James Hall Stevenson was born near Statesville, Iredell County, North Carolina. He was the fifth of twelve known children of Robert Montgomery Young Stevenson (1772-1835) and Maria Rebecca Steele (1775-1839) Stevenson. James moved to Lincoln County, North Carolina with his parents, and then to Kentucky with his parents and siblings in c1806 and then to present day Washington County, Missouri, arriving there in November 1807. Many Stevenson cousins lived in Arkansas and he moved there in c1829 and taught school for a number of years.

James married Emily Clement Janes (1817-1899) on Christmas Day (25 Dec) 1833 at Hot Springs, Hot Springs County, Arkansas. The first five of James' and Emily's children were born in Arkansas and the last five in Texas. In 1849 James and his family moved to Lamar County, Texas along with Sarah Emily Stevenson Flinn (sister of James) and Margaret Louisa Stevenson McDaniel (another sister of James) and their families. James and Emily and their family stayed in Lamar County for eleven years, with James teaching school and farming. In 1860 they moved to Coryell County, settling on the Leon River. He is called Judge James Stevenson on his grave marker, it is not known if he was a Judge in Arkansas, Lamar County, or Coryell County.

James and Emily are buried at the Pleasant Grove (sometimes called Cummings Cemetery) Cemetery, presently on the Fort Hood Military Reservation, Coryell County, Texas. Catherine Murfree (or Russell?) Janes, mother of Emily is buried next to James and Emily at the Pleasant Grove Cemetery.

James and Emily were the parents of ten known children, namely:

1. Louisa M. Stevenson Onstott 1836-1870)
2. Mary R. Stevenson Caldwell (1838-1892)
3. Sarah Catherine Stevenson Traller (1842-1880)
4. Henry Lysander Stevenson (1844-1928)
5. George Stevenson (???-young)
6. John Allen Stevenson (1849-1897)
7. James Marshal Stevenson (1852-1927)
8. Emily Jane Stevenson Chatham (1855-1939)
9. Agnes Ann Stevenson Morgan (1858-1906)
10. Robert A. Stevenson (???-young)

Eight of the ten children lived to maturity, with two of the boys dying young as shown above. James and Emily were the parents of 52 known grandchildren.

Links to James' parents, wife, eight of his ten known children and nine of his eleven known siblings are included below. The grave locations of the two sons who died young (George and Robert) are not known.