When Lucretia Catherine Hurley was born on 18 December 1845, in Chewalla, McNairy, Tennessee, United States, her father, John Randolph Hurley, was 21 and her mother, Martha Ann Arnold, was 19. She married Benton Clay Ijams Sr. on 23 January 1862, in McNairy, Tennessee, United States. They were the parents of at least 1 son and 3 daughters. She lived in McNairy, Tennessee, United States for about 10 years. She died on 31 December 1936, in Corinth, Alcorn, Mississippi, United States, at the age of 91, and was buried in Alcorn, Mississippi, United States.