When James Daniel Turner was born on 15 October 1923, in Stanly, North Carolina, United States, his father, John Dewey Turner, was 24 and his mother, Esther Blanche Turner, was 30. He married Opal Lewis on 12 November 1944, in Election Precinct 29 Alabama City, Etowah, Alabama, United States. He lived in South Albemarle Township, Stanly, North Carolina, United States in 1940 and Kannapolis, Cabarrus, North Carolina, United States in 1976. He died on 22 January 1976, in Concord, Cabarrus, North Carolina, United States, at the age of 52, and was buried in Fairview Cemetery, Albemarle, Stanly, North Carolina, United States.