James F. Hubbard was born on August 16, 1833, in Indiana to George Hubbard and Charlotte Stewart. His father was a blacksmith who owned $400 of real estate by 1850. He grew up in Vernon, Indiana, and he married Sarah Barnett on October 27, 1853. They had at least four children: Martha, born around 1854; Charles, born around 1856; Laura, born around 1858; and Cora, born around 1867. They settled in Monroe, Indiana, and Hubbard worked as a blacksmith.
He was drafted into the Union army, and he mustered in as a private in Company G of the 58th Indiana Infantry on September 22, 1864. The regiment took part in the March to the Sea and the Carolinas campaign, and Hubbard mustered out on June 4, 1865. Hubbard settled in Brown, Indiana, after the war and resumed his work as a blacksmith. By 1870, he owned $800 of real estate and $500 of personal property. His wife died on September 10, 1907, and he died of Bright’s disease in Campbellsburg, Indiana, on February 5, 1915.