When James R. " Wooley Jim" Gulledge was born on 1 May 1817, in Anson, North Carolina, United States, his father, Jeremiah Gulledge, was 23 and his mother, Phoebe “Bashi Boskie” Sellers, was 21. He married Elizabeth "Lizzie" Griggs in 1853. They were the parents of at least 2 sons and 5 daughters. He lived in White Store Township, Anson, North Carolina, United States for about 20 years. He died on 24 March 1901, in Anson, North Carolina, United States, at the age of 83, and was buried in Anson, North Carolina, United States.