James A. Wolfinger was born around 1844 in Maryland to Jacob Wolfinger and Nancy Lahm. He grew up in Leitersburg, Maryland, and his father died sometime in the 1850s. By 1860, his mother owned $15,000 of real estate and $10,000 of personal property. He eventually moved to Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, where he worked as a telegraph operator until a paralytic stroke forced him to retire. He moved to Denver, Colorado, around 1892, and he died there on December 1, 1894.