the University of Virginia before reading law with his uncle, Robert Strange, in North Carolina. He began practicing law in Southampton County and became known for representing several enslaved people accused of taking part in Nat Turner’s rebellion in 1831.

French later built a varied career that included writing and engineering as well as law. Sources describe him as the author of frontier-themed fiction, including Elkswatawa: or, The Prophet of the West, and note that he was interested in turning American history into lively narrative.

He died in 1886. Though not widely known today, his life stands out for the way it crossed literature, public events, and professional work in nineteenth-century America.