James Immel Fulton was born near Chillicothe, Ohio and was the seventh child of James and Rebecca (Green) Fulton. The family were among the earliest pioneers moving to southeast Iowa, traveling in 1850 by covered wagon to Jefferson County when James was a lad of nine.

James lived on his parents farm until 1862. He enlisted in the Union Army on August 12, 1862 and was mustered into service as a private in Company B, 19th Regiment, Iowa Volunteer Infantry.

This regiment was assigned to the Army of the Cumberland and James participated in battles at Prairie Grove and Van Buren, Arkansas, the Siege of Vicksburg, Sterling Plantation, Siege of Mobile, the capture of Fort Blakely and Spanish Fort. He was honorably discharged July 10, 1865, at Mobile, Alabama, at the conclusion of the Civil War and returned to his home in Iowa.

On January 26, 1867, in Fairfield, Iowa, James married Lucetta Funkhouser of Milledgeville, Appanoose County, Iowa. The wedding took place in the home of William Webster and was performed by the Rev. James Haynes. The groom was age 25, the young bride only 16. Consent for marriage was given by Lilburn Funkhouser. The couple lived for one year with his parents, then moved to a farm located near Glasgow where they eventually had a family with thirteen children.

Lucetta died April 14, 1900 and in 1902 James left his Glasgow farm to live in Fairfield. In 1904, he married a Civil War widow from Birmingham, Iowa, Elizabeth Hill. The couple remained in Fairfield until James passed away in 1924. James was buried in Glasgow Cemetery beside Lucetta, his first wife.

For the last fifteen years of his life, James was totally blind. He first lost sight of one eye, probably as a result of measles and exposure while sleeping on the ground during his army service, later the other eye was affected.

James became a member of the Glasgow Methodist Church in 1887. He was also a member of the George Strong Post 19 G.A.R. (Grand Army of the Republic) located in Fairfield, Iowa.