James Wendell Holmes was born in Montpelier November 2, 1896, the son of Joseph Hyrum and Sarah Elizabeth Hill. He was a member of the Montpelier High School class of 1915, however he did not graduate. He married Clair Louise Shane April 5, 1921 in Pocatello, Idaho. He died July 28, 1983 in Idaho Falls and was buried in the Rose Hill Cemetery there.