When James " Jim" Thomas was born on 3 September 1874, in Newton, Arkansas, United States, his father, Andrew Jackson Thomas, was 47 and his mother, Martha Patsey Spivey, was 42. He married Adeline Margaret Watson on 15 January 1899, in Newton, Arkansas, United States. They were the parents of at least 7 sons and 2 daughters. He lived in Jefferson Township, Newton, Arkansas, United States for about 30 years. He died in 1958, in Newton, Arkansas, United States, at the age of 84, and was buried in Mossville, Newton, Arkansas, United States.