MARVIN B. JAMES, photographer, Troy; was born in Troy Dec. 11, 1855, and is a son of Benjamin and Ann E. James; his father was born in Maryland in1819, and his mother in Michigan in 1835; both are living, and have been residents of Troy for many years; they have three children -- Marvin B., Franklin B. and Lotta. Our subject was reared in Troy, and received his education in the village schools; at the age of 16, he entered the photograph gallery, and, with A. C. Miller, made himself a proficient in the art; he afterward contracted a partnership with a with a gentleman with whom he remained but a short time, when he assumed full proprietorship; his pleasant rooms are located in Kessler's Block, in the southeast corner of the public square; the walls are adorned with the finest works of art, and furnished in a neat and artistic manner. In 1878, he consummated a matrimonial alliance with Alice Looney, who has borne him one child, viz., Eugene, deceased.