James was born on August 8, 1804 in Camden, York District. South Carolina. On January 18,1826, at the age of 22, he married Cynthia the 16-year-old daughter of Samuel and Ann Wallace Stewart. James, his wife and their three children left Bedford County, Tennessee and settled in Shelby County, Illinois in 1833. In 1839, some Mormon elders came to their home and James and Cynthia accepted the gospel and were baptized into the faith. They sold their farm and moved to Nauvoo in 1841 together with their seven children.

Departed from Kanesville (Council Bluffs), Iowa on 15 June 1850 they arrived in Salt Lake Valley on 6 Oct 1850. The family originally left from Nauvoo and spent several years in Iowa. They finally settled in Payson, Utah.

The following McClellan family members died en route:
Hugh McClellan Jr. (Aug 1847 in Iowa) age 74
Mary (Polly) McCall McClellan (Sep 1847 in Iowa) age 70
Mary Wallace Stewart (9 Jul 1848 in Iowa) age 61
James Travers McClellan (June/July 1850 along Platte
River of Cholera) age 2

When they got to Council Bluffs, William enlisted up with the Mormon Battalion in the Mexican-American War along with his son William who was 18. They reached home in October 1847. They remained in Council Bluffs until June 1850, when they joined Joseph Young's company going West. James was a lumberman, gunsmith and blacksmith by trade, which provided a good living for his family where ever they went.

They arrived in Salt Lake City on 6 Oct 1850 and were asked by church elder George Smith to go to Payson as a blacksmith for that area the following Spring. Cynthia died in 1862 and age 52. James was left to raise three daughters, Sarah(17), Cynthia Selena (12), and Arminta (9). When Sarah married a few years later and left the household, James decided to remarry, taking as his wife Lydia Knight whose had a 17 year old daughter of her own.

He later lived in Santa Clara, Utah before returning to Payson just before his death on 10th of Feburary 1881.