When James Whipple was born in September 1785, in Massachusetts, United States, his father, James Whipple, was 19 and his mother, Electa Johnson, was 18. He married Sybil Sturdevant on 7 February 1808, in Ware, Hampshire, Massachusetts, United States. They were the parents of at least 9 sons and 2 daughters. He lived in Pittsfield, Otsego, New York, United States in 1850. He died on 15 October 1862, in Springfield, Otsego, New York, United States, at the age of 77, and was buried in Otego, Otsego, New York, United States.