James William More was the fifth child and the third son born to Andrew Robert More and Jeanette Allan Weir. He was born on November 28, 1849 near Hamilton, Scotland in Lanarkshire County.

He would never remember the exciting journey across the sea from Scotland to America as he would have only been an infant of a few months old at the time the ship "Liberty" arrived to New York City on June 13, 1850. His memories would also have been scarce of growing up in Wisconsin as a child, but may have recalled at age 9, when he and his family traveled by covered wagon and crossed the mighty Mississippi River into Minnesota in the spring of 1858.

On the 1860 Federal Census, he was ten years old and living in the settlement in Pilot Grove, Minnesota in Faribault County with his parents and all six siblings. He was still living at home on the 1870 Federal Census at age 20 and providing farm labor on his father's farm in Pilot Grove Township. He left home a few years later to go out on his own - full of fresh new ideas that probably didn't include farm life.

His first job was in the small village of Delavan, Minnesota, as a clerk in a drug store, but he only stayed there a short time before moving to the city of Blue Earth to do the same thing. Next, he spent about four years in Winnebago, Minnesota buying and shipping grain for McDonald and Miller (mostly with Chicago and Milwaukee markets).

By the 1880 Federal Census, James had landed in the city of Blue Earth again and was working as a retail grocer, which he did for a couple of years after he was 30 years old and still single.

He married a little older than some at age 32 on October 5, 1882 to Mary Ellen Sharp (1853 - 1910), daughter of Levi Ketchum Sharp and Ruth Ann Shay. His wife's father had farmed in Wisconsin, but had moved to a farm near Elmore, Minnesota. Shortly before James and Mary Ellen married, he built the first store in Elmore, Minnesota in 1881. History says that at the time there were only two buildings that existed in Elmore. He would continue this business there until January of 1894.

While living in Elmore, Minnesota, James and his wife had five children in total. On the 1895 Minnesota State Census, James was living in the city of Blue Earth, Minnesota. With him in the household were his wife and three children (James, Donald and Manley).

James was politically a Republican. He was active in Faribault County politics serving ten years as Town Treasurer and school treasurer. In September of 1894, he was elected to be Faribault County Treasurer.

James William More died at age 47 on May 17, 1897, and was buried in Riverview Cemetery near Elmore, Minnesota. His children lived short lives as well.

His wife, Mary Ellen or Ella as she was called, was found as a widow living in Blue Earth, Minnesota on the 1900 Federal Census. In the household with her were two of her sons (James and Donald).
She died at age 56 on November 13, 1910, and was buried next to her husband, James, in Riverview Cemetery near Elmore, Minnesota.