James Sproul was born on May 31, 1801, in New Jersey to Oliver Sproul and Rachel Dorsett. His father was a farmer who owned $4,000 of real estate in 1850. He married Julia Walling in the early 1820s, and they had at least twelve children: Caroline, born around 1825; Catherine, born around 1827; Sarah, born around 1828; Garret, born around 1832; James, born around 1833; Oliver, born around 1835; Rachel, born around 1838; Jonathan, born around 1840; Julia, born around 1841; Wilson, born around 1843; Elizabeth, born around 1845; and Alice, born around 1847.
Sproul helped establish the First Baptist Church of Keyport, New Jersey, on August 5, 1840, and served as church clerk for the next 24 years. The family lived in Raritan, New Jersey, and Sproul worked as a farmer and carpenter. In 1850, he owned $2,000 of real estate, and a decade later, his wealth had grown to $7,000 of real estate and $1,200 of personal property. He died on August 8, 1872.