James Hallam was born in Ashton-under-Lyne, Lancashire in 1869 and died in Shannon in 1951. James married Gertrude Hannah Charles (d. 1958), a granddaughter of a previous employer. The couple immigrated to New Zealand, arriving in Wellington in 1896 and settling in Shannon in 1899. The Hallams were well known for their love of children, but had none of their own. See "From Bush to Swamp: The Centenary of Shannon, 1887-1987." See also, Pi 602, 635, 636, 638 and 639.