James Somerville Ross was born in Edinburgh in 1801, his father being an employee in the service of government in the Customs there. He received his education in the High School of that city, the course of study covering five years, and must have been well up in his classes as on one occasion he won a prize of a costly timepiece for reciting one thousand lines of Latin without an error. After two years spent in Caithness-shire, in the office of his uncle, who was a fish merchant, he returned to Edinburgh and was apprenticed in the baking business. He then established two bake shops, one of them in the suburb of Currie where he met and married Janet Henderson. In 1835, with his wife and five children, the youngest six weeks old, he came to Canada in the sailing vessel Roger Stewart. It was the fifty-second transatlantic passage for that vessel's captain and the voyage, which took about six weeks, was also the calmest one he had taken. He came to Galt and was there about seven months; he then moved out to Preston where he engaged at his trade of baking for two years. Here he prospered, but the suppression of the MacKenzie rebellion was followed by a bad business depression during which Mr. Ross quit the baking business and, in 1837, rented a farm near Preston and also started a brick kiln. In February, 1844, with two or three neighbors he came to the Lake Shore Line to spy out the land, but the snow was so deep their intention was frustrated and they returned to Galt. Late in March he walked up to Owen Sound alone, went down the Lake Shore Line, examined the land and chose the farm he afterwards occupied, but the land was not in the market at the time. He asked John Telfer to file his application for it and returned to Galt. This was Lot 38, concession C and was chosen because of a good spring at the back of it. The Land Agent's office awarded him the lot and on May 10th, Mr. Ross and his two eldest sons having arrived from Galt at the Lake Shore Line, the first tree ever chopped on it was felled by the three. A shanty was erected and clearing begun. The rest of the family were, with their effects, brought up in four sleighs in February, 1845. In March of that year he again went to Galt with Andrew Biggar to bring back some stock. His fourth son, then ten years of age, who had remained in Galt, returned to the Lake Shore with the two, walking the entire distance of one hundred and eight miles in six days and driving a sow the whole way. This was regarded as a wonderful feat even in those days for a boy of ten years, but little did he realize as he tramped his lonely journey his powers in long distance pedestrianism would be made a matter fo record seventy nine years later. About a week after their arrival home, one fine morning about eight or ten little grunters were found following this sow around the barnyard.
In 1855 Mr. Ross bought a store in Leith from a gentleman named Wylie and with his sons James and Allan became the firm known as James Ross and Sons. They did a large general store business and in later years engaged in grain buying as well. He continued a member of this firm until his death. Mr. Ross had a considerable knowledge of common law, was one of the first elders in the Annan congregation and was prominent in the educational affairs of the district. He was a big man physically, standing well over six feet, and was of a grave demeanor. All his life he was an enthusiastic curler, and he even tried with some success to introduce the roarin' game at Annan. His wife died at Leith in 1869 and in the following year he visited Scotland, and the scenes of his early manhood in Edinburgh. Returning to Canada he died in February 1871, also at Leith. His remains rest beside those of his wife in Annan cemetery