When James Howard Leggett was born on 11 March 1865, in Oroville, Butte, California, United States, his father, Charles Henry Leggett, was 33 and his mother, Abigail A Burt, was 37. He married Mary Ann Smith on 20 March 1884, in Saline, Nebraska, United States. They were the parents of at least 3 sons and 2 daughters. He lived in Butte, California, United States in 1910. He died on 20 May 1927, in Oroville, Butte, California, United States, at the age of 62, and was buried in Butte, California, United States.