James Meladus Goings (Goins) was born in Albemarle County, Virginia, on May 1846 and enlisted in the Union army on August 13, 1864, in Marietta, Ohio. At the time of his enlistment, he was 18 years-old, stood 5 feet, 6 inches tall, and had black eyes, black hair, and a mulatto complexion. James enlisted for one year of service, and on August 16, 1864, he mustered into the 5th USCT Infantry Regiment as a private in Company D. Goings's regiment participated in many key operations during the last year of the war. He helped the Union capture the last operating Confederate port of Wilmington, North Carolina, on February 22, 1865, and he took part in the Carolinas Campaign. He even witnessed the surrender of Confederate General Joseph E. Johnson on April 26, 1865. In the summer of 1865, the regiment occupied the cities of New Bern, Goldsboro, and Carolina City. Goings mustered out of the army at the expiration of his term of service on August 24 near New Bern.

After the war, he returned to Ohio, eventually living and working as a farmer in Decatur in Washington County. He married his first wife, Elizabeth May Male, on March 12, 1875, in Washington County, Ohio, and they had several children together. She died on April 26, 1890, and was buried in the Friends Cemetery in Washington County. After Elizabeth's death, James married Sarah E. Goins. He applied for and received a pension for his Civil War service. He died on October 28, 1928, and is buried in the Friends Cemetery in Washington County.