Emma and David had several more children and the family lived in poverty. His mother divorced her abusive husband shortly after James was born. A few years later she married a preacher David Baldwin who adopted James. James Baldwin, in full James Arthur Baldwin, (born August 2, 1924, New York, New York—died December 1, 1987, Saint-Paul, France), American essayist, novelist, and playwright whose eloquence and passion on the subject of race in America made him an important voice, particularly in the late 1950s and early 1960s, in the United States and, later, through much of … James Baldwin was born on August 2, 1924, Harlem, New York, U.S. to Emma Berdis Jones. James Baldwin Biography James Arthur Baldwin was born on August 2, 1924 in New York City’s Harlem and was raised under very trying circumstances. He was the oldest of nine children and from an early age loved to read. James Arthur Baldwin, the son of Berdis Jones Baldwin and the stepson of David Baldwin, was born in Harlem, New York City, on August 2, 1924. As is the case with many writers, Baldwin’s upbringing is reflected in his writings, especially in Go Tell It on the Mountain .