A. James Hinman, postmaster at Mohawk, is a native son of New York state and has been a resident of this state all of his life. He was born in the pleasant village of Stockbridge, Madison county, June 17, 1889, and is a son of Ammie and Armanella (Brown) Hinman, now living in Jordan, Onondaga county, the latter of whom is a daughter of James and Isabella (Walker) Brown, also natives of New York, whose last days were spent in Jordan, where for many years James Brown was engaged in the hotel business. Ammie Hinman, who has a wide reputation throughout this section of the state as a horse trainer, also was born in Stockbridge, a member of one of the old families of that section. His parents were Amideas and Julia Hinman, both of English descent, whose last days were spent in Little Falls. Amideas Hinman was a substantial farmer and landowner at Stockbridge, his operations being chiefly confined to the breeding of cattle and the raising of hops. Ammie Hinman grew up as a farmer and later turned his attention to the training of horses, training for the track not only for himself but for others. He then became a hotel-keeper in Verona, where he was thus occupied for seven years; then went to Little Falls, and there established another training stable, remaining until his removal to Jordan, where he is now living.
Due to the various moves made by his father, A. James Hinman received his education in the schools of Verona and Little Falls and at the age of fifteen years began working as a repair man on the force of the Interstate Telephone Company in Little Falls. For two years he kept up this sort of work and then went to the western part of the state and began to work on the construction crew of the Buffalo Pole Lines Construction Company. A year later he became associated with the operations of the New York Telephone Company at Little Falls, in the repair department, and was thus employed for three years, at the end of which time he transferred his connection to the Utica Gas & Electric Light Company of Little Falls, serving there as an electrician. After two years of this employment Mr. Hinman moved to Mohawk and has since been a resident of that city. His first employment there was in the assembling and inspection department of the Remington Arms Company, as an inspector of rifles, and he was for three years thus engaged. He then became employed in a similar capacity, inspecting typewriters, in the plant of the Remington Typewriter Company and was thus employed in that plant until February 1, 1922, when he received the appointment to the office of postmaster at Mohawk, under a commission from President Harding, and he has since been engaged in filling the duties of that responsible public office. Mr. Hinman is a republican and has long given his special attention to local social welfare work. He is the secretary of the executive committee of the Herkimer county Young Men's Christian Association, a member of the executive committee of the association having in hand the care of the county's dependent children, and is the president of the Mohawk playgrounds commission. He and his wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal church and he is a Mason, an Odd Fellow and an Elk and is also affiliated with the Mohawk Club of Mohawk and the Ilion Fish and Game Club. His Masonic affiliaton is with Mohawk Valley Lodge, No. 276, Free and Accepted Masons, and his other lodge associations are with Mohawk Lodge, No. 586, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and Ilion Lodge, No. 1444, Benevolent Protective Order of Elks.
On December 21, 1911, in Herkimer, A. James Hinman was united in marriage to Miss Harriet B. Flanders, and to this union two children have been born: A daughter, Harriet B., born in Little Falls on February 25, 1915; and a son, James W., born in Mohawk on May 8, 1917. Mrs. Hinman was born in Youkers Bush, north of St. Johnsville, this state, September 20, 1885, and is a daughter of John A. and Ida (Thumb) Flanders, both of whom were born in that same place and are still living there, members of old families of that section of the state. John A. Flanders is the proprietor of a prosperous dairy farm at Youkers Bush. Mrs. Hinman is a member of the Order of the Eastern Star at Mohawk and takes an active interest in the affairs of that popular auxiliary to the Masonic order.