When James Gardner was born on 27 March 1883, in Atchison, Kansas, United States, his father, Frank Gardner, was 26 and his mother, Catherine Ellen Needham, was 24. He married Cecilia Shehi on 8 June 1905, in Noble, Oklahoma Territory, United States. They were the parents of at least 1 son and 1 daughter. He lived in Walnut Township, Noble, Oklahoma, United States for about 30 years. He died on 19 April 1966, at the age of 83, and was buried in Perry, Noble, Oklahoma, United States.