James was the son of Robert and Margaret Cook Sloan from Blount County, Tennessee, and was married to Susan. They were in the 1840 Polk County, TN census with 4 sons and 1 daughter. Children in the 1850 census were Felix A., Robert, Fielding, Mary E., James B., William H., Flavel B., and Thomas W., with Archibald born by 1860. James was widowed by 1875 and died 1880, and he, Susan and an infant son Elbert Barnes, are buried in the Sloan family cemetery (now destroyed) near the large brick house they had built with brick fired on their property.

James' son William served in the Confederate Army during the War Between the States and kept a very graphic diary as to the events he witnessed during that terrible conflict. He says that the diary was often soaked with rain, and was written under the most adverse conditions imaginable. Some entries were written on horseback, in the dim light of campfires, or moon light, even on the battlefield when there was a lull in the fighting! The diary has been transcribed and is available in print at the History Branch of the Cleveland, TN Library.

On November 25, 1863 he wrote, "We started to Dalton, which brought us to the memorable meeting of November 25 1863 in which every brother of the family, eight in all, met at the old home for the last time, and took our last supper together with our Dear Pa and Ma, in plain hearing of the guns of the great battle of Missionary Ridge, which at that moment was making history against us!"

By 1900 there is not a single Sloan remaining in Polk County!

Each of the three markers in Sloan Cemetery was inscribed with a Bible verse. James' reads, "Thou shall come to thy grave in full age, like as a shock of corn cometh to its season"

(Bio and links by Marian Bailey Presswood, Polk County Historian.)